Hamlet Revenge

Hamlet Revenge

Thesis

“Revenge should know no bounds” - ClaudiusIn William Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', Hamlet vows to avenge his father's death at the hands of Claudius, however, he procarastinates throughout the play and doesn't seek revenge until the end, when Hamlet finally acts by his instincts, and kills his father's murderer. Hamlet is stopped in seeking revenge by a number of factors throughout the play. He needs to know if the ghost is telling the truth before he seeks revenge. He fears purgatory - as told about the horrors of it by the ghost. He needs to get himself together before seeking revenge, and he procrastinates through discovering that revenge is easier said than done. Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. When his father's ghost came to him and told him to avenge his murder, Hamlet was eager to take immediate action. However before seeking revenge he needs to know if the ghost is telling the truth about his murder. May sweep to my revenge. Hamlet feels that if the ghost isn't telling the truth and he acts, he too will become a murderer. “Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all.

Discussion

Shakespeare's aim is not to have Hamlet intellectually argue out the question of whether or not it is immoral to wreak vengeance. His intention is to have the audience find the answer to this question in the experience of the entire play, in its totality (Goldstein 369-487). This is Shakespeare's method of conveying his message, and it is the most effective way to do so. Shakespeare makes us live through it so that we learn through our emotional involvement and our experience of it.

Class Discussion

One reason that Hamlet delays in seeking revenge against Claudius is that. Claudius is a better fit to be King of Demark, and Hamlet is intelligent enough to know that. By this, Horatio is saying Fortinbras plans to forcefully regain the land King Hamlet took from King Fortinbras. Fortunately, King Claudius, the new King of Denmark, intervenes and sends two courtiers, Cornelius and Voltemand, to Norway in hopes of convincing the new King of Norway, Fortinbras uncle, to prevent the attack.

A second reason that Hamlet delays seeking revenge against Claudius is that depression has rendered him unable to act. Hamlet, unlike Fortinbras and Laertes, did not follow what his advisor told him without questioning why he should take the advice. As time passes, Hamlet still has not acted out the revenge he promised his father.



A third reason for Hamlet's delay in seeking revenge against Claudius is that he fears the penalties he might face if he is convicted of committing regicide. Hamlet had a stronger conscience than Fortinbras or Laertes; therefore, he gave the most thought to his strategy of revenge. Even after Hamlet decides to kill Claudius, he continues to question how his revenge will affect himself, as well as, the King. In Hamlet to be, or not to be soliloquy, he says, Thus conscience does make cowards of us all ...