Motivation In Hamlet Research Paper

In life, an individual’s course of action is directed by their nature of motivation. Sometimes, this nature lies so deeply beneath the surface, that people themselves aren’t even aware that it exists. In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, all of the actions that characters execute throughout the play are naturally motivated by a certain situation or feeling. Some of the characters are motivated to commit brave and heroic acts, while others may simply be encouraged to do the right thing. People can often become pusillanimous when they think too carefully, however, the nature of their motivation is what decides if they will complete the feat or not. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the nature of motivations that direct an individual’s course of action are mostly clearly represented by love, ambition, and revenge.

More than often, humans are easily influenced. When an individual gains motivation through their own, or from one’s word, it changes the individual’s course of action. A gaining of motivation can either lead to an individual’s downfall or to their success. With human existence being a simple truth of never ending violence, we tend to be over ambitious when it comes to a motive. Through the tragedy of Hamlet, we’re shown how motivation regarding a course of action can even lead a noble man himself to his own destruction.

Hamlet begins to react upon his feelings and does away with his reason as he says to the ghost that he will do away with all knowledge and memory and keep within his mind the want to revenge his fathers’ murder. “Yea, from the table of my memory I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records, All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past That youth and observation copied there, And thy commandment all alone shall live”, (1.5.96-103). Hamlet begins to exhibit the argued theme that revenge causes people to act recklessly

After hearing the story of his father’s murder, he did not right away plan for revenge and instead, he goes away and prays (Hibbard 196). In addition, Hamlet’s character is very self-conflicting. He wants to take revenge, yet he walks around acting crazy, dreams about irreverent things yet wants someone to slap him out of his current pathetic state (Hibbard 234). Even though Hamlet swore to the ghost that he will take revenge, he still does not trust the ghost as he thinks it might be the devil, so he decides to arrange a play for Claudius and see if he will confess his crimes, this act of his furthermore illustrates his indecisiveness to trust other and himself (Hibbard 235). Most importantly, at the climax of the play when Claudius was confessing his sins, Hamlets decides not to kill his uncle when he was repenting his sins as he does not want to send him to heaven (Alsaif 134).

The ghost wanted revenge and for Claudius to end up in hell” (Hamlet Kills Polonius). Hamlet’s idea of revenge consisted of him killing Claudius not only when he least expected it but at the moment he had no salvation. The fact that he wanted to kill Claudius while he was in the act or after he committed a sin is completely implausible. The hatred he has to plot revenge in such way shows just how insane he

    In Elizabethan times, a type of play known as a "revenge tragedy" became popular. These plays revolved around, "... the revenge of a father for a son or vice versa, the revenge being directed by the ghost of the murdered man..." (Harmon and Holman #6). Other characteristics include real or pretend insanity, philosophic soliloquies, hesitation on the part of the protagonist, conspiracy, and the use of horror. William Shakespeare's Hamlet fully satisfies each of these traits, making it an excellent example of a revenge tragedy. Certainly, the most critical theme in the play by far is that of revenge; it fuels the plot and story of Hamlet, reveals the hamartia of the protagonist, and is used successfully to

The play, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, surrounds the central idea of revenge and betrayal. Revenge drives the characters and determines their actions throughout the play, which results in several instances of betrayal. With revenge, the friendship and loyalty of characters are tested and conflicts are established between characters. Hamlet’s father, the king of Denmark, was helplessly poisoned by his own brother, Claudius. Hamlet, the protagonist, becomes aware of his father’s death and finds himself seeking revenge and starting a cycle of hatred. Hamlet embarks on his journey for revenge by displaying an act of craziness. Throughout the play, there were several moments where Hamlet’s actions caused confusion and made it difficult for

“A man who desires revenge should dig two graves”. Revenge is a major theme in the play Hamlet and caused many tragedies. In this play King Hamlet was murdered by his brother Claudius who then became king. The play’s plot is about how Hamlet, the son of the deceased king, takes revenge on his uncle Claudius. Hamlet’s appetite for vengeance impacted a lot of people in his life and even people in different countries.

Justifying the act of revenge is often a difficult thing to do. It is commonly said that two wrongs don’t make a right and committing an act of revenge is very rarely going to end up being a morally good decision. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, we see many different characters attempting to get revenge and the effects revenge has on them. Further evidence of character’s change due to revenge can be found in Goddard’s contemporary criticism of Hamlet. Finally, in the episode Act V of This American Life, inmates in prison provide a relatable perspective of Shakespeare’s characters and help contextualize their motivations with real experiences. Among the stories of revenge present in the play, Hamlet’s task to kill Claudius causes the most drastic change in his character. We see Hamlet grapple with false madness and his own morals as his life collapses around him. As Hamlet struggles to complete his goal his ideals shift and he is finally able to enact his revenge and kill Claudius. The desire for revenge and the actions towards carrying out that revenge can completely change an individual’s character.

Revenge was a very common way to get even with someone after they hurt you in some way. In the quote,“revenge his fouls and most unnatural murder”(schmoop) we see that revenge is encouraged. The king was wrongfully murdered so Hamlet has to take revenge on his uncle for killing him. Another reason why revenge is needed in this play is to keep the monarchy as normal as possible. Through the quote, “let not the royal bed of Denmark be a couch of luxury and damned incest” (schmoop) we can tell that Gertrude and Claudius' relationship is frowned upon.

The desires of many characters, and the fates that they met in Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, revolves around the theme of revenge. The feelings of hate and vengeance also take over the mind of Hamlet. After talking to his father's Ghost, and then staging the play Hamlet is almost totally sure that his uncle King Claudius had killed his father in order to take the power of the throne of Denmark. But unlike Fortinbras, Hamlet does not act quickly and is paralyzed by his owns father's

In the beginning of the play, Hamlet’s vengeance is justifiable. Hamlet’s purpose for revenge focuses on making a wrong right, which is in line with the balanced nature of justice. As the reader first meets Hamlet, he is presented with a blunt order from the ghost of his dead father: “Ghost: Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (Shakespeare, 1.5.29). Hamlet starts off with clear intentions to kill Claudius to repay him for the murder of Old Hamlet. Instead of much questioning, Hamlet eagerly follows the voice of the Ghost and allows it to influence the belief that his revenge is actually justice.

The theme of Revenge has been utilized in numerous works of art throughout history, including books, plays, movies, etc. Revenge is the result of one’s desire for vengeance, however, revenge is known to be implied under high emotions of anger thus not with reason concluding with a horrible outcome. Shakespeare’s play ‘Hamlet’ is no doubt a play about a tragedy caused by revenge; Prince Hamlet’s retribution for his father, King Hamlet’s murder and Laertes vengeance for his father, Polonius’ murder. The theme of revenge in Hamlet is portrayed through various literary techniques such as foreshadowing and irony.

Revenge is a dish best served cold, being one of the biggest themes in the play, at its Hamlet’s biggest goal in the play. From the very start Hamlet was out seeking revenge over his father’s death. He wanted to kill Claudius because Claudius killed his father, in an effort to become king himself. Hamlet then becomes obsessed with seeking vengeance, going so far as to fake madness in order to prove that Claudius is truly guilty for his father’s murder…

Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, wanted to take revenge on the current King of his country, his uncle Claudius, who killed Hamlet’s father, in order to take the crown and marry the Queen. The desire of revenge was inculcated by the ghost of his dead father who told him to “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder… the serpent that did sting thy father’s life Now wears his crown” (1.3.31-47). Hamlet is tasked with avenging his father’s horrible and unnatural murder. This task, affects Hamlet on a spiritual level, as he accepts that good and evil exist in the world and that he must act as soon as possible. His nobility and balance is at constant war with each other from the beginning of the play to the end of it. In his soliloquies we can appreciate t the doubts and dilemmas he was facing. We can also appreciate that this task affected him to the point that he desired to die. Hamlet’s social concerns for Denmark are