Eagerness For Power Hamlet, a sociopathic narcissist uses vengeance, a retribution of an action done toward him. He uses the death of his father as justification for his actions. In his mind he believes he can use revenge to gain power and control. By using vengeance, he is convincing everyone in his surroundings of his power. In Shakespeare's play, “Hamlet”, a theme of power occurs often. Hamlet’s compulsion revolves around the death of his father. As a protagonist, Hamlet is also a hero. His actions toward his control, are both moral and immoral implications involved through demanding revenge. “One may smile, and smile, and be a villain”, said in Act 1, shows Hamlet's will to gain control. Using phrases like this portray a controversy between the doing the right thing and trying the right thing. Narcissistic behavior like this is common when trying to achieve power. A person for instance has an inflated sense of own importance over the people that surround them. Although, he could have chosen to do nothing about the betrayal toward him, it wasn’t morally in his will to act in such way. His actions displayed ways that acting out was seen as a defense mechanism. Hamlet regularly isolates himself prior to wanting something. Not only does isolation happen frequently, but it is rare for Hamlet to share any information he has gained, but uses it against others in a way of having control over them, Having so many emotions and feelings built up inside, gives an additive toward unruly, and controlling behavior. A Google article stated, “Shakespeare’s play arises not from the structure of revenge itself, but from the grafting on to it of a complex of acute anxieties revolving around a vision of endemic human corruption” (pg.3). Protagonist use revenge as a way of significant act toward control. In this case, Hamlet seeks this type of revenger after experiencing many failed attempts to obtain the justice he felt he so deserved. Multiple acts of the attempt toward power, resulted in consequences that merely interpreted Hamlet’s outcome. Solely acting on revenge tragedy, causes people, such as those in Shakespeare's play to act blindly without emotion, rather than reason. Even though he was in so much outrage and
Power in the Play Paired with the History Shakespearean works, as well as the Bollywood adaptations, have purposes to why power is shown the way it is in relation with legitimate history, as seen in Hamlet. The play, Hamlet, and the movie, Haider, both show the power of certain women, and both have a distinct plot about the overthrowing of someone with power. Both, the play and the movie also have specific reasons why this overthrow happened related to the time they were made. Hamlet’s overthrow of power refers back to Queen Elizabeth the First. Haider’s overthrow has to do with the Indian army allegedly taking people.
Revenge is a recurring theme in Hamlet. Although Hamlet wants to avenge his father’s death, he is afraid of what would result from this. In the play Hamlet, Hamlet’s unwillingness to revenge appears throughout the text; Shakespeare exhibits this through Hamlet’s realization that revenge is not the right option, Hamlet‘s realization that revenge is the same as the crime which was already committed, and his understanding that to revenge is to become a “beast” and to not revenge is as well (Kastan 1).
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the titular character struggles to engage in his desired plan of revenge. Hamlet shows throughout the play that he is inconsistent, indecisive, and unsure of himself, as well as his actions. The play focuses on Hamlet’s revenge; however, he continuously fails to happen at opportunistic moments. Throughout the play, Hamlet insists that he intends to avenge his father’s death through the murder of Claudius, but Hamlet fails to act on occasion because of his indecisive personality.
Hamlet is as much a story of emotional conflict, paranoia, and self-doubt as it is one of revenge and tragedy. The protagonist, Prince Hamlet of Denmark, is instructed by his slain father’s ghost to enact vengeance upon his uncle Claudius, whose treacherous murder of Hamlet’s father gave way to his rise to power. Overcome by anguish and obligation to avenge his father’s death, Hamlet ultimately commits a number of killings throughout the story. However, we are not to view the character Hamlet as a sick individual, but rather one who has been victimized by his own circumstances.
Quintessentially speaking, revenge is a thing that many have sought in response to a tragic event unfolding. Typically, as a result, vengeance is contemplated upon by the victim as a means of retribution, a way of making things right and seeking justice on the behest of the victim, if the law will not grant justice through due process due to corrupt forces stemmed deep within it- corrupt seeds of a corrupt plant. Therefore, revenge become an apparent option for those willing to walk that path [of no return]. However, instances of revenge not being attained in the “clear cut” way it is ordinarily acquired have occurred from time to time throughout history. One of the most prominent examples of unconventional revenge attainment can be found within the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, entailing the revenge path walked by its eponymously named main character, Prince Hamlet. Specifically, his intentful delay in attaining his revenge against his uncle Claudius for his direct role in the death of his father, King Hamlet. This literary conundrum has dumbfounded literary critics for over 400 years and counting- due to the fact that a universally accepted consensus amongst them as well as the general public as to why Hamlet delayed his revenge has not yet been reached.
The relevance and significance of the revenge tragedy is in the way it explores human nature and forces audiences to evaluate ideologies such as revenge and justice. The concept of revenge is accompanied by moral conflict and Shakespeare demonstrates that by acting immorally society is likely to be riddled with corruption. Hamlet seeks to avenge the death of his father but struggles with the ramifications of seeking righteous revenge through an immoral act. The imposition of revenge instills the existential questioning on Hamlet as it contradicts his with his social expectation. His
Thus, Shakespeare’s play Hamlet uses both themes of revenge and tragedy, as they are both used in the main parts of the story. It is up to the reader if he or she wants to interpret this story as a tragedy or revenge, but it is most probably a mix between the two. Hamlet was, and is still a titanic part of our culture, and literary history, and will most likely still be analyzed in the future for its rich, and convoluted plot. Hamlet is a unique piece of literature, and will be regarded for a long time as one of the treasures of English
In this case, Hamlet is obsessed with yet unable to act out his revenge since he is a man of thought and reflection, not of action and impulsiveness. "Revenge, said Francis Bacon in his essay on the subject, is a kind of wild justice, and something in Hamlet is too civilized for stealthy murder," says Northrop Frye (Frye). While he knows it is his duty to avenge his father's murder, Hamlet's desire to fulfill this obligation constantly wavers. In self-pity he cries, "O cursed spite / That ever I was born to set it right!" (1.5. 188-189), and yet in rage he utters, "Now could I drink hot blood / and do such bitter business as the day / Would quake to loot on," (3.2. 397-399). Hamlet hesitates numerous times to fulfill his duty to avenge his father, and in the end he must actually convince himself to kill Claudius. "... I do not know / Why yet I live to say 'This thing's to do', / Sith I have cause, and will, and strength, and means / To do't... / ... / O, from this time forth, / My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!" (4.4. 43-46, 65-66). This unusual flaw leads to Hamlet's inevitable demise, and is the most convincing evidence that Hamlet is, indeed, a tragedy. The protagonist, however, is not the only character in the play that experiences a want for revenge. Shakespeare uses all three of the sons seeking vengeance to reveal the complexity of the human yearning for
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
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.
Hamlet is Shakespeare’s most famous work of tragedy. Throughout the play the title character, Hamlet, tends to seek revenge for his father’s death. Shakespeare achieved his work in Hamlet through his brilliant depiction of the hero’s struggle with two opposing forces that hunt Hamlet throughout the play: moral integrity and the need to avenge his father’s murder. When Hamlet sets his mind to revenge his fathers’ death, he is faced with many challenges that delay him from committing murder to his uncle Claudius, who killed Hamlets’ father, the former king. During this delay, he harms others with his actions by acting irrationally, threatening Gertrude, his mother, and by killing Polonius which led into the madness and death of Ophelia.
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…
After reading Shakespheres “Hamlet” it was evident that the theme of the play was revenge, which was illustrated throughout the play by the characters actions. Revenge causes the characters in Hamlet to act blindly through anger and emotion, rather than through reason and morals. It is based on the principle of an eye for an eye this action is not always the best means to an end which clearly shows at the end of the play. Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet were all looking to avenge the deaths of their fathers, which lead them to do unethical and immoral things which in the end of the play ends Ironic. They all acted on emotion driven by the want for revenge for
Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedies. At first glance, it holds all of the common occurrences in a revenge tragedy which include plotting, ghosts, and madness, but its complexity as a story far transcends its functionality as a revenge tragedy. Revenge tragedies are often closely tied to the real or feigned madness in the play. Hamlet is such a complex revenge tragedy because there truly is a question about the sanity of the main character Prince Hamlet. Interestingly enough, this deepens the psychology of his character and affects the way that the revenge tragedy takes place. An evaluation of Hamlet’s actions and words over the course of the play can be determined to see that his ‘outsider’ outlook on society,
Hamlet is one the best known works of Willian Shakespeare, a play that emphasizes revenge, as one of the major topics . The main character hamlet is driven by all of this revenge matter , and ends up physically killing 2 people, Claudius and Polonius, as well as indirectly causing the deaths of 5 other characters throughout the play. It is a Play that leaves us with uncertainty and doubts , we can go either way, we could see hamlet as a protagonist who seeks justice for his father’s murder or an antagonist, because let 's be realistic it is a bit extreme all the deaths he cause just to avenge one person. I chose to look at hamlet through the psychoanalytic criticism scope. I will attempt to demonstrate how his id, ego, and super ego influenced In his behavior and decision on murdering his uncle, and the problems he confronted while attempting to accomplish his fathers will to do so. Hopefully, we can make a decision after being presented hamlet through this new perspective.