Shakespeare's Revenge Tragedy Play: Hamlet
Any text that is rich in technique and deals with universal concerns will be effective in communicating significant ideas to the responder regardless of the context of the audience. Shakespeare’s revenge tragedy play, Hamlet, explores concerns such as morality and the difficulty of taking action, especially when certainty is impossible. His young protagonist, Hamlet, acts as an effective vehicle as he uses powerful language to explore his moral dilemmas.
What distinguishes Hamlet from other revenge tragedy plays is the amount of action expected, especially from Hamlet himself as he continuously hesitates due to him trying to be absolute certain of his actions. Hamlet handles an extremely complicated dilemma which is a combination of feelings that does not allow him to be tranquil. One of the reasons is due to the mourning of his father’s death, which he already feels distraught about. The other reason for Hamlet’s problem is his mother’s sudden remarriage of her brother-in-law, Claudius, whom here in this play he is presented as the villain. As Hamlet says, “A little month, or ere those shoes were old… a beast that wants discourse of reason would have mourned longer.” Hamlet here is showing his disgust towards Gertrude, his mother, as she is remarrying only two months after her husband’s death. Furthermore Claudius is blood related to Hamlet hence deepening his anger, turning to madness. Hamlets hatred towards Gertrude is seen in Act 1 scene 2 as Hamlet expressed in a negative tone; “seems, madam! Nay it is; I know not seems./ This not alone my inky cloak, good mother,” Also Hamlet’s first soliloquy in the play shows his distress towards Claudius and Gertrude’s marriage.
His internal dilemma is explicitly shown when this ghost of Hamlet’s father appears in Act 1 scene 5 as he calls upon, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.” It is from this point forward that Hamlet struggles with the dilemma of whether or not to kill Claudius, and if so, when to do
What distinguishes Hamlet from other revenge tragedy plays is the amount of action expected, especially from Hamlet himself as he continuously hesitates due to him trying to be absolute certain of his actions. Hamlet handles an extremely complicated dilemma which is a combination of feelings that does not allow him to be tranquil. One of the reasons is due to the mourning of his father’s death, which he already feels distraught about. The other reason for Hamlet’s problem is his mother’s sudden remarriage of her brother-in-law, Claudius, whom here in this play he is presented as the villain. As Hamlet says, “A little month, or ere those shoes were old… a beast that wants discourse of reason would have mourned longer.” Hamlet here is showing his disgust towards Gertrude, his mother, as she is remarrying only two months after her husband’s death. Furthermore Claudius is blood related to Hamlet hence deepening his anger, turning to madness. Hamlets hatred towards Gertrude is seen in Act 1 scene 2 as Hamlet expressed in a negative tone; “seems, madam! Nay it is; I know not seems./ This not alone my inky cloak, good mother,” Also Hamlet’s first soliloquy in the play shows his distress towards Claudius and Gertrude’s marriage.
His internal dilemma is explicitly shown when this ghost of Hamlet’s father appears in Act 1 scene 5 as he calls upon, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.” It is from this point forward that Hamlet struggles with the dilemma of whether or not to kill Claudius, and if so, when to do