Evil's Sake: An Analysis Of The Nature Of Evil In William Shakespeare
Evil For Evil's Sake: An Analysis of the Nature of Evil In William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Jake West What is it to be good? What is it to be evil? The more important question would more than likely be whether the two are decided by man's society, or worse, man's morality. At one point in time a person who worked on a Sunday was to be but to death. Clearly the definition of an evil act has been slightly altered, but to see the nature, the essence of evil, one merely has to open a book. In many of Shakespeare's plays, the nature of evil is a main theme. In Hamlet, William Shakespeare show through almost every character, including Claudius, Laertes, and Hamlet, that evil will cause evil. Shakespeare also shows quite beautifully through Ophelia and the entirety of the Act V Scene ii, that evil ultimately leads to ruin. The root of all evil in Denmark is Claudius, Hamlet's uncle and new king. In the first scene the results of his treachery are revealed and in the fifth they are revealed as his own. "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark"(I,v,90) and it's stench is flowing from under the …show more content…
He was infected right when he heard that his father was murdered. When the ghost of his father tells him of his death and what he wishes Hamlet to do, Hamlet is livid at his uncle. He yells about how he cannot hesitate to avenge his father, saying, "And you, my sinews, grow not instant old,/But bear me stiffly up."(I,v,94-95). He also says, "O villain, villain, smiling damned villain!/My tabels. Meet it is I set it down That one may smile, and be a villain--/ At least I am sure it may be so in Denmark."(I,v,104-109). In this Hamlet expresses his outrage that Claudius can kill a king and live smiling for the public and acting like nothing had happened. This, among many of the things said in Act one Scene five, enrage Hamlet and increase his drive to kill his uncle. In his
Jake West What is it to be good? What is it to be evil? The more important question would more than likely be whether the two are decided by man's society, or worse, man's morality. At one point in time a person who worked on a Sunday was to be but to death. Clearly the definition of an evil act has been slightly altered, but to see the nature, the essence of evil, one merely has to open a book. In many of Shakespeare's plays, the nature of evil is a main theme. In Hamlet, William Shakespeare show through almost every character, including Claudius, Laertes, and Hamlet, that evil will cause evil. Shakespeare also shows quite beautifully through Ophelia and the entirety of the Act V Scene ii, that evil ultimately leads to ruin. The root of all evil in Denmark is Claudius, Hamlet's uncle and new king. In the first scene the results of his treachery are revealed and in the fifth they are revealed as his own. "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark"(I,v,90) and it's stench is flowing from under the …show more content…
He was infected right when he heard that his father was murdered. When the ghost of his father tells him of his death and what he wishes Hamlet to do, Hamlet is livid at his uncle. He yells about how he cannot hesitate to avenge his father, saying, "And you, my sinews, grow not instant old,/But bear me stiffly up."(I,v,94-95). He also says, "O villain, villain, smiling damned villain!/My tabels. Meet it is I set it down That one may smile, and be a villain--/ At least I am sure it may be so in Denmark."(I,v,104-109). In this Hamlet expresses his outrage that Claudius can kill a king and live smiling for the public and acting like nothing had happened. This, among many of the things said in Act one Scene five, enrage Hamlet and increase his drive to kill his uncle. In his