Scorned Man's Revenge In Hamlet
Rainey Bland
English 102
Dr. Christine Schott
14 November 2014
A Scorned Man’s Revenge
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is one of William Shakespeare’s most recognized plays. It is a production that revolves around the central theme of revenge. In the first act, the reader is introduced to Hamlet whose uncle, Claudius, is king of the country. Once Claudius realizes Hamlet’s intentions to murder him for his father’s murder, Claudius plots to accomplish his own objectives. Some readers fail to understand why Hamlet avenging his father’s death is difficult for him considering he knows exactly who did the crime. In the play the reader learns that vindicatory righteousness is his main interest, and emotion clouds his judgment. One of the …show more content…
Hamlet’s father was a sinner, who was sent to purgatory, which explains why he came back as a ghost and is haunting Hamlet, and is encouraging him to enact revenge. Hamlet is well aware of his father's crimes saying, “with all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May” (Shakespeare 3.3.81). There is a passage in the Bible from Romans 12:17-19 which reads that, "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of / everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear / friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, / for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.’” (New International Version, Rom. 12.17-19). This passage explains that it is not anyone’s place to commit a vengeful act on anyone; God should be the only one to punish the wicked. The passage goes on to say that if someone does something wrong, God will pay back that wrongdoing. Essentially, a person should not be overcome by evil, but they should overcome evil with good. Even though the perfect scenarios have been set in order for Hamlet to kill his Uncle Claudius, he chooses to not murder him until the very end, possibly because of the sinful consequences. Through his motives he creates the absolute perfect setting in order for him to kill his uncle, but does not have the courage to do it until the end of the play. Hamlet uses Claudius's prayer as an outlet or to not kill him then. From this, the reader knows that Hamlet does not want Claudius to go to heaven when his father has to remain in hell. Hamlet knows that it is the spirit of his father that resides in purgatory, and he understands fully that it is an unmistakable cry for revenge. Hamlet never quite understood his role as a person and that is why he was unable to act. Hamilton says, “he was able to act in revenge for his father's murder only when the deadline was almost past, when he was about to die himself”. In
English 102
Dr. Christine Schott
14 November 2014
A Scorned Man’s Revenge
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is one of William Shakespeare’s most recognized plays. It is a production that revolves around the central theme of revenge. In the first act, the reader is introduced to Hamlet whose uncle, Claudius, is king of the country. Once Claudius realizes Hamlet’s intentions to murder him for his father’s murder, Claudius plots to accomplish his own objectives. Some readers fail to understand why Hamlet avenging his father’s death is difficult for him considering he knows exactly who did the crime. In the play the reader learns that vindicatory righteousness is his main interest, and emotion clouds his judgment. One of the …show more content…
Hamlet’s father was a sinner, who was sent to purgatory, which explains why he came back as a ghost and is haunting Hamlet, and is encouraging him to enact revenge. Hamlet is well aware of his father's crimes saying, “with all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May” (Shakespeare 3.3.81). There is a passage in the Bible from Romans 12:17-19 which reads that, "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of / everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear / friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, / for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.’” (New International Version, Rom. 12.17-19). This passage explains that it is not anyone’s place to commit a vengeful act on anyone; God should be the only one to punish the wicked. The passage goes on to say that if someone does something wrong, God will pay back that wrongdoing. Essentially, a person should not be overcome by evil, but they should overcome evil with good. Even though the perfect scenarios have been set in order for Hamlet to kill his Uncle Claudius, he chooses to not murder him until the very end, possibly because of the sinful consequences. Through his motives he creates the absolute perfect setting in order for him to kill his uncle, but does not have the courage to do it until the end of the play. Hamlet uses Claudius's prayer as an outlet or to not kill him then. From this, the reader knows that Hamlet does not want Claudius to go to heaven when his father has to remain in hell. Hamlet knows that it is the spirit of his father that resides in purgatory, and he understands fully that it is an unmistakable cry for revenge. Hamlet never quite understood his role as a person and that is why he was unable to act. Hamilton says, “he was able to act in revenge for his father's murder only when the deadline was almost past, when he was about to die himself”. In