2011

Discuss Hamlet as a revenge tragedy

Revenge has caused the downfall of many a person. Its consuming nature causes one to act recklessly through anger rather than reason. Revenge is an emotion easily rationalized; one turn deserves another. However, this is a very dangerous theory to live by. Throughout Hamlet, revenge is a dominant theme. Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet all seek to avenge the deaths of their fathers. But in so doing, all three rely more on emotion than thought, and take a very big gamble, a gamble which eventually leads to the downfall and death of all but one of them. King Fortinbras was slain by King Hamlet in a sword battle. This entitled King Hamlet to the land that was possessed by Fortinbras because it was
If not for his own blind rage, Laertes may have listened to Hamlet's explanation and apology for the murder of Polonius and could have avoided his early demise. "I am satisfied in nature…to my revenge…I stand aloof…and will no reconcilement…But till that time, I do receive your offered love like love, and will not wrong it." Instead he chose to fight Hamlet. He and wounds him fatally with the poisoned tipped sword, however, their swords become switched, and Hamlet inflicts the same wounds on with as those that had been inflicted on him. It is by these wounds that Laertes dies. Hamlet’s opportunities to kill his uncle were plentiful. However, his rage over-ridded his intelligence and he waited; hoping to catch Claudius at a time he was committing an act of sin to strike him down, forcing him to spend eternity in a world of eternal damnation. "Now might I do it pat, now he is praying; a villain kills my father; and for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven." Unfortunately for Hamlet, the only sin Claudius commits is the poisoning of his own nephew.

Young Fortinbras was the only character in the play who exacted his revenge without dying. He regains his father’s land, without use of violence, simply because Hamlet, Laertes and Claudius had all killed each other. His patience saved his life; Hamlet and Laertes’ haste had caused their deaths. Hamlet named him new ruler of Denmark before he dies, making him the new King of