In the play Hamlet, we see characters that are looking to seek revenge for the murder of their fathers. In the end though, the resolution of each vengeance highlights the inadequacy of the act. Hamlet stood anticipating for the perfect moment to kill King Claudius because he wanted to murder him during a sin. During the majority of the play, it is this inner struggle to seek revenge that ultimately corrupts his self-being. After the players perform their act, Hamlet talks to himself when he says “O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! Is it not monstrous that this player here, but in a fiction, in a dream of passion, could force his soul so to his own conceit that from her working all visage waned, tears in his eyes, distraction in his aspect, a broke voice, and his whole function suiting with forms to his conceit—and all for nothing” (2.2.577-584)! This shows how Hamlet is upset with himself for his inability to kill Claudius. He connects himself to the players and states that actors can cry for a fictional character with which they have no emotional ties, but he cannot even seek revenge for the murder of his own father. This demonstrates that Hamlet is unable to advance his actions by killing Claudius. He instead hesitates waiting for the ideal moment, which in turn is slowly corrupting his life.
When I was in eighth grade, basketball was very competitive. Everybody was preparing for high school and boys were starting to develop into strong players. As my season progressed, I noticed that kids started getting more aggressive. In the playoffs that season, we were playing Field Middle School and their center was six feet tall. In the second quarter, he threw an elbow that connected with my teammates jaw. After the game, some of the players were talking about how they should get revenge. The challenge was that we did not want to promote any dispute between the teams, but we did want to teach the center a good lesson. This connects to Hamlet because in both situations the person seeking revenge contemplated the affects that would occur once the revenge has been completed. The difference is that Hamlet kept instigating his revenge and in return, his personal identity. My team and I understood the problem and handled the adversity in a positive manner. This illustrates how when you let revenge bottle up inside of you, it festers and can make you do things you would not normally do.
Hamlet had his mind set on getting revenge for the murder of his father throughout the entire play and finally at the end, he got his revenge. Hamlet is talking to himself while he talks about young Fortinbras when he says “How stand I, the, that have a father killed, a mother stained, excitements of my reason and my blood, and let all sleep, while to my shame I see the imminent death of twenty thousand men that for a fantasy and trick of fame go to their graves like beds, fight for a plot whereon the numbers cannot try the cause” (4.4.59-66). This illustrates Hamlet’s anger that has built up in him throughout the play. He now understands the lack of action that he has taken to revenge such a meaningful cause, while Fortinbras is having thousands of men die for a stupid piece of land. Hamlet has diminished who he is because of the amount of time he spent deciding how to seek revenge. It is this that emphasizes the defectiveness of revenge.
After experiencing the episode between Field Middle School and us, my team and I ended up doing the right thing instead of possibly getting ourselves into a problem. The next time we faced Field Middle School, instead of trying to be physical back, we used the strength of forgiveness. Our intention was not to hurt the center, but instead to let him know what he did was wrong and that he lacked good sportsmanship. This would show the center that our intention is not to fight, but rather to make peace. Hamlet, on the other hand, had many emotions and anger built up from the murder and getting revenge would