mofoThroughout the play Hamlet is in constant conflict with himself. An appearance of a ghost claiming to be his father, “I am thy father’s spirit”(I.v.14) aggravates his grief, nearly causing him to commit suicide and leaving him deeply disgusted and angered. Upon speaking with his ghost-father, Hamlet learns that his uncle-stepfather killed Hamlet the King. “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life Now wears his crown”(I.v.45-46) Hamlet is beside himself and becomes obsessed with plotting and planning revenge for the death of his father. O cursed spite,/ That ever I was born to set it right!” (Hamlet 1.5.197-198). These words of Hamlet set the tone for the theme of revenge in the play Hamlet. This reoccurring theme arises through the father and son relationships in the course of the play. The characters Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras all experience the loss of their fathers, and all, as loyal sons, must avenge them. In each case, the execution of their plans is different, and for each son, the results of their actions are unexpected. Of these characters Hamlet and Laertes acted in an unbalance manner; Hamlet too overly analytical and Laertes too overly emotional and therefore the outcomes of their revenge schemes worked against them. On the other hand Fortinbras behaves in a mature and balanced manner, which led to the outcome that he intended, even though it occurred differently than originally planned.

In the play Hamlet, the lead character, Hamlet, faces great hardship when he discovers that his Uncle Claudius murdered his father for the throne. As a result, Hamlet felt the need to seek revenge because of his immense loyalty to his father. His loyalty is proven when he says to his father’s ghost “And thy commandment all alone shall live/ Within the book and volume of my brain” (Hamlet 1.5.102-103). In this quotation Hamlet is stating that he will avenge this father’s murder as it will be the only thought on his mind. Although initially, Hamlet had every intention of fulfilling his duty of revenge, after thinking about the act of murdering Claudius, he feels that he needs more proof to commit such a sin. Therefore he decides to “have [the] players/ Play something like the murder of [his] father/ Before [his] uncle, [and] observe his looks” (Hamlet 2.2.581-583). Hamlet had met these players and devised a proposition for them to re-enact a very similar plot to the way Old Hamlet had been murdered. The play establishes Old Hamlet’s...

Hamlet struggles constantly, trying to decide how he should go about avenging the loss of his father to his deceitful uncle-stepfather. Planning to kill him isn’t easy. Hamlet is given many opportunities to kill Claudius, but keeps stalling for time to be certain the ghost had spoken the truth about the murder. Finally, Hamlet decides upon a plan. “the play’s the thing/Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King”(II.ii.612-613). He will stage a performance for the King that would actually be a reenactment of his father’s murder. The play he chooses to reenact is entitled "The Murder of Gonzago" with a few changes made to accommodate Hamlet’s new lines and actions reflecting Claudius murdering his father. Upon seeing Claudius’s crazy behavior during and following Hamlet’s play, Hamlet realizes that his ghost-father had spoken the truth. This provides all the reassurance needed for Hamlet to carry out his plot to kill Claudius.

Hamlet appears insane throughout the play, but only to the unwary eye. “As I perchance hereafter shall think meet To put an antic position on”(I.v.196-197). He has put on this act to throw off his uncle’s spies. Though Hamlet is obviously intelligent, his character uses his talents as he evolves through many changes from a normal young prince to a grief-stricken, loving son of a beloved father to an apparently madman. Any son who possesses such intense feelings and goes to such great lengths to avenge his father bears testimony to an endearing