Hamlet by Shakespeare
As a famous saying goes, before you embark on a revenge mission, you should dig two graves. This famous saying about revenge means that vengeance is a double-edged sword that destroys the other person as well as the one seeking revenge. Hamlet by Shakespeare, is a play primarily about revenge. Hamlet sets out on a revenge mission to avenge the death of his father, who was killed by his uncle, Claudius. However, instead of reclaiming his stolen throne, Hamlet ends up dead, alongside his uncle, Claudius. The revenge mission also claims the lives of other parties such as Polonius, Ophelia, and Laertes, all who were not involved in killing Hamlet’s father. The revenge mission by Hamlet set to action a series of tragedies, and, to disguise his intentions, Hamlet acts like a mad person.
The most significant theme of the play is revenge, and several events reinforce the theme. Hamlet is furious when he proves that Claudius indeed murdered his father. When Claudius suspects that Hamlet knows the truth and wants to revenge the death of his father, he sends Polonius to spy on him. Thinking it is Claudius, Hamlet kills Polonius with his sword; an event that proves that Hamlet wanted to avenge his father. Laertes also reinforces the theme of revenge in the play. Laertes blames Hamlet for the death of his sister Ophelia. On top of that, Hamlet killed his father, Polonius. Therefore, filled with rage, Laertes wants to kill Hamlet and avenge his family. However, in his quest for vengeance, Laertes accidentally cuts himself with his own poisoned sword and dies alongside Hamlet.
I think the actions of Laertes could be justified. Laertes loves his sister Ophelia, and before departing for Paris, Laertes has a conversation with her. Laertes is concerned that Prince Hamlet is not a suitable choice for his sister and therefore warns her to stay away from the prince. Just like Laertes predicted, Hamlet turns out to be bad for Ophelia after scorning her and breaking off their relationship. Soon after Hamlet kills Polonius, Ophelia runs mad and commits suicide. Therefore, Laertes is furious that Hamlet is responsible for driving his sister Ophelia crazy to the point of her death and also killing his father. Laertes is filled with rage when he agrees with Claudius to kill Hamlet using a poisoned sword. Thus, Laertes’ thirst for vengeance could be justified seeing that Hamlet caused the death of his sister and father.
Hamlet is not mad. Instead, he is using his madness to disguise his revenge mission. Hamlet organizes a play “mousetrap” to try and prove whether Claudius is guilty or not. Therefore, Hamlet is sane enough to seek evidence of the crime committed before setting out on a mission to seek revenge. Also, Hamlet is not mad because he spares the life of Claudius after he hears Claudius lament for his crime. An insane person would not be rational enough to feel guilty for killing a man who seems remorseful for his crime. Furthermore, after killing Polonius, Hamlet is sent away to be executed in England. On his way, however, he encounters Prince Fortinbras who is at war with Poland, a much mightier kingdom. The actions by Fortinbras make Hamlet ask himself; if Fortinbras can wage war against a powerful country such as Poland, can’t use the same courage and kill the man who killed his father? Therefore, Hamlet is sane and rational if he can use Fortinbras as an example of bravado and challenge himself to complete his vengeance mission.
In conclusion, Hamlet is a play that depicts the dark reality of revenge. Hamlet’s quest for revenge claims the lives of many people, some of whom were not involved in the murder. Hamlet has to disguise his sanity to achieve his revenge mission. Besides, Hamlet also ends up dead alongside his Uncle Claudius. The play ‘Hamlet’ by Shakespeare warns about vengeance by showing how it affects all people that are involved directly and indirectly.