Hamlet Case

Revenge is a very powerful action for a person to perform or strive to complete. If someone is wronged then that person wants nothing more than to harm or hurt whoever wronged them. Within the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the reader can sense many different ways in which the characters seek revenge on each other. Although there are many themes throughout this play, the one that is most prominent is revenge and is shown between most of the main characters.

Even though Hamlet does not receive his revenge on Claudius until the very end of the play, the reader knows Hamlet seeks it right from the beginning. In act one, scene five, Hamlet's father, who is a ghost, returns and speaks to Hamlet saying, "Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder." Hamlet's father says this to him and then goes on telling Hamlet how Claudius murdered him, and then married his mother just to take his crown. Because of Hamlet's father the reader knows that Hamlet will eventually seek revenge on Claudius. Although at this time Hamlet does not know for sure if the ghost was telling the truth or not, he devises many plans to find out the facts before going any further into his revenge. After the play, which Hamlet wrote, is shown to the King and Queen they storm out indicating to Hamlet that the ghost was telling the truth. In act three, scene two, Hamlet says, "I'll take the ghost's word for a thousand pound!" With this information Hamlet knows now that he wants to seek revenge on Claudius. After the King storms out Hamlet finds him kneeling down and praying to which he says, "Now might I do it pat, now he is praying; and now I'll do't. And so he does to heave, and so am I revenged. That would be scann'd. A villain kills my father and for that I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven. O, this is hire and salary, not revenge." Hamlet believes that if a person is praying while they die they will go straight to heaven, so Hamlet does not kill Claudius because he will not get the revenge he deserves for murdering Hamlet's father. Hamlet also wants revenge this way because Claudius killed his father before he could seek forgiveness for his sins. Finally at the plays end the reader can see how Hamlet seeks his revenge. After the Queen is poisoned because of Claudius in act five, scene two, Hamlet stabs his sword into the King yelling, "Then, venom, do thy work." Hamlet's final act of revenge is pouring the poisoned wine down the King's throat saying, "Here, thou incestuous, murderous, damned Dane, follow my mother." With this final words Hamlet has finally gotten the revenge he believes Claudius deserved. Not only does Hamlet want revenge on Claudius, but Claudius also wanted revenge on Hamlet.

After Claudius realizes that Hamlet has found out that he murdered his brother, Claudius wants nothing more than to kill Hamlet, and seek revenge