Hamlet, Sin Or Justified - 892 Words

Revenge in Hamlet, Sin or Justified? What is Revenge? Is it right? Is it worth sinning? Is revenge the right thing to do? There are too many questions to be asked when planning revenge or thinking about revenge and those were the exact questions that were asked in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet that took place in the 1600s. According to Merriam Webster, Revenge is the act of inflicting hurt on someone for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands, and in Hamlet’s case, revenge was mandatory because of a promise he made to his murdered father’s ghost. Even though Hamlet was honoring his father and doing what the ghost of his father told him to do, revenge, in a biblical sense, would have been a sin. However, seeking revenge out of family code of honor gave Hamlet moral justification in breaking the tradition of the Elizabethan Orthodoxy. Thinking about justification and morality in the 21st century is different than back in the 1600s, during the time of this play. The revenge started when Hamlet was talking to the ghost of his father, when the ghost told him that King Claudius was the one that killed him. It started by the ghost telling Hamlet â€Å"So art thou to revenge when though shalt hear† (I.V.1726) which meant that the ghost was expecting hamlet to be ready for revenge after hearing him, The Ghost also told Hamlet that â€Å"Now, Hamlet, hear.’Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard, a serpent stung me. So the whole ear of Denmark Is by a forgà ¨d process of my death ranklyShow MoreRelatedThe Death Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare906 Words   |  4 PagesImagery is an integral part of literature. The protagonist, Hamlet, his mother Queen Gertrude and her husband King Claudius, along with Hamlet’s love interest Ophelia are all affected by human sin through the evocation of sickness and rot. Sin, the driving force of the play, impacts each character, decaying his or her mind, resulting in the emotional and phy sical demise of each character and the decay of the state of Denmark, which has become â€Å"rotten† after Claudius poisons his own brother and wedsRead MoreThe Significance of Death and Sex to William Shakespeare1482 Words   |  6 Pagesconsider Death and Sin in Shakespearean drama and I would like to look at three of Shakespeares tragic plays: Hamlet, Othello and King Lear. Shakespeare uses many themes in all his play that attract audiences throughout history. The things he wrote about are as relevant now as they were in his time. Death and Sin were issues that are always around. In his plays, Shakespeare could comment on these things and make audiences see things that they could not before. In Hamlet, we can see clearRead MorePersonalities of Hamlet in William Shakespeare ´s Play by the Same Name599 Words   |  3 Pagestragedy, Hamlet, William Shakespeare presents Hamlet as one of the most distinguishable characters due his quest to avenge his father’s death. Hamlet Throughout the play, he is given various voices: as an avenger, as a moralist, and as a philosopher. In this essay, I will be explaining these personalities of Hamlet in depth. The voice of Hamlet as an avenger is observed across the play after the ghost of old king Hamlet reveals that Claudius is the individual who murdered him. Hamlet commencesRead MoreMorality And Redemption : An Admirable Treatise On The Nature Of Guilt And Individual Fate1640 Words   |  7 Pagesfortunately, individuals like Shakespeare seek to respond to them through their works. Shakespeare’s Hamlet provides an admirable treatise on the nature of guilt and individual fate, especially with regard to the eponymous Hamlet, his father, his uncle, and Polonius. While Polonius does not deserve his violent death at the end of Act 3, his death furnishes a necessary element of the play, as it suggests that Hamlet does not truly understand the nature of guilt, justice, and fate and the nature they assumeRead MoreEssay Hesitation in William Shakespeares Hamlet1076 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Shakespeares Hamlet In Shakespeare?s Hamlet, a ghost tells Hamlet that his uncle, Claudius, is responsible for the death of his father. Hamlet is driven to reveal the truth of his father?s death and seeks to avenge his murder to achieve justice. In his quest to right the wrongdoing, Hamlet delays acting toward justice for many reasons. The main factor for Hamlet?s hesitation is attributed to his self-discipline. He lacks of ability to act on his emotions. Hamlet is an intelligent, moralRead MoreThe Hypocrisy of Revenge in Shakespeares Hamlet854 Words   |  3 Pagesalways hypocritical and illogical. As Christ said, â€Å"Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.† (John 8:7) The play, Hamlet, illustrates the hypocrisy of revenge. In this play, the prince Hamlet has just lost his father. While everyone thinks the death was accidental, Hamlets dead father appears to him and tells him that his brother, Hamlets uncle, murdered him. He commands Hamlet to avenge his death, yet not to harm his mother, because God and her conscienceRead MoreHamlet: A Moral Man874 Words   |  4 Pages In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the titular hero and tragic figure of the play constantly finds himself unable to act on the Ghost’s instructions to take revenge on King Claudius despite the compelling reasons he realizes for doing so. The reason for this delay is Hamlet’s tragic flaw – his tendency towards thought and introspection rather than impulse and action. Because of this flaw, Hamlet is unable to ignore the moral aspects of his actions and â€Å"thereby becomes the creature of mere meditation, andRead MoreHamlets Hesitation Essay1128 Words   |à ‚  5 PagesHAMLETS HESITATION In Shakespeares Hamlet, a ghost tells Hamlet that his uncle, Claudius, is responsible for the death of his father. Hamlet is driven to reveal the truth of his fathers death and seeks to avenge his murder to achieve justice. In his quest to right the wrongdoing, Hamlet delays acting toward justice for many reasons. The main factor for Hamlets hesitation is attributed to his self-discipline. He lacks of ability to act on his emotions. Hamlet is an intelligent, moral, and reservedRead MoreWhy Hamlet Delays in Avenging his Fathers Death Essay677 Words   |  3 PagesWhy Hamlet Delays in Avenging his Fathers Death The tragic play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, tells the story of the enigmatic Prince Hamlet who is set the task of avenging the murder of his father at the hand of his uncle, King Claudius. Though it is clear that Hamlet harbours deep resentment towards his uncle and is eventually certain of his mission, Hamlet is seen to consistently delay in completing his task for various reasons. Whether it is because Hamlet isRead MoreCorruption By William Shakespeare s Hamlet1423 Words   |  6 PagesShakespeare s Hamlet, are the varying elements of corruption, which occur during the play. This is echoed in Marcellus famous comment of Something is rotten in the state of Denmark, when Hamlet is beckoned away by the Ghost (1.4.90). The most obvious example of corruption in the play is the murder of king Hamlet by his brother Claudius followed shortly after the incestuous marriage of Gertrude and Claudius, a marriage that robs Hamlet of his throne. The next example is Hamlets vow with the