Hamlet
William Shakespeare's Hamlet is a tragedy set around the murder of the king of Denmark. One of the main themes of the story is revenge. Within the story, there are three sons who must avenge their respective father's death. Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, Fortinbras, the prince of Norway, and Laertes, the son of the Danish king's advisor, all are examples of the typical sons of this period in time. It was legal to kill the person who murdered your father and thus, these three men were justified in their plight. However similar their situations may be, Hamlet, Fortinbras, and Laertes all set about their revenge in different manners. Hamlet is the main character of this story and his revenge is the most central to the plot of the tragedy. When Hamlet finds out from his father's ghost that his uncle killed his father, Hamlet vows to avenge him. Claudius, Hamlet's uncle, not only murdered the king, but also married the queen and took over the throne within a month's time. Hamlet learns of this deceit while he is st
Fortinbras is a noble character, perhaps the most decent in the play, for when he is told by his uncle to leave the Danes alone he follows suit. As adamant as Hamlet may sound about killing Claudius, he is still unsure about Claudius's guilt. Even though he feels the great need to avenge his father's murder, Fortinbras gallantly agrees to pass through Denmark instead of taking it over and "makes vow before his uncle never more/ To give th' assay of arms against (his) majesty"(II,ii,70-1). As in the typical Shakespearean tragedy, the main characters die before ever seeing the result of their actions. "It warms the very sickness in my heart/ That I shall live and tell him to his teeth/ 'Thus didest thou'"(IV,vi,55-6). Laertes conspires with Claudius to kill Hamlet in a fencing match. Thus, Hamlet is serious about avenging his fathers death, however, he is still indecisive about following through with it. In normal circumstances, Laertes might think Claudius's willingness to kill his own nephew/stepson is atrocious, however, in his rage, Laertes thinks nothing of the situation. When Laertes discovers that it was Hamlet who killed his father, and not some random countryman, he is enraged. When Laertes learns of his father's death he is extremely vengeful. Hamlet decides to have the visiting players put on a show resembling that of his father's actual murder. ill melancholy and in mourning over his father's death. Since Fortinbras cannot murder his father's assassin because he is deceased, he decides to take back all lands that Denmark acquired from his country. In comparison, Hamlet, Fortinbras, and Laertes all possess a general sense of revenge and a need to get back at whoever wronged their fathers'.
Common topics in this essay:
Claudius Hamlet's,
Denmark Fortinbras,
Hamlet Laertes,
Fortinbras Laertes,
Shakespeare's Hamlet,
Norway Laertes,
Claudius Fortinbras,
Wherein I'll,
Laertes Claudius's,
King Norway,
father's death,
hamlet fortinbras laertes,
killed father,
denmark fortinbras,
death hamlet,
hamlet killed,
king denmark,
story revenge,
hamlet fortinbras,
murder king,
fortinbras laertes,
father's death hamlet,
|
Acceptance Essays
