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 still melancholy and in mourning over his father's death. Hamlet, a normally indecisive character, sounds most definite in avenging his father's death when he says, "Haste me to know't, that I with wings as swift/ As meditation or the thoughts of love/ May sweep to my revenge"(I,iv,29-31). As adamant as Hamlet may sound about killing Claudius, he is still unsure about Claudius's guilt. He needs to find proof. Hamlet decides to have the visiting players put on a show resembling that of his father's actual murder. If the king seems to look flustered by the play, then Hamlet can carry out his revenge. "The plays the thing/ Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king"(III,i,579-80). Thus, Hamlet is serious about avenging his fathers death, however, he is still indecisive about following through with it.
             Fortinbras is the son of the late King of Norwa...

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Hamlet. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 06:06, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/33158.html