Something was definitely rotten in the state of Denmark!
The king was dead of a terrible murder, a betrayal from his
own brother, and young Hamlet was enraged with a sense of
needing to seek revenge, which came with his father’s
passing. You might think that this sort of revenge would
come in the form of a crime of passion; something that would
be quick and bloody. This was not the case in Shakespeare’s
Hamlet, as the young prince unexpectedly drew out his plans
for revenge over a large amount of time due to his own
weakness of numbness. Hamlet was full of big ideas and
intentions, but he failed to act and to carry out the deed
of revenging the death of his father by killing Claudius.
Hamlet had his reasons for not acting. I think that partly
he wanted it to be unexpected. Hamlet was definitely a
smart guy, and throughout the play it seemed as though
everything was premeditated. He did nothing on a whim. I
think this was another reason for Hamlet prolonging a quick
revenge on Claudius. Nearly all of Hamlet’s actions, with
the exception of his outburst at Ophelia’s grave, were
preplanned. Although Hamlet was never quick to action, he
was always thinking aloud and giving those long speeches.
He probably thought too much for his own good at times. He
wrestled with many ideas, thoughts, and feelings over the
The Essay on Hamlet Revenge A Chain Reaction
Hamlet Revenge: A Chain Reaction In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the theme of revenge is repeated numerous times throughout the play and involves a great deal of characters. Of these characters, eight are dead by the end of the play by result of murder which was initiated through revenge. Shakespeare uses the revenge theme to create conflict among many characters. Shakespeare uses the ...
course of the play, delaying any real action until the time
was right.
Hamlet was a perfectionist in revenge. He wanted
everything to be perfect, and this caused him to take
unusual steps to gain his revenge on Claudius. Hamlet’s play
within a play caught the conscience of the king. Hamlet did
not only want to kill his father’s murderer; he wanted to
send him to an eternal punishment of damnation. This caused
Hamlet to move slowly and carefully in his revenge.
Hamlet’s delay of vengeance was necessary in order for
his ideal revenge to come about. Unfortunately Hamlet’s
ideal plans never came to be. Hamlet’s choice to remain
idle didn’t cause, but certainly helped bring a downfall to
himself. Had Hamlet remained inactive, he certainly would
have been able to complete his plans for revenge on
Claudius. When Hamlet revealed himself at Ophelia’s tomb, he
lost his element of surprise on the king, and causing most
of his plans to come apart at the seams. In the end,
Hamlet’s patient form of acting did not destroy his revenge,
but his action regarding his love for Opheila did. In some
ways, Hamlet let down his guard when he saw Ophelia in her
coffin during the dishonorable burial. That opened the door
for the current king to plan his own form of vengeance on
Hamlet before Hamlet had a chance to kill the king. In the
end, all was lost and no one had a happy ending.
