Revenge as The Source of Evil in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” an Example of the Topic Literature Essays by

Revenge as The Source of Evil in William Shakespeare’s â€Å"Hamlet† The play Hamlet by William Shakespeare is filled with unfortunate occurrences caused by evil deeds. The evil deeds included in the play are deception, maltreatment of women and murder. However, what could be the cause of evil in the play? The source of evil in William Shakespeares Hamlet is revenge. Revenge is the origin of all evil in the play because all the evil acts were triggered by the Ghosts request of revenge to Prince Hamlet. Revenge is the clearly the source of evil in the play, as there were no evil acts committed prior to the Ghosts encounter with Hamlet. While it is true that Hamlet was deeply dissatisfied with the events which occurred after his fathers death, he never acted against anyone. For instance, Hamlet greatly disapproved his mothers marriage to his uncle. Need essay sample on "Revenge as The Source of Evil in William Shakespeares Hamlet" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed He felt that Queen Gertrude rushed into marrying Claudius shortly after his beloved husbands passing. According to Hamlet, A beast that wants discourse of reason/ Would have mourned longer! (I.ii.154-155). In addition, he despised his uncle; he did not think Claudius could measure up to his late fathers capacity as king. Hamlet considered his father as so excellent a king, a hyperion compared to Claudius satyr (I.ii.143-144). Despite his unhappiness over the current situation, it must be noted that Hamlet did not inflict harm on his mother, uncle, or anyone else. College Students Very Often Tell EssayLab writers: I'm not in the mood to write my paper. But I don't have the time Specialists recommend: Try Our EssayLab Revenge is the source of evil in the play because Hamlet began to carry out wicked deeds shortly after being confronted with his fathers spirit. On their encounter, The Ghost asked Hamlet to revenge his foul and most unnatural murder (I.v.31). It was not until after agreeing to the spirits request that Hamlet started his wicked ways. Deception can be considered as his first evil act, for Hamlet planned to act like a madman to deceive certain people. He revealed to Horatio that he would sometimes act mad to conceal his plan of revenge against King Claudius, his fathers murderer. One of the people he successfully deceived was Ophelia. He had acted in a bizarre manner around her that she became convinced of his apparent madness. She remarked, O, what noble mind is here oerthrown! (III.i.163). Evil in the play can also seen in the way Hamlet treated women. After heeding his fathers request for revenge, he maltreated Queen Gertrude and Ophelia. Hamlets misogyny was reflected in his verbal attack against both women. He called his mother as stewed in corruptionmaking love over the nasty sty (III.iv.105-106). Meanwhile, Hamlet advised Ophelia to enter the convent instead of considering marriage. He believed that women are the source of sinners in the world. He told her, Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? (III.i.131-132). Lastly, evil was manifested in the play through the murders committed in the play. These murders would not have been committed if the characters were not eager for revenge. First, Hamlet was unremorseful in accidentally killing Polonius. He stabbed Polonius behind the curtain, thinking it was King Claudius. Upon Polonius death, it was Laertes who sought revenge and planned to kill Hamlet. Unfortunately, Laertes also died due to his intention to avenge his fathers murder. Instead of killing Hamlet with a poisoned cup, King Claudius became responsible for the death of Queen Gertrude. While Hamlet successfully avenged his fathers death by killing King Claudius, he was also murdered by the poisoned sword. Revenge is the origin of all evil in Hamlet by William Shakespeare. The spirits call of revenge triggered a sequence of evil acts committed by Hamlet, which in turn influenced the actions of other characters in the play. It was the desire for revenge which primarily caused the people to turn against each other in the Shakespearean tragedy. Indeed, the prevalence of evil in Hamlet was rooted in revenge. Work Cited Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992.