People’s revenge may have an unlimited impact on those who live in the surrounding world. One of the main facets of the revenge tragedy is the fact that revenge is closely connected to grief. The person is unable to think about anything except for revenge that is considered to be the hidden grief. The facets and frames of the revenge are unlimited and the only dependant factor is the personal inner ability to accept the situation and forgive. The core concept of revenge in Hamlet, Shakespeare’s play, is the hesitation of the main character and his doubt moral and philosophical maxims in the whole world; the main idea of the play may be easily contrasted to the generally accepted understanding of revenge.
Facets of Revenge Tragedy
Revenge is usually related to moral and ethical aspects of people’s life. There are a great many different facets of revenge. The revenge tragedy may be connected to grief people usually suffer. This grief may be the main reason for revenge (Welsh 26). The person is unable to accept the problem and tries to find someone who could be blamed. Thus, there is the other facet of revenge, when a person feels that he/she wants to take revenge, but at the same time doubts it. In other words, the person feels unsure in all moral and philosophical aspects of life. Such feeling is usually addressed to the situations when revenge is directed to relatives.
A good example of such revenge may be followed via the play Hamlet where the main character, the prince of Denmark, feels the necessity to take revenge on his uncle who killed his father but is unable to do it in the light of a new feeling that bothers him. Thus, revenge may be defined from different aspects. A closer consideration of the problem may be conducted on the example of the above-mentioned play.
Hamlet as the Central Tragedy for Revenge Understanding
Having considered the information mentioned above, it is possible to assume that Hamlet is the person who considers revenge from different angles. While revenge is usually associated with violence, Hamlet ruins this facet and creates a new, different view on revenge. The feeling of grief and despair fulfills his soul, but he is unable to do anything and refuses to kill.
It is impossible to say that Hamlet does not feel the necessity for revenge, as he still hates the person who killed his father. It is significant to notice that revenge is not the central idea of the play. One of the main confirmations to the fact is that “Hamlet never promises to revenge, only to remember – to remember the Ghost, and to memorize his commandment” (Foakes 114). Hamlet’s heart will always be fulfilled with grief, sorrow, and the desire for blood revenge.
Furthermore, reading the play it is possible to notice that Hamlet had a great many different situations where he could kill his uncle, but he did not act. Hamlet understands that nothing could be changed by the death of one person. On the other hand, Hamlet may think that killing a person when he prays will take him to havens, and he did not want it to happen to Claudius (Shakespeare 54). The conflict of whether to kill the enemy and let him appear in paradise is not what Hamlet wants in reality.
Hamlet understands that killing Claudius will not reach the main purpose of his life. Hamlet states that “the time is out of joint: O cursed spite, that ever I was born to set it right” (Shakespeare 126). The revenge, in this case, is the reason to consider the whole world from a different angle. Hamlet does not want to stoop to Claudius’s level and take blood revenge, but he punishes him anyway.
The inner conflict of the main character is reduced to the vainness of the whole world. Hamlet wants to see Claudius’s feeling of guilt. Following the play, it is possible to conclude that it is the way Hamlet wants to punish Claudius, to make him feel sorry for his actions.
Thus, the information may be easily summarized in several variables. First, revenge has several facets. Most people got used to the fact that it is reduced to grief and violence. But, there are the other aspects of revenge that are greatly highlighted in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. Second, being fulfilled with grief and sorrow, Hamlet can cope with his feelings and suppress the desire for blood revenge. He tries to do all possible to make Claudius feel sorry for the action he has made. Furthermore, the feeling of revenge on his uncle makes Hamlet consider the moral and philosophical side of the problem. It pushes him to the idea that the whole world is rotten and the death of one person will not change the situation and will not return the previous values.
Works Cited
Foakes, Reginald Anthony. Shakespeare and violence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Print.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Print.
Welsh, Alexander. Hamlet in his modern guises. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001. Print.