Revenge in hamlet free essay sample

In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the theme of revenge is reoccurring within at least three different characters. First and foremost is Hamlet, secondly there is Laertes and the third character being that of Fortinbras. Each has been wronged in some way or form and seeks retaliation. Upon reading the play, one might infer that Shakespeare’s attitude toward the act of revenge is in fact an unacceptable act for which no good can come. Furthermore, one might even go as far as to say that Shakespeare was an advocate of karma, in the sense that what goes around comes around. They play centers around the character of Hamlet, whose reason for revenge is sparked by an encounter with the ghost of his father. The ghost tells Hamlet â€Å"Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. † It is by the ghost that Hamlet learns of his uncle’s treachery. Hamlet’s uncle has murdered his father and now soils his mother, standing as an imposter and in the way of Hamlet’s kingship. This becomes evident after Isas death when he talked to Genevieve and Hubert where he felt that his hatred and passion for revenge went dead and that he looks forward to being with his children for the first time. e. Maries death * The only child for whom he ever felt true love, Marie, died young. Like Christs sacrificial death on the cross, Marie died for her Papa to redeem him. We can infer that had Marie did not die young and Luc went missing, Louis would Just have his eyes on his two most beloved and would never see the path to Gods saving grace. E. Theme * sin vs. grace * Gods grace is accessible to anyone. Even the most miserly old sinner like Louis who strips himself of all his old illusions as he prepares for his inevitable end. Taking a cold, hard look at his life, and at the consequences of his meanness and solipsism, Louis begins to understand how a deliberate self-deception has shaped his life for ill, not for good. We are presented with a malevolent old man on his deathbed; the authors case is simply this: no one is beyond the reach of Gods grace. Without romanticizing Louis, Mauriac expresses the tragedy of a wasted life, the ragedy of a man who has closed himself off from a community of love to wallow in his own despair. Louis is sinned against as well as sinning, but he reserves many of his harshest Judgments for himself. He is honest, not hypocritical, and he often turns his cruelty inwards. But Gods grace reached him even though the members of his family are lukewarm Christians who spied upon his actions and whom he himself tormented. At fault, they have been driving him to despair and blinding his eyes to the light of truth. F. Salient Features of French Literature present in the Novel f. Individualism is more glorified * Louis has accustomed himself to despising those around him, to closing himself off from affection, to becoming the monster so many take him to be, almost as a duty rather than a compulsion. He confesses that my passion for possession, and for using and abusing what I possess, extends to human beings. * He compelled his mother to knock down the mud huts where their farm laborers had lived He even dreamt of using Marinette to make Isa suffer, as a form of revenge. Moreover, he is fond of portraying himself as someone cruel, even to his children. He s full of hatred for his family and loves it when he annoys them. * He hates religion and does not believe in God Revenge in Hamlet By greensmurf Revenge, or Wild Justice Revenge has no more quenching effect on emotions than salt water has on thirst. (Walter Weckler).