ESSAY ON HAMLET – FROM MRS POONAM VALERA, LECTUREROF ENGLISH AT SHRI BHAVAN’S A.K.DOSHI MAHILA COLLEGE, JAMNAGAR Discuss Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” as a revenge play. Introduction: Shakespeare was a groundbreaking pioneer in his time and wrote plays that were totally different from anything the world had ever seen before. He explored the human spirit and what happens when it is challenged. He also tested the limits of language, inventing new words and phrases. Big Willy wrote Hamlet between 1599 and 1601, and the play tells the story of Prince Hamlet. Hamlet, in particular, has a lot of "most famous" things in it. It is Shakespeare's most famous play about Shakespeare's most famous character Hamlet, and it contains Shakespeare's most famous line: "To be or not to be, that is the question." If extraterrestrials were to visit Planet Earth, we would probably put a copy of Hamlet in their welcome basket. It's that good. Now, over 400 years after William Shakespeare wrote the play, readers and audiences are still connecting with it. Here I am going to consider “Hamlet” as a revenge tragedy. Before doing so, I would like to discuss something about Elizabethan era in which the play was written. “Hamlet” as a revenge play: The play “Hamlet” is built upon the long. climax and the catastrophe of the play is the revenge. Thomas Kyd’s Spanish Tragedy opened a new chapter in the history of the revenge plays.but also that of Laertes’ that also acts as the driving force behind the plot. In the play . Hamlet is definitely one of the greatest revenge stories ever written and it was all influenced first by Sophocles. the suspense. and then more importantly by Seneca. But Hamlet is certainly a great advance on The Spanish Tragedy. Most of them were a typical tragedy. a melo-drama with so many twists and turns to keep the audience spellbound. the driving force that shapes the turns of the plot of the play namely exposition. Such play deals with the theme of murder or some crime to the person of the state. Characteristics of a revenge play and their application in “Hamlet”: 1. In this reference we can say that the central theme of the play “Hamlet” is revenge to be taken.During the Elizabethan era the revenge plays were well acclaimed. Hamlet is definitely a great example of a typical revenge tragedy of the Elizabethan theater era. especially the revenge for the death of father. It followed every convention required to classify it as a revenge play quite perfectly. Euripides and other Greeks. Our Shakespeare has also enriched the field of revenge plays with his “Hamlet”. gradual development of the plot. It is not only Hamlet’s desire to take revenge . So. Hamlet as well as The Spanish Tragedy tackled and conquered all areas that were required for the consummation of a great revenge tragedy. tragic conflict between Hamlet and Claudius and the conflict is built upon the motif of revenge. the king Claudius makes a secret plan to kill Hamlet while Hamlet is in England. Hamlet’s father. So far as the crime to the person of the state is concerned. We can observe the subtle skill of Shakespeare in that the ghost is not made to speak but strides away majestically. resembling in dress and amour the late king of Denmark.“Hamlet” two of the characters’ fathers are brutishly murdered. 2. The speculation that the ghost invokes Horatio has some bearing . and as such the ghost in Hamlet. but will vouchsafe no reply to Horatio’s question. The ghost does indeed visible appear. The ghost of the dead appears to tell about the identity of the killer. Both Prince Hamlet and Laertes go to seek revenge for the death of fathers. however they will each use different methods to accomplish their deeds. Horatio becomes skeptical. He has to believe the evidence of his eyes. and concludes that “this bodes some eruption to our state. The first murdered character is King Hamlet who is supposed to be revenged by his son prince Hamlet. It leaves a profound impression upon the night guards. Now the deftness of Shakespeare in handling the supernatural is a thing that nobody will question. The ghost is primarily connected wit the motif of revenge. but it is a shadowy figure. Generally speaking the ghost is a part of the machinery of the revenge play. and so there is the justification of such a convention. The opening scene sets the tune of the whole play-a play shrouded in mystery and terror.” The ghost appears twice in the opening scene. The second murder is Polonius who is supposed to be revenged by his son Laertes. whose guilt is unknown to anybody. I. In “Hamlet” the Prince of Denmark is urged in very strong terms by the ghost of the dead king to take revenge upon Claudius who has ascended to the throne by foul means. In this play Hamlet by William Shakespeare these two characters Hamlet and Laertes both seek to avenge their slayed fathers. but it was Hamlet's uncle's plan to murder him. "And so I am revenged. That would be scanned: A villain kills my father. and for that." In this quote. his sole son.Hamlet proceeds on to take revenge in spite of everything. in Hamlet a crime (the killing of the king) is committed and for various reasons laws and justice cannot punish the crime so the individual . The real tension of the play begins as soon as the ghost of the late king tells Hamlet about his murder. Hamlet learns that his father's death was no mistake. The news of the appearance of the ghost is later on communicated to Hamlet. it is up to him to avenge his murder. The ghost also tells Hamlet that he has been given the role of the person who will take revenge upon Claudius. Hamlet with his passive and .upon the play. d this same villain send to heaven. So. and generates the necessary tension of feeling. It is one of the first times that the theme of revenge is introduced as a primary element of the story. Hamlet states that since he is his father's only son. This development for Hamlet comes after his encounter with his father's ghost. like a typical revenge tragedy. Laertes with his direct and forceful dedication slays his father’s killer Prince Hamlet. He's learned of his father’s demise from his father’s ghost! Now he is . but in an advanced revenge play inner conflict is given prime importance. This conflict makes long delay in taking of revenge b the hero Hamlet.” 3. In a traditional revenge play the dramatist introduces physical difficulties in the way of revenge.C. As we know Shakespeare’s Hamlet is an advanced stage of a traditional revenge play. Shakespeare has given prime importance to the study of the mind of Hamlet. Hamlet has recently lost his father to death and his mother to his uncle Claudius. Bradley says. It is Hamlet’s mind and his nature of thinking too much which create problem for taking revenge.scheming approach manages to kill his father's murder his uncle Claudius. This is an example of inward conflict in Hamlet. Examples of Conflict 1) The first and most obvious conflict of the character of hamlet is his contemplation of suicide. the messenger of the divine justice upon the expiration of offences. Although Laertes took a much more direct approach than Hamlet wasting no time. they both however accomplished their goal but at the ultimate price of both their lives! A. In “Hamlet” Shakespeare has introduced psychological or inner conflict. He learns that his father was murdered and by his own brother no less. “The ghost in Hamlet strikes the imagination as the representation of the hidden power. Supporting Quote: "To be.obligated to take revenge on Claudius and the list goes on. but that the dread of something after death. and make us rather bear those ills we have than fly to others that we know not of" 2) Another example of conflict in the character of hamlet is his exacting revenge upon his mother for marrying Claudius so soon after his father’s death. The Ghost of his father had bid Hamlet to leave his mother to her own . Obviously Hamlet has an extreme amount of food on his plate of moral dilemma and he contemplates suicide because he does not want to deal with it. the undiscovered country. to grunt and sweat under a weary life. from whose bourn no traveler returns. that is the question: whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Hamlet speaks of man as mules willing to bear the burden of the misfortunes of life for fear of what is to come. or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them" On this opposite side of this conflict is the fear of the afterlife. or not to be. Supporting Quote: "Who would fardels bear. dismissing the man that had been her husband in a mere two months. puzzles. for fear of the unknown! To Hamlet this is what keeps him from taking his life. the will. He was the only personality who had discovered firstly the measurement of human psychology and stressed the amplified truth of beauty inside the literary mind-set. This is inner conflict." Hamlet does not feel that the passive revenge by way of his mothers conscience is effective enough or suiting to her offense. You go not till I set you up a glass where you may see the inmost part of you.conscience. this also making this an outward sign of conflict. a world-class English poet and dramatist has presented his Hamlet as a symbol of human conflicts in special literary approach and attitude of life. who is terrifically favorite in the eye of the book lovers who are the significant aficionados of Shakespeare. Supporting Quote: "Come. William Shakespeare was the utmost author for all times. he had critically examined the . you shall not budge." William Shakespeare. come. It has duly stimulated the heart of the readers in view of its beauty of truth to develop the maxim of human tribulations and its prevalent solutions. which visualizes the cryptogram of human distinction and divergence as the mirror image of social problems. and sit you down. so he takes matters into his own hands and confronts his mother. Supporting Quote: "Leave her to heaven and to those thorns that in her bosom lodge to prick and sting her. Hamlet is the name of a philosopher. In Hamlet. claiming that the inner turmoil she would endure would be revenge enough. adultery and treachery. Hamlet's inner conflict is only resolved when he comes to the end of his journey to avenge his father's murder. Despite this darkness. the ghost. bloodshed.philosophy of human conflicts and tried to bring about a change in between the resentment of men and women. He was informed about his father's death but it was falsely implicated. murder. However. Hamlet cannot feel truly free until he believes all members of the court will. He was amazed to see the uncle's behaviors for his matrimony with his mother. Horatio. Since the murder is secret to everyone except Hamlet. know the truth and carry on in the future knowing how the reign of Hamlet's father ended. he came to learn about his father's killers by way of the ghostly spirit of his father. The revenge tragedy is found to be full of struggle. 4. is assigned to carry on in Hamlet's place and is expected to do the job which Hamlet can no longer do. Horatio. although he wishes he could kill himself. in fact. Shakespeare’s world famous tragedy “Hamlet” has close similarity with a revenge play. Shakespeare's Hamlet has been accessible as a token of model personality who had tried to his utmost heart to enlighten his inquisitiveness feelings about his father's death. and Claudius. He was emotionally tormented with thoughts about his unusual departure from this short-lived world. Claudius kills his elder brother and marries his wife and his guilt is unknown to the people but the ghost reveals the fact to . we believe that Hamlet is now at peace. While it might be difficult to believe. In this reference. . when Hamlet ponders. The thrilling and sensational events and the use of high sounding language not only make the play a masterpiece but also give it a new identity. In revenge play the effects of the revenge are serious on both the avenger and avenged. all these melodramatic incidents make the play “Hamlet” a true tragedy in traditional sense of the term revenge. The queen is first to die when she drinks the poisoned wine. if not senseless. Laertes also dies because he is attacked with poisoned sword. there are a number of murders. The king Claudius dies when he is stabbed with a poisoned sword by Hamlet. Hamlet dies with the wound of the sword. A mysterious murder and the adultery are the shocking revelations. The other three are. This is giving too much credence to the soliloquies. Thus.Hamlet who takes revenge. Of the four deaths that occur in the final scene of the play. It is the type of revenge that Hamlet insists on that shapes his character and forces the bloodshed at the end of the play. Finally. and gives too little credence to the fact that he sent Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths without hesitating. In the end of the play “Hamlet”. Samuel Johnson calls Hamlet "through the whole piece an instrument rather than an agent". at least spontaneous and chaotic. and the fact that he was the first on the pirate ship when attacked on the high seas. 5. only one – Hamlet’s – is planned. Hamlet is sent to England making it impossible for him to gain access to Claudius and carry out his revenge.6. which he does in Act 3. The ghost of his father . but is concerned that Claudius will go to heaven if killed while praying. the tragic hero delays the actual revenge until the end of the play. After killing Polonius. II. Scene 3. During his trip. Hamlet must first establish Claudius’ guilt. he decides to become more headstrong in his desire for revenge. Hamlet’s revenge is delayed in three significant ways: I. He draws his sword. contrasting with the rash actions of Fortinbras and Laertes. First Hamlet is faced with the fact that he has to avenge the murder of his father and since there is no fair justice available. III. Conclusion: It can be easily understood that Hamlet very closely follows the regular conventions for all Elizabethan tragedies. When Claudius storms out during the performance. Hamlet becomes convinced of his guilt. Scene 2 by presenting the murder of his father in a play. he must take the law into his own hands. Hamlet has the opportunity to kill Claudius in Act 3. One important part of all revenge plays is that after the revenge is finally decided upon. For example. Hamlet then intellectualizes his revenge. “To be. or not to be. . Here’s some liquor left. If Horatio had killed himself. The only point that can be argued is that the accomplices on both sides were not killed because at the end of the play. although if it wasn’t for Hamlet.” (Act 3 Scene 1). Hamlet at the same time continues to keep a close relationship with the audience with his seven main soliloquies including the famous.appears to guide Hamlet to Claudius and inform Hamlet of the evil that Claudius has committed. Then Hamlet constantly delays his revenge and always finds a way to put it off until he finally does it in Act V.”(Act V Scene 2). Horatio was the only one to survive. Horatio would have commit suicide when he said.. The play also consists of a mad scene where Ophelia has gone mad because her father Polonius had been killed and because Hamlet was sent off to England. “ I am more an antique Roman than a Dane. Scene 2. Hamlet also follows almost every aspect of Thomas Kyd’s formula for a revenge tragedy.. The sexual aspect of the play was brought in when Claudius married Gertrude after he had dreadfully killed Old Hamlet and taken his throne. then Hamlet would have followed the Kydian formula as well as the regular conventions for Elizabethan revenge tragedy.