Hamlet

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the theory of revenge in William Shakespeare's play, "Hamlet." The author compares it to "Romeo and Juliet, "King Lear," and "Macbeth," in order to demonstrate how much further the theme of revenge is taken in the play. The character of Hamlet is compared and contrasted to the main characters in Shakespeare's other works to show how Hamlet's revenge, unlike the revenge of Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, or King Lear, consumes him, leading to his ultimate demise.

From the Paper:

"But Hamlet's actions toward Ophelia make much sense if we consider them as the symptoms of a madness already implanted far before he falls in love with Ophelia (who has after all done nothing to drive him mad; this is no example of a love denied or betrayed, at least not on the part of Ophelia). But Hamlet is incapable of accepting that Ophelia is either pure or good or innocent, because he himself is not, and so he cannot see these traits in others (Hankins, 1976, p. 41). Ophelia might have been the one person who could have redeemed Hamlet and saved the royal line, but Hamlet is too mired in the endless demands of a maddening revenge that demands continuous new victims to see that Ophelia offers him the possibility of escape and peace (Garner and Sprengnether, 1996, p. 97)."

More papers on Hamlet:

• Analytical Essay # 5961 : "Hamlet"
• Analytical Essay # 4431 : "Hamlet": Act III Scene II"
• Analytical Essay # 3438 : "Reading Hamlet as a Murder Mystery"
• Analytical Essay # 2086 : "The Other Type Of Hero: The Tragedy of Hamlet"

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