Booth 1

Hunter Booth
Mrs. Carter
AP Literature
6 February 2014
Interpreting the Aspect of Revenge in Shakespeares Hamlet
Throughout Hamlet, Shakespeare creates different variations of Hamlets
character, which added to the aspect of revenge throughout the play. Shakespeare
allows the reader to interpret how the characters seek revenge by using different
soliloquies. In each soliloquy, Hamlets character changes in some way and usually it
changes Hamlets thought process when he thinks about the idea of revenge. This
means that in some cases, Hamlet desires revenge on his uncle and killing him, but
other times he is skeptical and wants to wait situations out and see what will happen.
The second soliloquy of Act I, comes just after Hamlet has spoken to the ghost of
his father. The conversations between Hamlet and his fathers ghost are detailed in a
way to make it actually seem as though Hamlets father is part of the play. In this
soliloquy, Hamlet says, So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word(Hamlet I.iv.111).
These lines represent the earliest instance that Hamlet began to seek revenge for his
fathers death. It also is a point where Hamlet is not thinking about what is in the future.
Eventually he will realize that he cannot base his actions on what a ghost is telling him.
Because his encounter with his fathers ghost occurs so early in the series of events that
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led to his death, Hamlet acts out of anger and disgust. He wants revenge not only for
the death of his father, but also for his mother. She married her husbands brother
after Claudius killed the King. Eventually Hamlet will begin to think about his actions and
he will be hesitant in his decisions to seek revenge.
Hamlet was no longer convinced that he was supposed to seek revenge against
his uncle. The middle acts of the play set out to prove to Hamlet that it was his uncle
who killed his father. Hamlet uses several tactics in order to show Claudius guilt; one
way being through a speech/play performed by one of the actors. Before mine uncle.
Ill observe his looks;/Ill tent him to the quick. If he but blench, /I know my course
(Hamlet II.ii.559-561). This specific soliloquy showed that Hamlet was not as confident in
what his fathers ghost had told him. Unlike in his first soliloquy, Hamlet was not going
crazy about getting revenge; he wanted to be sure that he needed to kill his uncle. After
seeing Claudius storm out after watching the speech with Hamlets speech inserted,
Hamlet was almost sure Claudius had killed his father. Hamlet responds to seeing his
uncle by praying for forgiveness and saying, A villain kills my father; and for that, \I, his
sole son, do this same villain send to heaven (Hamlet III.iii.77-79). Between Act II scene
ii and Act III scene iii, Hamlet changed drastically. He was no longer skeptical about
whether he was supposed to kill his uncle for revenge.
Before Hamlet finally carries out his promise to get revenge for his fathers death, he
begins to think again and expresses his thoughts in his final soliloquy of the play. Hamlet
becomes hesitant again and is unsure as to why he hasnt killed his uncle yet. How all
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occasions do inform against me\And spur my dull revenge?(Hamlet IV.iv.31-32). This
particular excerpt from his final soliloquy focuses on how he is questioning himself. He
knew that he should have killed his uncle already but he hasnt. He wants to know why
he hasnt done it. As the reader goes further and deeper into this soliloquy, Hamlet
states that he has no choice but to kill his uncle and that his thoughts must be bloody,
or be nothing worth! Following this soliloquy, Hamlet proceeds to seek revenge and
succeeds in doing so, which makes it apparent that his thoughts are bloody for the
remainder of the play. Hamlet throughout the play did not want to believe that his uncle
would do such a thing. He wanted to be certain that killing his uncle was the best
decision because he very well could have not done it.

Shakespeare created an interesting character in Hamlet. For most of the play he is a
revenge seeker, but is taken off track at times. He always seems to question his motives
for wanting to kill his uncle, whether he is questioning the ghost of his father he sees or
just questioning himself. In his final soliloquy in act IV, he questioned why he was doing
what he was doing because he was almost sure he wouldnt come out alive. The
outcome was not changed by all of the questioning that Hamlet did of himself. He
continued to seek revenge and eventually got what he wanted in the end, which was
the death of his uncle. The death of his Uncle did come at a price. The price of his own
life. Hamlet knew that in order to revenge his fathers death he would have to make
sacrifices. He sacrificed his life for his father.
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