Much like Ahab, Hamlet is presented with an opportunity for revenge. Hamlet the older, appears to him as a ghost trapped in purgatory; he tells Hamlet that he must kill his uncle in order for his father’s soul to be at rest and sent to heaven. Hamlet is quick to accept and give his ghostly father his word. As the ghost finishes, Hamlet says, “So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word”(i, v, 111). Pledging himself to fulfill his father's command. Just as Ahab is driven to kill the white whale to avenge the wrong done to him, Hamlet becomes driven to avenge the murder of his father. The ghost has but one rule for Hamlet, to not condemn his mother, as she had no part in his murder. The ghost says to him “Against thy mother aught. Leave her to heaven …show more content…
He continues to badger his mother and threaten her to the point where she cries out for help. Because of her cry for help, Polonius begins to cry out from the curtain. Hamlet assumes it is Claudius, draws his sword and stabs through the curtain, thinking he has killed his treacherous uncle and avenged his father. Instead he walks over to find the body of Polonius. The Queen says to him that what he has done is a “rash and bloody” deed, and Hamlet tells her it is not as rash and bloody as murdering a king and marrying his brother, continuing to bash his mother with words. As he hounds his mother, the ghost finally appears. He says to Hamlet, “Do not forget. This visitation Is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose. But look, amazement on thy mother sits. O, step between her and her fighting soul. Conceit in weakest bodies strongest works. Speak to her, Hamlet”(III, IV, 111-116). As the ghost comes to remind Hamlet of his one rule, he asks that he speaks to her as a son should. Hamlet, soon leaves and drags the body of Polonius with him. The murder of Polonius causes Hamlet to go further into his madness than he wished to go. Because of Hamlet’s madness, he begins to question his own life and that of a heavenly afterlife. Just as Ahab does to the dying whale. Hamlet began his monologue by saying; “To be, or not to be, that …show more content…
Hamlet intercepts the letter that has instructions for his death, and instead sends a letter that instruct that his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who were brought to Denmark to help the king spy on him, be killed. This action, taken by Hamlet furthers him into a state of madness all for the sake of revenge. When Hamlet returns to Denmark, his uncle is taken back, because he anticipated Hamlet to be put to death. As soon as Hamlet is back, the king begins to conspire with Laertes against Hamlet. The king plans to have, Laertes duel Hamlet as an act of revenge against the murder of Laertes’ father. The plan is to tip Hamlet’s sword so that it is dull and ineffective, however, Laertes’ sword will be keen and coated with poison. Thus, all Laertes has to do is knick Hamlet with his blade and he will die. In case that does not work, the King will propose a toast and drop a pearl in the cup that is disguised as poison. That way, if Hamlet wins, he will drink from the cup and, unbeknownst to him, be poisoned. The two begin to duel, Hamlet wins the first hit, but declines to drink from the cup. He hits Laertes again, and this time his mother rises to drink. The king tells her not to, but she does so anyway—poising herself. They go again, and this time Laertes hit Hamlet, drawing blood. They start wrestling and manage to switch swords, and Hamlet