Importance Of Revenge In Hamlet

Revenge is a major part of life, even with minor things people like to get major revenge, and the same can be said for major things also. While revenge is a huge thing it can lead to bad results. Revenge is a major theme in William Shakespeare 's Hamlet, revenge is seen through Hamlet’s revenge for his father, Laertes’ revenge for his father, and Fortinbras’ revenge on Denmark for Norway. Hamlet’s revenge is the main part of the play, after his uncle killed his father and married Hamlet’s mom Hamlet wanted to get revenge. However due to Hamlet not being able to do it fast, his revenge tends to drag on leading to many other people getting affected by it, namely Polonius. Hamlet’s revenge affected multiple people in the play, starting with the effect it had on his and Ophelia’s relationship, in III.i.159 Ophelia says “and I, of ladies most deject and wretched, that sucked the honey of his musicked vows” shows that due to Hamlet breaking up with her due to his revenge (not that she knows about it) she feels like she was lied to the entire time. Ophelia was just the start of the ruined relationships Hamlet creates, due to

Laertes’ revenge is the catalyst that made Hamlet’s revenge so deadly and hurt many more people (although a lot is due to Laertes’ revenge also). Laertes’s revenge hurt many people in the play, including his own death. In V.ii.334 Laertes says, just before dying “He is justly served. It is a poison tempered by himself. Exchange forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet. Mine and my father’s death come not upon thee, Nor thine on me,” here Laertes is saying that the revenge was not worth it for either of them, and he does not blame Hamlet for the outcome of Laertes’ revenge but himself. While Hamlet’s and Laertes’ revenge are the two major revenges in the play, there is another smaller revenge which plays big into the