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Was Hamlet Justified In Seeking Revenge

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The Shakespearean tragedy, Hamlet revolves around King Hamlet’s death. His own brother, Claudius, caused his death and as a result King Hamlet’s son, Prince Hamlet was devastated and grew hatred towards Claudius. Prince Hamlet then vowed to avenge his father’s death. To give an overview, Hamlet was a very loyal prince. He was also a very noble man. He had a strong belief in Christianity and this belief along with many others caused him to struggle with the idea of killing Claudius and getting the revenge he thought he deserved. At first he was convinced that his revenge would be quick and easy. He told the ghost that his focus would be solely on seeking revenge. (“Ill wipe away all trivial fond records” I.v.100). However, Hamlet start to evaluate himself and the revenge is delayed. …show more content…

For example, at the end of Act 3, Hamlet has the chance to avenge his father and kill Claudius. However, he chooses not to do so because he thinks Claudius is praying. Due to his Christian belief, he feels that killing Claudius while he is praying will send him to heaven meaning it will not be true “revenge”. (“Now might I do it pat. Now he is praying. And now ill do’t. And so he goes to heaven. And so am I revenged. That would be scanned. A villain kills my father, and, for that I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven” III.iii.74-79). His reasoning makes perfect sense because if he was really praying and asking for forgiveness, his sins would be forgiven and he would be free from sin. Nevertheless, Claudius wasn’t technically praying for forgiveness. He said, “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below”. He thinks repenting/praying is useless because he won’t be forgiven. Therefore, Hamlet missed the opportunity of killing

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