Mrs. Carter
AP Literature
February 8th, 2015
Hamlet: The Vengeful Son
InShakespearesHamlet the stories main character, Hamlet, is incredibly volatile
and unpredictable character. Throughout the play he is characterized as revenger,
depressed and even a bit as an Oedipal Son. Yet it is the revenger view of Hamlet that
truly is the essence of his character. Hamletsutterobsessionwithfindinghisfathers
killer, and his total disregard for anyone else who stood in his way, can be characterized
as his need for vengeance.
In Hamlet, Hamlet is visited by what is believed to be the ghost of his father. The
ghost tell Hamlet that the king was murdered by Claudius so he could take the throne
and the Queen as his wife. And therefore as astrangergiveitwelcomeSo grace and
mercyatyourmostneedhelpyou(H II.i.). Here Hamlet is trying to make sure Horatio
wonttellanyonewhattheghostsaidorthatheevenwashere.Hamletdoesntwantto
risk the fact that someone might call him out and saw that the conveniently placed
ghostwasntreal. The ghost however really may not be real, the way the ghost acts
mayshowthathedidntexistatallandwassimplyafigmentofHamletsimagination.
Hamlet already had ill feelings towards Claudius due to how quickly he grieved over his
dead father, now conveniently an apparition is telling Hamlet that Claudius is to blame.
NowwhileHamletwasnttheonlyonetoseetheapparitionhewastheonlyonetotalk
where he could get revenge, even going to the point of severing all most all of his
existing relationships. Hamlets revenge in the end was his undoing and his final act as a
living person.