Booth 1 Hunter Booth Mrs.

Carter AP Literature 6 February 2014 Interpreting the Aspect of Revenge in Shakespeares Hamlet Throughout Shakespeares Hamlet, he created different variations of Hamlets character, which added to the storys overall meaning. One particular variation that continues on during the entire play is revenge. Shakespeare introduces the character variation of revenge through 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 is all for getting 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.

Booth 2 Because his encounter with his fathers ghost occurs so early in the series of events that 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. Hamlets soliloquies revealed different aspects of his character, as Shakespeare got deeper into the story. In the middle acts of the play, Hamlet was no longer convinced that he was supposed to seek revenge against his uncle. He had no idea whether he had actually killed his father or if it was someone else. 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 he had killed his father. Hamlet responds to seeing his uncle by 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

Booth 3 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 occasions do inform against me\And spur my dull revenge?(Hamlet, IV, iv, 3132). 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. 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.