The Theme of Revenge in Hamlet

The theme of revenge is the overriding concern of the titular character of Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet. Hamlet returns home from university to discover his mother has married his uncle Claudius, the man who has murdered the former King Hamlet of Denmark, Hamlet's father. In the course of the play, Hamlet is wracked by deliberation and conscience as he curses that he was the one born to set things right in Denmark. Through a number of deliberations and schemes, including a play within the play called The Mousetrap, Hamlet eventually recognizes the need for him to avenge his father's death by killing Claudius. Along the way, Polonius, Ophelia's father, Ophelia, Ophelia's brother, Hamlet's mother Gertrude, and Hamlet will die. Hamlet eventually kills Claudius and avenges his father's death, but his decision to do so costs him his own life and that of those he loves. Hamlet's eventual decision to kill Claudius comes after a long period of deliberation in which he tries to determine if killing Claudius is the correct course of action. However, Hamlet's indecision stems from the fact that he wrestles with the morality of such an action to ensure that he is justified in killing Claudius.

The murder of a king was considered one of the most egregious moral violations in Shakespeare's time. As such, even though Claudius has murdered his own father, Hamlet does not take immediate action against Claudius. This is because Hamlet is a learned and wise young m

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