Revenge And Betrayal In Hamlet
In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet (1599), Claudius, brother to the king, betrays his nephew Hamlet, the rightful king to Denmark, not only by murdering his father, but by marrying Hamlet’s mother and claiming the throne as his own. Through the use of irony and soliloquy, Shakespeare shows how betrayal and revenge lead to the fatal downfall of the seemingly impenetrable royal family . As Hamlet seeks vengeance for his father’s murder, Shakespeare introduces the theme of existence and mortality in order to show how death destroys the physical border between social classes and how one appears to exist in life does not determine their existence after death. The lowest form of betrayal is that which comes from family. Even before Hamlet
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Hamlet once again contemplates the escape of suicide and whether it is wiser to end life in a peaceful sleep, or to “suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” (3.1.58-59). Claudius’s betrayal has caused Hamlet so much heartache that now he asks if death is a suitable solution to end all of the suffering. But why does Hamlet speak so much of death, yet never follow through with it? Hamlet does not fear death, but rather what comes after that. It is the mystery and fear of the afterlife that “make(s) cowards of us all” (3.1.85). And the more he thinks about death, the more it scares him. In this soliloquy, the Author makes use of irony by demonstrating how the one thing humans fear, could very well be the same thing that saves …show more content…
In the graveyard, Hamlet discovers his childhood friend's skull. All of his attributes and accomplishments have no meaning now. The same goes for Alexander the Great, “Alexander returneth to dust, the dust is earth, of earth we make loam” (5.1.189-191). Hamlet points out that someone who once ruled the entire world, now turned to dirt can be used to plug a beer barrel. The dirt of the earth has melted away any distinction between the two and none is no longer nobler in mortality. This shows that one's titles on earth is nothing in comparison to how they live life. Shakespeare proves that a jester’s happiness is his wealth while the poorest of men are those like Claudius, whose title trumps all, but whose heart is as black as
Hamlet once again contemplates the escape of suicide and whether it is wiser to end life in a peaceful sleep, or to “suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” (3.1.58-59). Claudius’s betrayal has caused Hamlet so much heartache that now he asks if death is a suitable solution to end all of the suffering. But why does Hamlet speak so much of death, yet never follow through with it? Hamlet does not fear death, but rather what comes after that. It is the mystery and fear of the afterlife that “make(s) cowards of us all” (3.1.85). And the more he thinks about death, the more it scares him. In this soliloquy, the Author makes use of irony by demonstrating how the one thing humans fear, could very well be the same thing that saves …show more content…
In the graveyard, Hamlet discovers his childhood friend's skull. All of his attributes and accomplishments have no meaning now. The same goes for Alexander the Great, “Alexander returneth to dust, the dust is earth, of earth we make loam” (5.1.189-191). Hamlet points out that someone who once ruled the entire world, now turned to dirt can be used to plug a beer barrel. The dirt of the earth has melted away any distinction between the two and none is no longer nobler in mortality. This shows that one's titles on earth is nothing in comparison to how they live life. Shakespeare proves that a jester’s happiness is his wealth while the poorest of men are those like Claudius, whose title trumps all, but whose heart is as black as