Explore the concept of revenge in Shakespeare's Hamlet.

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Essay Title: Explore the concept of revenge in Shakespeare's Hamlet

In the Elizabethan era revenge was an important issue; this was a popular theme in the theatre and a main plot of the day. Shakespeare's plays were in great demand by the public and had a great effect on the audiences who watched. Although most of the Elizabethan revenge plays were set in Italy or Spain the Elizabethan was still able to grasp the concept of the issues that were being raised in the play and was able to apply these issues to their daily living.

Shakespeare was greatly influenced by the classical Roman dramatist Seneca; Shakespeare applied Seneca's ideas to his work. This is because the structure and the plot of Seneca's work were of such a high standard that Seneca became well known.

Many revenge tragedies consists of a typical structure which, when analysed is found to be comprised of five parts which are as follows:

Exposition - this is usually shown through the image of a ghost who motivates the character to take revenge.

Anticipation - this is where a planning of the revenge takes place.

Confrontation - This