Explore Shakespeares presentation of the theme of duty in Hamlet. In the course of your writing, show how your ideas have been influenced by your reading of the The Revengers Tragedy.

The idea of duty to oneself is presented by Shakespeare through Hamlet.  Hamlet finds himself in a corrupt “unweeded garden” that is Denmark. He initially has no sense of duty for anyone other than to mourn his father.  However this develops when he is commanded by his father’s Ghost to kill Claudius.  This situation that Hamlet is thrown into is “not created” by himself which is what makes Hamlet the “hero” of the revenge tragedy (Gardener).  The fact that Hamlet has no previous desire to kill Claudius despite him usurping the throne form Hamlet shows how Hamlet had no sense of duty to his own honour.  However his sense of self duty develops when he becomes aware of his mortality when he questions whether he is a “coward” for debating whether he should kill Claudius whilst also being concerned for his soul.  When Hamlet is presented with an opportunity to kill Claudius his does not kill him as he is praying and it would be “base and silly, not revenge”, his decision to spare Claudius at this moment highlights Hamlet’s conscience as he believes Claudius is being purged of sin, so Hamlet wishes to kill him when he is “drunk… or in his rage” so he will be damned.  Hamlet is also concerned for himself as it would be damning on his soul to kill a man who is “praying”, it would also be suspicious to other characters that the king died whilst on his knees praying privately.  This concern shows a duty to himself.  Hamlet’s delay is justified when compared to ‘The Revenger’s Tragedy’’s Vindice who gains revenge on the duke quickly.  His revenge appears more like a murder to the audience – he brags ‘tis I Vindice, tis I!!’,compared to Hamlet’s eventual justice which is presented as an inevitable and just action.  The righteousness of Claudius’ death is due to its build up.  Its climax is orchestrated by Claudius himself which creates a sense of conclusion and purging of corruption.  It also provides Hamlet with a freed soul as his is not murdering Claudius but is simply reacting to his situation.

Hamlet’s sense of duty is not just to himself but is also presented in his duty to his father.  His duty to his father is firstly presented through “dark cloud” which is described to hang over him.  He is mourning his father, a societal expectation of a son, however Claudius mocks Hamlet by calling his grief “unmanly”. Claudius’s comment could imply that Hamlet has been mourning his father for an unreasonable time, however this is a controversial implication to modern audiences as there is no socially enforced period of mourning today;  this may have been different in the Elizabethan courts.  Hamlet’s duty to his father is developed from mourning him to avenging him.  When the ghost tells Hamlet to kill Claudius who is the “serpent that stung” him, Hamlet is filled with a sense of urgency and sets the “volume of [his] brain” to his new cause.  His description of his mind shows how Hamlet is consumed by the desire to kill Claudius as it is a very clinical description almost.  He also explains he will clear the “books” and memories from his mind therefore allowing the thought of revenge to roam throughout his mind.  However Hamlet does begin to doubt the legitimacy of the ghost; he wonders if it is a “damned spirit” that seeks to corrupt his soul.  His uncertainty leads to Hamlet’s delay in killing Claudius as Hamlet sets out to uncover the truth of Claudius’ guilt.  Hamlet’s concern with discovering if Claudius is guilty is shown to be a positive action compared to Vindice in ‘The Revenger’s Tragedy’ as Vindice is certain the duke killed his lover.  His ambitious revenge against the duke is concluded with Vindice accusing the duke with “’tis the skull/ of Gloriana, whom thou poisondst last” his proclamation after the murder presents Vindice to be accusing the duke rather than sentencing him to death with this evidence since he has already killed the duke and the audience has not seen Vindice collect any evidence on the death of Gloriana.  Hamlet’s actions or rather lack of can be seen as dutiful to his father as he is ensuring the ghost is not a lying demon, and when Hamlet is pleased with the evidence of Claudius’ guilt at the ‘Mousetrap’ he then continues with his duty to his father and succeeds in killing Claudius.

Revenge is used by Shakespeare to present character’s sense of duty in ‘Hamlet’ as it is a continuing theme that is carried out by many characters.  One similar trait of the revenging characters is that they all seek to avenge their father’s be it Hamlet, Laertes or Fortinbras.  However Hamlet is the only character who delays. This is because of Hamlets awareness of his soul and wish to not emulate the corruption he want to destroy.  Throughout the play Hamlet has been responsible for at least three rash deaths however neither of these are Claudius.  Claudius is the only character Hamlet is cautious of killing despite the fact Claudius is the only person Hamlet is ordered to kill and wants to.  This could be for several reasons, one being that Claudius is a father figure towards Hamlet and it is against Hamlet’s honour and thy Bible to “kill thy father”.  Another cause for Hamlet’s delay could be that Claudius represents Hamlet’s base desires as Claudius has the crown, power and his mother which many critics speculate that Hamlet has an “Oedipus complex” which means Hamlet has sexual desires for his mother.  These base desires could be preventing Hamlet and his duty from killing Claudius as that would represent killing his own desires.