‘Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder’. This passionate line from the
ghost must really fill Hamlet with the need for revenge and helps to build up
different feelings and emotions towards Claudius. Shakespeare’s main reason for
including the ghost in the play is to influence and bring about conflicting emotions
within Hamlet. The ghost is very successful in doing this. We only have a few
instances where the ghost is seen in the play, but in each of these occasions Hamlet is
in a confused state of mind. The first occasion is on the castle battlements. This is
where the ghost fuels Hamlets idea about revenge. Another occasion when the ghost
is evident is when Hamlet is in his mother’s room and tells her the truth of Claudius’s
crime. Hamlet starts talking to the ghost and is clearly in a angry state of mind as he
asks the ghost ‘Th’ important acting of your dreaded command? O say’. This to me
shows how the burden of having to kill Claudius is playing on his mind and draining
him mentally.
After this encounter with the ghost we realise the full extent of Hamlets anger and
emotions. Hamlet is filled up with vengeful emotions and wants to take revenge on
Claudius. He is really determined and says ‘so uncle, there you are. Now to my
word; it is Adieu, Adieu, remember me. I have sworn’t’. These lines, I feel show
Hamlets intention and the rage which he feels at this stage. This is Hamlet’s first
soliloquy of the play. In this soliloquy we understand his hatred for Claudius (and
unlike the other soliloquies) he is determined to kill for revenge.
In act 2 scene 2 Hamlet is doing some plotting of his own, in the way he chooses the
play in which the actors are to perform ‘The murder of Gonzago’. He has chosen
this play to hopefully find out what the ghost said was true or not. In this scene we
also see the second of Hamlet’s soliloquies. Similar to the first soliloquy Hamlet is in
an extremely vengeful mood. ‘Swounds, I should take it’. He is finally going to get
the proof he needs to pin Claudius to the murder of his father. Hamlet decides to wait
for the proof so it will help free his conscience of any wrong doing. Hamlet uses
powerful and provocative language throughout the speech ‘Make mad the guilty,
and appal the free, confound the ignorant’. He is also very aware of the duty he
must fill as he says ‘Why what an ass am I. This most brave, that I, the son of a
dear father murdered, prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell’.
In act 2 scene 5 Hamlet is presented with the ideal opportunity to kill Claudius.
Claudius is in a kneeling position and is apparently praying. Hamlet is aware of this
but feels it would be better to kill him when he’s not praying as he could go to
heaven, ‘I his soul do this same villain send to heaven’. Hamlet comes to the
decision that it would be better to take Claudius life when he is performing an act of
sin ‘Up sword and know thou a more horrid hent when he is drunk asleep, or in
his rage’. This is an ideal time for Hamlet to kill his uncle, but he talks himself out of
it. This to me is a sign that Hamlet cannot bring himself to take revenge. He decides
to wait till Claudius is committing a sinful act which I feel shows that he doesn’t want
god to see the crime he has to commit. This in my opinion brings about a change in
Hamlet for the rest of the play. The next soliloquy which we hear from Hamlet is a
complete change around from the previous two. In this soliloquy Hamlet
contemplates the drastic action of killing himself, ‘To be, or not to be, that is the
question’. This to me points out that Hamlet doesn’t believe he can bring himself to
commit murder ‘Thus conscience does make cowards of us all’. He says that the
longer he takes to kill Claudius the harder it will get. ‘For who would bear the
whips and scorns of time’. I feel that as Hamlet continues to put the act of revenge
off he begins to contemplate about the implications of actually killing someone. We
can interpret that Hamlet is an educated man; this I believe will work against him. He
is different to the character of Laertes as Hamlet thinks situations through, whereas
Laertes works on instinct and is unafraid of killing for revenge.
The last scene of the play is the duel between Hamlet and Laertes. I believe at this
point Hamlet’s main priority isn’t killing Claudius, but in this scene he finally does
get his revenge but at the expense of his own life. It’s only when Hamlet realises
Claudius has murdered his mother that he has the courage to take his revenge.
Throughout the play Hamlet goes through different stages of emotions. At first
Hamlet is filled up with anger towards Claudius and promises to take revenge on
Claudius. As the play progresses this attitude changes and he even at one stage he
even contemplates killing himself. Hamlet has a flaw within his character which
means he is unable to carry out the act of revenge. This flaw is the fact that he has to
think things through instead of acting on instinct. Laertes is the opposite to this and is
not bothered when and how he kills Hamlet as long as the job gets done. This is in
my opinion a reason as why Hamlet struggles to kill Claudius because he does not
have it in his nature to do so. Finally Hamlet takes revenge but not in the manner he
thought and hoped he would. He only kills Claudius because he has murdered his
mother which drives him to feel it necessary to kill Claudius.
