Revenge in Hamlet

Authors Avatar
Revenge in Hamlet In modern times justice is virtually always served. Most crimes and wrong doings are reprimanded and punishments are given. Yes, there are the scarce few who go above and beyond the law to take matters into their own hands. But it is the co formality of the law and of justice that keep the world from becoming chaotic. Revenge is thought as being barbaric and adolescent; the opportunity to retaliate or gain satisfaction. Justice is fair and impartial behavior or treatment. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet three characters go through a sudden death of a family member. The way that these characters deal with their problems display the rage and confusion that exists within the play. Hamlet, Laertes, and Claudius allow madness to poison their mind, disable the chance for justice and enable cold-blooded revenge to take over. With the unforeseen death of his father, Laertes is overwhelmed with misplaced anger and unanswered questions. Searching for answers he turns to Claudius. It well appears. But tell me Why you proceeded not against these feats, So crimeful in nature, As by your safety, wisdom, all things else, You mainly were stirred up. (Shakespeare 4.7:5-10) At this point Laertes is frustrated and susceptible to a cure for his pain; to find this, he turns to Claudius. Claudius introduces his plan for revenge. “No place , indeed,
Join now!
should murder sanctuaries. Revenge should have no bounds. But ,good Laertes, will you do this, keep close within your chamber(Shakespeare 4.7:140-43). These words are like a fishing reel, hooking the naive fish with an illusion of a fulfilling worm. Laertes has a unsaturated hunger for revenge, revenge for the [murder of his father. His word is like his blood, which seals to a contact that later leads to his own death. Madness takes over Laertes. He is blind to see that revenge is not the answer. Madness suffocates the soul of loyal Laertes , who is unable to breathe the ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

Here's what a star student thought of this essay

Avatar

In general this essay is well written, the candidate uses a good range of vocabulary and there no grammatical or spelling errors. That said the layout of the essay could be improved if the candidate had add the quotations into main body of the text rather than writing them out as mini paragraphs, this would allow the essay to flow better. In addition to this, the candidate unfortunately fails to mention the use of linguistic techniques such as metaphors and imagery and how these add to the play, I would expect someone at GCSE level to be able to confidently discuss these technical terms.

The candidate uses suitable quotations to back up their opinions, and they have referenced these, however you they have no includes quotation marks, which you need so that it is clear to the reader where the quote starts and ends. That said, the candidate demonstrates a good level of analysis, rather than simply retelling bits of the story they have stated the effect of the characters actions and what the characters are thinking and feeling. This is the appropriate way to go about discussing a play at this level of qualification. Finally, though the candidate has written a conclusion and has attempted to bring their work to a close, they are missing several key points. A good conclusion should summarise your main ideas, it should tie together any lose ends and it should include a personal response, in this case, do you feel that revenge was the best option for these characters? Why?. Your teacher/examiner is interested in what you have to say.

The candidate has written a strong and engaging introduction, the way in with they discuss justice and revenge is interesting and grabs the readers attention. However the introduction they given regards to the play is little to brief and though it is clear from the title they have not explicitly stated what they plan discuss.