Themes
Revenge
- Revenge seen as an old and unlawful kind of justice
- Church taught that revenge was a sin
Why hamlet wonders if the ghost of his father is the devil – tempts him to commit the sin of
revenge
Ghost’s appearance – would have contradicted the protestant church’s teachings
o Hamlet has to decide whether to follow his beliefs or the ghost’s orders
- Classical traditions – supported revenge if family honour was at stake
- Conflict between Christian values and duty of blood revenge – common theme in Elizabethan theatre
Religious upheaval – made people question their beliefs
- Revenge tragedy was a popular dramatic genre
- Elizabethan playwrights were influenced by Seneca’s dramas
Stoic philosopher from 1st century – punished villains in a way that matched their crimes
Started to write blood and violent plays that followed a similar structure
Structure:
- Murder – usually of an important/innocent person
- Supernatural vision – ghost makes revenger accept their duty
- Planning – revenger prepares a punishment designed to fit the crime
Often involves a disguise/madness – real or feigned
Why hamlet did not kill Claudius when he was praying
- Violence – revenger carries out their planned attack
- Annihilation – plays ends in a blood bath
Most of major characters die – including revenger
o Death restores the balance and ends the bloodshed
- Hamlet is not a typical revenger
- Shakespeare influenced by Spanish tragedy
- Hamlet is an anxious and hesitant thinker – could be seen as a humanist revenger
Humanism – school of thought which believed that studying ethics, reason and philosophy led to
well-rounded individuals
Interested in human experiences and man’s ability to understand the world
- Hamlet’s need for revenge compromised – influenced by his thoughts
More concerned with how he feels rather than his duty to seek revenge
- Hamlet thinks it’s his fate to take revenge
Tells ghost he’s bound to hear his story – ghost makes it clear that learning the truth about his
murder is equivalent to being duty-bound to avenge it
Hamlet suggests only reason he exists is to restore order to the state of Denmark
- Hamlet tests his role as revenger and resists his given role
Weighs up whether it’s better to suffer what fate brings or to be responsible for his own actions
When hamlet has time to think he choses to delay his revenge
- Relationship between fate and free will left deliberately ambiguous
- Hamlet is defined by its lack of actions – Shakespeare shifts focus onto hamlet’s indecision
- Hamlet tries to encourage himself to act by using more violent and determined language
My thoughts be bloody, or worth nothing
- Hamlet’s thoughts are the problem – he cannot act until he stops thinking
- Hamlet contrasts with Laertes and Fortinbras – actively seek revenge
Madness
- Revenger often fakes madness to carry out their plan without arousing suspicion on revenge tragedies
- Madness can only be a reaction to a world gone mad
Revenge
- Revenge seen as an old and unlawful kind of justice
- Church taught that revenge was a sin
Why hamlet wonders if the ghost of his father is the devil – tempts him to commit the sin of
revenge
Ghost’s appearance – would have contradicted the protestant church’s teachings
o Hamlet has to decide whether to follow his beliefs or the ghost’s orders
- Classical traditions – supported revenge if family honour was at stake
- Conflict between Christian values and duty of blood revenge – common theme in Elizabethan theatre
Religious upheaval – made people question their beliefs
- Revenge tragedy was a popular dramatic genre
- Elizabethan playwrights were influenced by Seneca’s dramas
Stoic philosopher from 1st century – punished villains in a way that matched their crimes
Started to write blood and violent plays that followed a similar structure
Structure:
- Murder – usually of an important/innocent person
- Supernatural vision – ghost makes revenger accept their duty
- Planning – revenger prepares a punishment designed to fit the crime
Often involves a disguise/madness – real or feigned
Why hamlet did not kill Claudius when he was praying
- Violence – revenger carries out their planned attack
- Annihilation – plays ends in a blood bath
Most of major characters die – including revenger
o Death restores the balance and ends the bloodshed
- Hamlet is not a typical revenger
- Shakespeare influenced by Spanish tragedy
- Hamlet is an anxious and hesitant thinker – could be seen as a humanist revenger
Humanism – school of thought which believed that studying ethics, reason and philosophy led to
well-rounded individuals
Interested in human experiences and man’s ability to understand the world
- Hamlet’s need for revenge compromised – influenced by his thoughts
More concerned with how he feels rather than his duty to seek revenge
- Hamlet thinks it’s his fate to take revenge
Tells ghost he’s bound to hear his story – ghost makes it clear that learning the truth about his
murder is equivalent to being duty-bound to avenge it
Hamlet suggests only reason he exists is to restore order to the state of Denmark
- Hamlet tests his role as revenger and resists his given role
Weighs up whether it’s better to suffer what fate brings or to be responsible for his own actions
When hamlet has time to think he choses to delay his revenge
- Relationship between fate and free will left deliberately ambiguous
- Hamlet is defined by its lack of actions – Shakespeare shifts focus onto hamlet’s indecision
- Hamlet tries to encourage himself to act by using more violent and determined language
My thoughts be bloody, or worth nothing
- Hamlet’s thoughts are the problem – he cannot act until he stops thinking
- Hamlet contrasts with Laertes and Fortinbras – actively seek revenge
Madness
- Revenger often fakes madness to carry out their plan without arousing suspicion on revenge tragedies
- Madness can only be a reaction to a world gone mad
