Shakespeare and Revenge – Hamlet’s concept of Revenge

Shakespeare and Revenge – Hamlet’s concept of Revenge
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July 27, 2019
The concept of revenge has been one of the most used themes in the world of literature. Stories such as Stephen King’s Carrie, Michael Punke’s The Revenant, and Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo are just some of the pieces of literature that emphasizes revenge. However, despite its prominence in the literary world, the way how people views it today differs significantly with how it was viewed in the past. In this article, the concept of revenge would be analyzed based on two points in time, namely (1) before and (2) after the publication of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Specifically, the analysis would be based on the article written by Gottschalk (1973), entitled Hamlet and the Scanning of Revenge which discusses Hamlet’s actions in taking revenge agaist King Claudius. All in all, the author believes that knowing how Shakespeare’s work influenced human understanding to the concept of revenge would be beneficial in understanding literary works relative to the time when they were published.
While there are different issues that can be gleaned from one of Shakespeare’s greatest works, the Hamlet presents an interesting way on how people views human nature and the concept of revenge. One of the msot controversial scenes in the story was the time when Hamlet (main character) has realized that King Claudius (primary antagonist) was guilty of the crimes that he suspected him of. As Claudius was trying to delay Hamlet’s successive revenge against him, he went to his private chapel...