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  • Essay / The theme of revenge in Shakesphere's book Hamlet

    Revenge is a dish best served cold. Rather than taking immediate revenge on a person who has done wrong, no matter how sadistic that may be, it is far more satisfying to meticulously formulate a plan capable of inflicting the most serious harm. In the world-famous literary work Hamlet, Shakespeare is the judge, jury, and executioner as he punishes the characters for their selfish and selfish nature. In revenge, Shakespeare forces the characters in the play to continually remind themselves of their traitorous nature by overwhelming them with religious imagery and employing Hamlet as his outspoken emissary. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original EssayShakespeare initiates his revenge by sending Hamlet to caustically reprimand his own mother and torment her with reminders of her late husband as penance for his contempt for the sanctity of holy matrimony. Despite the short time that has passed since old Hamlet's death, Gertrude refuses to fulfill her role as a grieving widow and immediately takes a new, more inferior husband, Claudius. She reinforces infidelity by focusing on the marriage rather than taking the time to mourn her husband's death and honor his memory. However, she is unable to happily go about the wedding preparations because Hamlet still serves as a constant reminder of old Hamlet's death. Gertrude asks Hamlet to “put off his night color” because the garment he adorns as he mourns his father continues to fill her with guilt every time he lays eyes on that garment. However, Hamlet refuses to do so because he is determined to punish his mother and remind her of her unfulfilled duties (I.ii.68). To emphasize her act of betrayal, Hamlet snubs her in the play and asks the player Queen to recite: "Such love must necessarily be treason in my bosom." / As a second husband, I be damned! / None married the second but who killed the first (III.ii.164-166). By having the actress proclaim that she will never remarry because it would be the most treacherous betrayal, it forces Gertrude to remember her own lack of loyalty and effectively makes her feel guilty. Shakespeare then sends Hamlet to confront his mother and show her the full extent of his sinful nature by successfully isolating his mother and proclaiming that he will not let her leave until he has "made [her] a drink /where [she] will be able to see the most intimate part of herself (III.IV.20-21). When Gertrude shyly avoids his questions and refuses to listen, Hamlet reprimands her with a harangue of verbal abuse. He begins by comparing his mother's two husbands, then accuses her of having committed an act which "blurs the grace and blush of modesty, / calls virtue hypocritical" (III. iv.41-43). He forces Gertrude to witness the vile nature of her own actions and leaves her to scream so that Hamlet will speak no more. In the end, Hamlet continually remembers memories of the past in order to fully complete his revenge on Gertrude in Shakespeare's place. As punishment for abusing his own daughter in a struggle for position and power, Polonius is openly insulted by Hamlet throughout the play and is forced to endure numerous humiliations. Throughout the play, Polonius can be seen as a hypocrite as he continually tells his daughter, Ophelia, to end her relationship with Hamlet, but he is eager to sacrifice her in order to discover the cause of Hamlet's madness. Hamlet and to please the king. Secretly, Polonius mocks his daughter for believing in Hamlet's affections and asks her if she really believes "'his offerings,' as you can.