Categories: Books

The Morality of Revenge in Hamlet

“As it doth well appear unto our state – /But to recover of us, by strong hand…” (1,I, 101-102). Horatio, Prince Hamlet’s close friend, foreshadows a crucial theme in Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, the craving of vengeance. The text reveals that the need for revenge creates a throttlehold on the authentic emotions, thoughts, and actions of three characters: Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Laertes, son of Polonius, and Fortinbras, Prince of Norway. This stronghold makes the characters proceed out of their standard ethical positions and renders them helpless to their plots of revenge. Hamlet reveals that the thirst for revenge obstructs one’s genuine moral outlook.

The unrelenting sadness of loss makes the characters participate in acts they wouldn’t normally carry out. The diction in the text suggests that the characters will do whatever it takes to avenge, immorally, without a sense of rationale; thus effecting their true morality. Claudius provides evidence, saying, “Laertes, was your father dear to you?/or are you like the painting of a sorrow…To show your father’s son in deed/more than in words?,”(4, vii, 105-7;123-4). This stresses that Claudius knows Laertes is unmorally passionate because Laertes has a strong thirst for revenge, but he wants Laertes to recognize it completely. Immediately, Laertes responds:

“To cut his throat i’ the church,” says Laertes (4,vii,125), which shows that Laertes does recognize his passion. Tragically, this shows that Laertes is too focused on vengeance to see clearly because he is so quick to say how and where he’ll make his vengeance. He doesn’t see that Claudius wants Hamlet dead for his own reason, not because Hamlet killed Polonius. Moreover, this shows that the act of carrying out revenge takes away the avenger’s capability to think morally because they are too busy keeping the promise of vengeance alive.

Once promising to avenge the victim, the characters go down a slope that leads to further obstruction of their moral codes. Hamlet reveals that whether promising the act of vengeance to themselves, or to the actual victim, creates a heightened need to carry out their plans. Hamlet, who has sworn to his father’s ghost that he will kill Claudius for revenge, states: Prompted by my revenge by heaven and hell/ Must like a whore unpack my heart with words,/ And fall a-cursing like a very drab/ A scullion!/ Fie upon’t, foh! About, my brains! (2, ii, 570-4)

This suggests that Hamlet has made a promise to avenge, and that he needs to carry it out whatsoever because of his oath. In the last line, the text also suggests that Hamlet is changing his mindset just to carry his promise. This shows that he is so determined to carry out his promise to this father ( that he needs to make psychological adjustments just to carry out the plans. The text also suggests that he is obstructed from his moral view because, if he was morally coherent, he would have seen that making such a drastic change is going away from his genuine thought. Additionally, this shows that the pride of the avenger obstructs his thoughts because he is trying to restore order in his family honor.

Hamlet reveals that the emotional hindrance on the characters dealing with vengeance gets stronger when pride becomes motivation. The text shows that honor and pride obstructs the avenger’s moral thought because it places more incentive to carry out the scheme of vengeance. Horatio explains, about Prince Fortinbras of Norway, “And terms compulsatory, those foresaid lands/so by his father lost” (1,I,103-104). Because King Hamlet, who killed Prince Fortinbras’ father, is dead, Fortinbras needs to avenge somebody. The quote shows that the need for Fortinbras to restore his family name and get the land back hinders his true moral thought by showing Fortinbras trying to regain what his father lost. Thus, this reveals that if he does not get revenge, he loses family honor. This also shows that the thirst for revenge is so strong that it makes Fortinbras avenge somebody, King Fortinbras, who died under his own accord, a bet with King Hamlet. Furthermore, the text shows that the characters believe that the only thing to do when a loved one is killed is to get revenge.

In the wake of news of a death of a loved one, the text suggests that, in some cases, in order for the revenge characters to deal with loss, vengeance is needed as an outlet for their loss. Thus, through action and diction, the avengers believe that their loss will be less when their decreased loved one is revenged. Laertes proclaims to Claudius: And so I a noble father lost/A sister driven into desp’rate terms,…/But my revenge will come” ( 4,vii, 25-6; 29). His diction suggests that once he takes revenge, the loss of his father won’t see so great and his sister, Ophelia, may become sane once again. This is suggesting that this revenge is seen, to Laertes, as

his only hope for his, and Ophelia’s, peace of mind. This obstructs their moral views because the revenge characters think they will find less melancholy through vengeance, giving them extra incentive to revenge. Furthermore, that hope that can be lead to pseudo-validation of their actions.

Hamlet reveals that the outcome of the revenge is deeply beneficial to the revenge characters. The text suggests that the promise of benefits, whether existent or spiritual, at the end of the vengeance is far too great for any of the revenge characters to give up on their plots. Hamlet declares:

…or about some [negative] act/ That has no relish of salvation in’t;/ Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven,/ And that his soul may be damned and black As hell, whereto it goes (3,iii,91-5).

This evidence suggests what revenge is all about: the reward. King Hamlet, while not in Heaven now (Purgatory 1, v, 12-13) will soon get there. But, on the other hand, if Hamlet sends Claudius to Hell, he has no choice but to stay there forever, damned. The thirst for revenge affects Hamlet’s moral outlook because he wants Claudius to suffer Hell. The only problem is that Hamlet, as well, will go to Hell. He has no change of survival because it is meditated, even though he is obstructed from moral through. Indeed, the want for the avenger to negatively apply more pain to the murderer than he did his victim, obstructs clear moral thought.