Hamlet does exact revenge. He manages to kill his father's murderer, the new king Claudius (his father's brother, in fact), and it is a most painful and public murder. Hamlet's father wanted him to make Claudius pay for what he'd done, especially because Claudius had murdered old king Hamlet before he could go to confession and atone for his sins, and so he was sent to Purgatory. It was important that Hamlet kill Claudius while his soul was in a similar state, and he did.
The revenge does seem somewhat lessened by the fact that Hamlet also dies, as do Ophelia, Polonius, Laertes, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Gertrude. Essentially everyone at the heart of the Danish court has been killed, and only Horatio, Hamlet's best and most trusted friend, remains to tell Hamlet's story and see that the new king Fortinbras knows what has happened and can lead the country forward into a better future.
No comments:
Post a Comment