Revenge in Hamlet
Hamlet Hamlet is a classic example of a tragedy as Hamlet suffers while trying to avenge his fathers death and eventually dies at the end while attempting to do so. Hamlet feels empty without resolution to his father’s death and since there is no justice system that is going to reveal the truth about his father’s death, he must take it into his own hands. Hamlet delays killing Claudius for a long time after the ghost appears. Hamlet delays his revenge of his fathers death not because he is a coward but because his psychological feelings and need for a perfect revenge cause him to delay in order to wait for the perfect moment to kill Claudius. When the ghost first appears to Hamlet he tells him that it was his brother who slipped poison in his ear while he was sleeping in the orchard and clearly asks him to get revenge for his untimely murder. The ghost speaks to Hamlet about his father and says, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murderer”(1.5. 31). Although Hamlet has little doubt that the ghost is not his father’s, he must still prove to himself that Claudius is in fact the murderer before he attempts to kill him. Hamlet decides to have the players act out what the ghost has told him and see Claudius’ reaction. When the play “The Mouse Trap” is performed, Claudius is shocked by the play and storms out, which is the reaction of guilt that Hamlet had hoped for. The play is named “The Mouse Trap” because it is designed to catch Claudius so that he reveals his distress of the play and shows that he was the murderer. Hamlet is now certain that Claudius is the murderer of his father and he can now carry out his revenge by murdering him. Hamlets first opportunity to kill Claudius that he actually considers is when Claudius is confessing to god. Hamlet decides not to kill him at this point because he does not want to kill him while he is praying because he will go to heaven. This is the