Hamlet’s success at revenge
The Tragedy of Hamlet is a revenge play written by William Shakespeare. Following the sudden death of King Denmark by the hands of his brother Claudius. A ghost of the slain King appears before his son, Hamlet, telling him to seek revenge on his behalf. The Prince agrees to avenge his father, and he successfully kills King Claudius. However, the Prince appears to take a long time to achieve revenge. His approach of feigning madness and attempted suicide elicits questions on his role in executing the vengeance. Despite the success of the Prince, is he responsible for the numerous unnecessary deaths of the innocents, and does he succeed in avenging the death of King Denmark?
Deaths are a constant presence in the play and all centers within the life and role of the Prince. The case of Polonius dies by the hands of Prince Hamlet after he found out that he was spying on him. Polonius was a loyal servant to King Claudius, and thus he tries to help the King by spying on Hamlet. Hamlet finds him spying and instantly kills him, upon hearing the daughter of Polonius, Ophelia is devastated. The death of her father spells doom to her, and she takes her own life. Should the Prince Hamlet acted swiftly and revenged the end of his father, these deaths would not have occurred. King Claudius mischievously uses Laertes to challenge Hamlet into a fencing duel. Horatio tries to warn hamlet against the contest, but he reuses o listen. Laertes poisons his sword, and the fight ends in the deaths of King Claudius, Laertes, Gertrude, and Hamlet. These deaths could have been avoided had the Prince performed his duties earlier. His doing spelled doom for the innocent souls who were easily swayed and pulled into their graves.
Prince hamlet in avenging the late King Denmark cannot be termed as a success. This is because the Prince took a long time in executing his plans, and when he did, it was somewhat circumstantial. Despite being given ordered by the ghost of his father, he still questions the reality of the King’s ghost:
. . . the spirit that [ have seen May be the devil; and the devil hath power
To assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps
Out of my weakness and my melancholy, As he is very potent with such spirits,
Abuses me to damn me. (Act II, Scene ii, 552-556)
Prince hamlet is also in doubt of his father’s words about his killer. He concocts a play in his attempts to gain the truth. He also fails to take up chances to end the life of King Claudius time and time until the King catches wind of his plot. At one point, he refuses to kill him, claiming that he is praying, an irony, about the evil he knows he has done. The death of the King only happens at his lowest moment. Having been stabbed by the poisonous sword, he ends the life of King.
The whole plot of revenge failed, thanks to the Prince. Despite killing him in the end, it shows that he only did it due to a lack of options. He kept procrastinating the idea over a long time. These deaths, including his, could have been prevented if he had opted to end the King’s life at the onset of the play. It was not an act of successful revenge.