Revenge

REVENGE

by Sunny and Nissi

“If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?”

-William Shakespeare-

You’ve probably heard the phrase revenge is sweet but in William Shakespeare’s notorious play Hamlet, revenge seems poisonous. From even before the former King Hamlet is killed, the aspect of revenge is already present in the story. Is revenge always truly worth it, or does it do more bad than good? Revenge. Doesn’t this word have a different definition depending on a person’s perspective and even in the era that they live in? Our views on revenge in the modern day are much different than the characters in Hamlet that live in the 15th century. In this blog post, we will discuss our opinions on revenge and Hamlet’s plan. Sunny’s opinion will be marked with an “S” and Nissi’s will be marked with “N”.

S: Revenge itself is usually defined as negatively getting back on someone. Expectedly, revenge would give people the feeling of being relieved and triumph. However, in reality, by hurting others would turn out to be hurting yourself. The exhaustion caused by the competitive desire would do nothing but lead to self - harm. If revenge is always about taking an action to end someone’s life, then when would the world have a peaceful day? Killing is never a choice since no matter what the excuse is, the price that one has to pay is always bigger than what they originally intended to do.

N: Hamlet’s plan was successful in the end, but there was most definitely many flaws. Hamlet really let his emotions get in the way which was primarily his downfall. There were so many things that could have been avoided and it seemed as if Hamlet was just making things up as he went along. There was never a clear, concise solution but rather just one objective: Kill Claudius. If I were in Hamlet’s position, it's difficult to imagine what I would do. Revenge is tiring and difficult especially with the task of murder. The emotional toll is almost unbearable as shown in Hamlet’s internal combat. I might not even take revenge on Claudius because nothing in this play (the Ghost and honestly if Claudius really did kill King Hamlet) is for certain. Not only that, but I don’t think I could actually kill someone. However, if I were Hamlet, I’m sure I

would do the same thing as he did.

S: As for Hamlet’s plan, it was genuinely a successful plan. However, it was a failure due to wrong timings, and some misunderstandings. Throughout the process, the readers can recognize many good plans such as when Hamlet put on the play that resembles the situation that was happening with Hamlet’s family to make sure that what the Ghost told him is the truth. Still, if Hamlet has not repeatedly delayed his plan, Claudius would not have the chance to come up with the idea of killing Hamlet. When Hamlet stabbed Polonius because he thought it was Claudius, he knew that he has messed things up. However, the fact that Polonius has always tried to spy on him, he believed that it was not totally wrong that he ended Polonius’ life. However, at the time, if Hamlet could be more patient and calm, Laertes would not have a reason to side up with Claudius which made things easier for Claudius to kill Hamlet. As said above, revenge does not only bring a momentary triumph, it will also bring harm to one’s self. In the end, everyone could not save their own life because of the desire for revenge.

N: To be honest, the moment in which Hamlet takes his revenge on Claudius takes a pretty long time. It occurs in Act 5 Scene 2, the very last scene of the book, and it’s not very flashy. Shakespeare adds so much suspense and drama that it makes the readers sit on the edge of their seats, holding their breath, for Hamlet to finally use an incredible technique or something to fulfill his vow to his father’s Ghost. But instead, we are given a scene with Hamlet messily stabbing Claudius and hurriedly shoving some leftover poison down throat… that’s it. Shakespeare draws this play out so long until it's the most awaited moment which lasts for pretty much a couple of seconds to show that the act of revenge itself is not the most momentous part. It's what leads up to the revenge that really counts. For example, take into account Hamlet’s switches in attitude and his delay. Hamlet’s inner struggle really pushed the play along and we as the audience were able to see his wavering views on whether or not everything was all worth it. Perhaps when he feigned madness, Hamlet actually became crazy due to all these thoughts of revenge. Just like with what Sunny mentioned before, revenge really does cause more self-harm than it seems. Hamlet pretty much lost everyone he loved (and those he hated) thanks to his plan. In the end, he even lost himself, physically, emotionally and mentally.