Revenge and Vengeance in Shakespeares Hamlet - Revenge or Scruples? :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

village Revenge or Scruples?          Vengeance is mine, sayith the Lord.  What does this mean?  I believewhat the Christians meant it to mean is that we, as humans, redeem no right to promisek revenge, that only the Lord has the right to decide when to take revenge.We say this, but do we follow it?  No, I think not.  We all(a) try to take revengeinto our own hands, in one form or another.         Revenge is one strong theme that holds throughout Hamlet.  We seePrince Hamlet try to execute a kind of private vengeance, an eye for an eye,which is completely opposite of the Christian teachings.  Hamlet is a man whobelieves in nirvana and hell and who feels that a man who challenges divineordinance will ultimately face judgment.  We exponent look at the tactile sensation of the lateking Hamlet as the part of us that wants to take vengeance into our own minds.Like the little voice in our heads that tells us to do something, when in ourhearts we get it on it is wrong.         When Horatio, Barnardo, and Marcellus tell Hamlet of their sighting ofthe ghost, Hamlet agrees to join them that night and see if he can observe theghost firsthand and possibly speak with it. That night when Horatio, Marcellus,and Hamlet sight the ghost, it beckons Hamlet to leave the other two and speakto it in privacy. Hamlet follows, despite the protests of the others, who fearit may be an evil spirit, disguising as King Hamlet in order to gain their trust.Horatio suggests that it may lead him astray and then assume some otherhorrible form / Which might deprive your sovereignty of reason / And draw youinto madness... (I, iv, 80-82). Hamlet insists on listening to the message ofthe ghost. Although he does not state it, perhaps Hamlet subconsciouslyconsiders that Horatio is right, that the ghost is indeed a false messenger sentto trouble him.   &nbs p     Hamlet does not kill Claudius immediately following his encounter withthe ghost because he is faint-hearted of the ghosts accusations of Claudius and doesnot want to murder him without proper motive. Hamlet would suffer in the eyes ofthe people if he were to murder Claudius, the reigning king, and claim hismotive was the haggling of a ghost. Hamlet already disapproves of Claudius due tohis marriage to Hamlets mother, Gertrude, so soon after the death of her firsthusband, King Hamlet. Prince Hamlet feels that the widow did not sufficientlymourn and that the marriage is incestuous due to the relation between the late