Shakespeare's Hamlet is more of a tragedy than a revenge plot in that it follows the unfortunate downfall of a prince due to his vengeful goal rather than the honour or justice brought about by his revenge. The tragedy underlies the plot in three fateful elements: death, corruption and betrayal, themes that echo throughout the play and resonate in each character's actions ultimately leading to their own demise, whether by their own hand or someone else's. These elements are represented in the following three examples: firstly, the death of innocent characters who became wrapped up in the corruption of the royal family; secondly, the protagonist's ultimate destruction in the end caused by his actions; and thirdly, the lies and dishonesty that spill over into the most sacred of relationships, those between family and those between a king and his people, thereby destroying any glimmer of hope for a happy ending.
David Garrick in Hamlet, I, 4
Book signing and Hamlet Au's interview with Julian...
HamletThe first of the innocent characters to die is Polonius, the king's trustworthy advisor, whom Hamlet stabbed simply because he thought it was the King spying on his private conversation with the Queen. "How now! A rat?" (III. iv. 24.) are the fatal words spoken by Hamlet before Polonius' death. Polonius will be forever remembered as a spy and an old fool who spoke too much and was too curious about the royal family (for his own good). He died because he got in the way of Hamlet's revenge. Polonius' daughter, Ophelia committed suicide after all she was put through. Her premature demise was ultimately caused by the corruption of the royal family; her suicide is the final death of innocence, releasing of the only stopper to the turmoil filled bottle of revenge and corruption. The two things that seem to push Ophelia over the edge, Hamlet's rejection and...
Hmm
This essay is ok, however I don't think you have answered the question very well, possibly because you have never read any other Revenge Plays?
The reason that Hamlet could be described more as a tragedy than a revenge play is because Hamlet is NOT really an avenger. He doesn't know what he wants, he procrastinates, he thinks too much, he's not sure if what he is doing is right. In short, he is not your average protagonist in the revenge genre. In The Spanish Tragedy and The Revenger's tragedy, the characters barely hesitate to avenge, only circumstance prevents them. Hamlet delays because he is not sure.
You say that he does not deal with his grief well, and that his passion is what brings him down. Hamlet has little passion, he is a thinker. And, to be fair, he doesn't deal with his grief well, but he IS being haunted by the ghost of his dead dad, telling him to kill his uncle because that's who murdered him. Its a bit harsh.
All the deaths that occur in Hamlet are the result of his non-action...had he just killed Claudius (there were MANY occasions when he could have) then the plot would not have gotten so complex, Ophelia would not have gone so mad, and fewer people would have died.
The tragedy in Hamlet is that he is not really a revenger, he is forced into a very unfortunate situation and his inability to make a decision is what turns the play into tragedy.
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