Moral ambiguity; defined as the lack of certainty about whether something is right or wrong, plays a significant role in many pieces of literature. Taking form in an assortment of roles, a morally ambiguous character is difficult to categorize as either good or evil, as they exhibit strong characteristics of both. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, he explores the idea of revenge as well as the question it presents through the characterization of Hamlet as both a hero and antagonist. Hamlet’s contrasting actions, questioning of motives, and ideologies of revenge present a great case for his morally ambiguous persona. Possibly the most famous line in all of literature, “to be or not to be” outlines morally ambiguity to the utmost extent, asking whether
