The Renaissance Era moved through history with many influential changes to the way that people lived their lives that would have lasting effects for many years to come. Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark enacts how an evolving code of honor, combined with complex ploys to restore a loved one’s honor through acts of vengeance can create difficult and complex scenarios in one’s life. Hamlet, Laertes and Horatio’s allegiances and promises of love and honor to other characters come into conflict with their lives. Hamlet and Laertes both wish to honor their father but the process in doing so is not as simple as it may seem. Horatio’s honor and love of Hamlet comes into context as being a calm reasonable mind once emotion overrule thoughts.
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However, the new code that began no set itself into history during the timeline of the play Hamlet, states that one must think of his or her actions, as well as their implications. Reta A. Terry states in ‘“Vows to the Blackest Devil”: Hamlet and the Evolving Code of Honor in Early Modern England” that “This emphasis on the conscience, (…) forced men to balance obedience to the State with adherence to Christian virtues of patience and forgiveness that could be found within God’s …show more content…
Hamlet, burdened with enacting his father’s revenge and trying to find a balance between emotion and reason is difficult enough. Include Laertes’ rage-induced attempts of revenge as well as Horatio’s wanting to prove his loyalty and slowly people end up hurting others one by one. The evolving code of honor causes conflict for Hamlet as he must reason with being an honorable Christian and yet, avenging his father’s death and leading to an ultimate sentence to hell. Laertes and his rage creates a situation in which his act of revenge would have left him bound for hell, all for restoring the honor that his father lost. Horatio is truly and utterly loyal to Hamlet and wishes to prove it making the ultimate sacrifice and yet, he listens when told that telling the events that transpired will be his way of avenging Hamlet’s honor. And yet, the evolving code of honor in the Renaissance has shown in this play that at times, it is better to be patient and wait for scenarios to play out than to act on them
However, the new code that began no set itself into history during the timeline of the play Hamlet, states that one must think of his or her actions, as well as their implications. Reta A. Terry states in ‘“Vows to the Blackest Devil”: Hamlet and the Evolving Code of Honor in Early Modern England” that “This emphasis on the conscience, (…) forced men to balance obedience to the State with adherence to Christian virtues of patience and forgiveness that could be found within God’s …show more content…
Hamlet, burdened with enacting his father’s revenge and trying to find a balance between emotion and reason is difficult enough. Include Laertes’ rage-induced attempts of revenge as well as Horatio’s wanting to prove his loyalty and slowly people end up hurting others one by one. The evolving code of honor causes conflict for Hamlet as he must reason with being an honorable Christian and yet, avenging his father’s death and leading to an ultimate sentence to hell. Laertes and his rage creates a situation in which his act of revenge would have left him bound for hell, all for restoring the honor that his father lost. Horatio is truly and utterly loyal to Hamlet and wishes to prove it making the ultimate sacrifice and yet, he listens when told that telling the events that transpired will be his way of avenging Hamlet’s honor. And yet, the evolving code of honor in the Renaissance has shown in this play that at times, it is better to be patient and wait for scenarios to play out than to act on them