Blood is everywhere, yet there is love in the air. Many people believe that the main theme in the play, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, is revenge. However, those people seem to not read between the lines and look deeper into the text. If one were to read further into the play, then they would be able to see that the play is actually centered around love. The theme of Hamlet is love because it is clearly illustrated through relationships between characters, thoughts of suicide, love-driven revenge. There is a lot of blood that is shed throughout the play, which initially seems to make Hamlet seem like more of a play about revenge. It is very understandable why people may think this. When the ghost of King Hamlet appears to Hamlet, it’s easy
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This then becomes the main mission of Hamlet, and he thinks and plans it for the entire play. Then, Polonius is killed and Laertes decides to avenge his death as well. Suddenly, it seems as though the whole play will be centered around sons seeking revenge for their father’s deaths. However, most people don’t read between the lines and see the bigger picture. The play has a variety of relationships ranging from romantic relationships to basic friendships. In all of these relationships, there are signs of love for one another, whether it’s brotherly love between Hamlet and Horatio or a father-son relationship between Polonius and Laertes. For example, towards the end of the play, Hamlet reveals his true love for Horatio. Hamlet tells him, “Since my dear soul was mistress of her choice/And could of men distinguish, her election/ Hath sealed thee for herself, for thou hast been—/ As one in suffering all that suffers nothing—/ A man that Fortune’s buffets and rewards /Hast ta'en with equal thanks. And blessed are those/Whose blood and judgment are …show more content…
Love drives revenge. If it weren’t for love, then none of the revenge and murder would happen in the play. When Laertes comes back from France, furious because he found out that his father had been slain, his love for his father and anger over his death is clear. This love then drives revenge. For example, Laertes says to Claudius, “How came he dead? I’ll not be juggled with./ To hell, allegiance! Vows, to the blackest devil!/ Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit!/ I dare damnation. To this point I stand/ That both the worlds I give to negligence./ Let come what comes, only I’ll be revenged/ Most thoroughly for my father” (4.5.148-154). Laertes knew right away what had to be done in order to avenge his father’s death. This shows that he loved his father so much that he would kill for him. Thus, the motive behind his revenge is his love for his father. The love for a father was the same reason for Hamlet to take revenge on Claudius. The plot was driven by the motives of love for one another and avenging the death of a lost one. Hamlet says, “Haste me to know'that I, with wings as swift/ As meditation or the thoughts of love,/ May sweep to my revenge” (1.5.35-37). This shows that the only thing he felt for Claudius was hate because of what he did to his father. The power of the love for his father overpowered anything and everything in Hamlet. Hamlet spent the whole play trying to fulfill the request of his father by
This then becomes the main mission of Hamlet, and he thinks and plans it for the entire play. Then, Polonius is killed and Laertes decides to avenge his death as well. Suddenly, it seems as though the whole play will be centered around sons seeking revenge for their father’s deaths. However, most people don’t read between the lines and see the bigger picture. The play has a variety of relationships ranging from romantic relationships to basic friendships. In all of these relationships, there are signs of love for one another, whether it’s brotherly love between Hamlet and Horatio or a father-son relationship between Polonius and Laertes. For example, towards the end of the play, Hamlet reveals his true love for Horatio. Hamlet tells him, “Since my dear soul was mistress of her choice/And could of men distinguish, her election/ Hath sealed thee for herself, for thou hast been—/ As one in suffering all that suffers nothing—/ A man that Fortune’s buffets and rewards /Hast ta'en with equal thanks. And blessed are those/Whose blood and judgment are …show more content…
Love drives revenge. If it weren’t for love, then none of the revenge and murder would happen in the play. When Laertes comes back from France, furious because he found out that his father had been slain, his love for his father and anger over his death is clear. This love then drives revenge. For example, Laertes says to Claudius, “How came he dead? I’ll not be juggled with./ To hell, allegiance! Vows, to the blackest devil!/ Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit!/ I dare damnation. To this point I stand/ That both the worlds I give to negligence./ Let come what comes, only I’ll be revenged/ Most thoroughly for my father” (4.5.148-154). Laertes knew right away what had to be done in order to avenge his father’s death. This shows that he loved his father so much that he would kill for him. Thus, the motive behind his revenge is his love for his father. The love for a father was the same reason for Hamlet to take revenge on Claudius. The plot was driven by the motives of love for one another and avenging the death of a lost one. Hamlet says, “Haste me to know'that I, with wings as swift/ As meditation or the thoughts of love,/ May sweep to my revenge” (1.5.35-37). This shows that the only thing he felt for Claudius was hate because of what he did to his father. The power of the love for his father overpowered anything and everything in Hamlet. Hamlet spent the whole play trying to fulfill the request of his father by