Violence In Hamlet Essay

In Hamlet, as in all of Shakespeare’s tragedies, violence is used as a major plot device throughout the play. One of the first things the audience learns of is Claudius’s supposed murder of King Hamlet. By the end of the play, everyone is dead, save for Horatio, which demonstrates just how pervasive the theme of violence is throughout it.. One instance that reflects upon the theme of violence in Hamlet as a whole is when Polonius is killed in the infamous mirror scene by Hamlet during his encounter with his mother, Queen Gertrude. During this scene, Hamlet confronts Gertrude over the death of his father, King Hamlet, and her marriage to the late king’s brother, or Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius. Of course, Gertrude does not start the meeting out smoothly by referring to Claudius as Hamlet’s father: “Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended” (3.4.9). Hamlet is furious, and sets up a mirror for Gertrude to literally reflect her actions upon, and, as far as the reader can piece together from Gertrude’s frantic tone, somehow threatens her, causing her to scream out. Polonius, who has been hiding in a curtain in order to eavesdrop on the encounter as per request of Gertrude, calls for help from the rest of the castle. …show more content…
Gertrude and Claudius now realize how vengeful Hamlet is, and it serves as a catalyst in Claudius’s mind for methods to kill him. Additionally, it profoundly affects the demeanor and mindset of Polonius’s children, Ophelia and Laertes. Ophelia begins to descend deeper into madness, reflecting Hamlet’s pseudo insanity that he has portrayed through the course of the play. Laertes, who for the most part was silent before Polonius’s death, now becomes a more visible character in the play, and threatens Hamlet’s life multiple times before eventually being a conspirator in his death near the end of the play. When Ophelia eventually drowns herself, Laertes even blames Hamlet for her