William Shakespeares Hamlet as a Revenge Tragedy Essay

William Shakespeares Hamlet as a Revenge Tragedy Revenge Tragedy was a genre which lasted from 1590 until 1615. The genre appealed to the Elizabethan audience’s desire for blood and violence without emotional depth. ================================================================== Revenge tragedies originated in the writings of the Roman Seneca (4BC-AD65) whose plays heavily influenced Elizabethan dramatists. Seneca’s tragedies, using stories derived from mythology emphasised bloody action, horrific incidents and ranting speeches. The devices Seneca used in his tragedies were later imitated by Elizabethan playwrights. These included the five act structure, the appearance of ghosts, the†¦show more content†¦Hamlet delays the whole process of revenge, and this is more subtle than Kyd’s Spanish Tragedy. Bernard Lott believes that when Hamlets speeches are straightened out the evident complications of phraseology and syntax remain to sense reflection of the inner turmoil in his soul. This is clearly shown in Hamlets To be or not to be soliloquy. Soliloquies in general show characters’ innermost emotions and are frequently used in revenge tragedies. Shakespeare uses speech to reflect characters’ roles and status; superior figures such as Hamlet speak in verse, whereas characters with less significance to the play speak in prose. This dramatic effect raises ‘Hamlet’ above the typical Revenge Tragedy. Laertes and Hamlet are the two main characters linked to revenge throughout Hamlet’. They are in the same situation, with Hamlet stating by the image of my cause I see the portraiture of his. Laertes is the stereotypical revenger. He is quick to assume that Claudius murdered his father and goes to seek him with a riotous head and only one thing on his mind. He will dare damnation to get revenge for his father and will die for his family honour. Hamlet alternately spends most of his time contemplating revenge and deciding how he will get it on Claudius. Hamlet: ‘conscience does make cowards of us all. Levin says, â€Å"Hamlet is the man who thinks too much,Show MoreRelatedProblems in the Revenge Tragedy: William Shakespeares Hamlet2646 Words   |  11 Pages Shakespeares Hamlet presents the generic elements found in Renaissance revenge tragedies (Revenge Tragedy). However, although Hamlet is a revenge tragedy by definition, Shakespeare complicates the basic revenge plot by creating three revenge plots out of one. By adding significant innovations, Shakespeare creates three concentric rings of revenge (Frye 90), depicting an indecisive protagonist who is an intellectual rather than a physical hero, an ambiguous ghost, and several problematic aspectsRead MoreWilliam Shakespeares Hamlet As A Traditional Revenge Tragedy1380 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of the world’s most renowned plays, one which has stood the test of time over the course of 400 years, finding relevance even today. 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