The Nature of Evil in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Society has been preoccupied by the c at a timept of mature and execration since the emergence of civilization and, just as humankind has evolved over time, so has the definition of abhorrence. unholy was root used to describe round cardinal who located themselves above new(prenominal)s and it wasnt until the Old and Middle English occlusion that evil became associated with wrong-doing. As time passed, the definition go along to become increasingly more specific until it reached its neo day definition extreme moral wickedness. (www. etymonline. com/index. php? term=evil) However, what one in the end defines as evil depends on ones personal experiences, frame of reference, and culture. For instance, during World War II, the Americans taked that dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima was an act of honorable as it ended conflict with the Japanese. On the other hand, the Japanese viewed it as an act of evil as the bombings resulted in the final stages of gramsands of peop le.This proves that vertical and evil can non always be seen as simply black or white, entirely also as shades of grey making it difficult to label characters in various literary works, especi on the wholey those of William Shakespe ar. The ambiguity of evil in William Shakespe ares hamlet forces spectators to interpret each characters plans, actions, and personality in localize to place them properly on the gradient of evil. careless(predicate) of ones personal idea of evil, Claudius can be seen as a villain from many stand repoints.He constantly performs actions with poisonous intent and expresses true love plainly for himself. The first and most important act that Claudius commits is the murder of his proclaim companion, which he does to obtain the crown of Denmark, as set forth by King junctures ghost instantly, hamlet, hear. Tis given away that, sleeping in my orchard, A serpent miffed me so the whole ear of Denmark Is by a forged process of my death Rankly ab usd only when know, thou terrible y egressh, The serpent that did sting thy fathers life Now wears his crown. (I. v. 34-40)The ghosts speech shows the true nature of Claudius evil as he allows himself to kill his own brother. However, this is non to swear that Claudius does not understand the nature of his sins. Following The mar of Gonzago, a test of his conscience set up by hamlet, Claudius feels overwhelmed with guilt and self disgust he attempts to repent for his sins and expresses that he realizes the magnitude of what he has through O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven It hath the primal eldest fellow upont A brothers murder. (III. iii. 37-39)This is the first and only time that the readers or spectators see Claudius acting as a principle human being and showing or recognizing his emotions. This is precise important as many people believe that repentance leads to mercy. However, Claudius finds himself futile to properly do so as he comes to realize that he do es not feel remorse for what he has done since he continues to reap the rewards of his deed Pray can I not, Though inclination be as dandy as leave alone, My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent My speck is past but O, what form of prayerCan serve my rung? Forgive me my foul murder? That cannot be, since I am still possessd Of those effects for which I did the murder My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen. My words fly up, my thoughts remain below. haggle without thoughts never to heaven go. (III. iii. 36-40, 51-55, 97-98) If Claudius had successfully repented for his sins, he would no longer be labelled as an evil character. He is, however, unable to do so. Despite Claudius callousness, the point that he even attempts to repent is honourable.However, by proceed to manipulate, destroy, and murder he voids any chance of forgiveness. He uses his son as a scapegoat by focusing all of the negative attention on him and thus avoids negative attention himself, marries his b rothers widow, turns Hamlets childhood friends a attractst him, and ultimately causes the deaths of all the main characters in the feed. He uses his trance and political power to unleash increasing amounts of madhouse proving that, One may smile, and smile, and be a villain (I. v. 07) In the end, it is Claudius who is responsible for trapping otherwise innocent characters in a chain of deception, deceit, and destruction which is escapable only by death. Hamlet is the primary victim of Claudius malign deeds, causing a dramatic shift in his nature. He becomes a slave to misfortune and feels the unavoidableness to right the wrongs in his life, specifically the murder of his father. Upon auditory modality the truth about the nature of his fathers death, Hamlet becomes a vital part in the cyclical recipe of evil as he vows to take visit on his uncle, Claudius Haste me to knowt, that I with wings as swiftAs meditation or the thoughts of love May tangle me to my revenge. (I. v. 2 9-31) Although Hamlet is a victim of Claudius deeds, the reader is unable to sustain any feeling of heightened pathos once he seeks referee by exacting revenge. However, one must take into consideration the common thought processes of the time. It wasnt until recently that society began to view retributive justice as unacceptable and morally wrong. Therefore, Hamlet would oblige been justified in his attempts to get revenge for his fathers murder.In addition, getting revenge gives Hamlet no personal gain except the redemption of his fathers name, while Claudius kills with power in mind. Furthermore, Claudius is responsible for the death of an innocent while Hamlet is only concerned with killing those who are guilty, particularly his uncle. Hamlet even takes precautions, such as arrange the performance of The Murder of Gonzago, to prove his suspicions and keep a clean conscience Ill beget groundsMore relative than thisthe plays the thingWherein Ill take in the conscience of th e King. II. ii. 603-605) By attempt to figure out whether or not Claudius is guilty, Hamlet shows that he is trying to cause the least damage possible and does not want to kill those who do not deserve it. A in truth evil person would not care whether or not their victim was innocent, as is the case with Claudius. Unfortunately, Hamlet becomes tangled up in his thoughts and emotions and causes more problems than he intends to primarly when Hamlet and his mother are talking and Hamlet endeavours Polonius who is hiding behind an arras.The attack kills Polonius, who Hamlet initially thought was Claudius. While some may consider this to be evil, Hamlet recognizes the offspring as a tragic accident A bloody deed. Almost as bad, good mother, As kill a king and marry with his brother Thou wretched, rash intruding fool, farewell. I took thee for thy better. blast thy fortune. (III. iv. 28-29, 31-32) By comparing the murder of Polonius to the murder of his father, Hamlet acknowledges th at what he has done is wrong but regrettably this does not allow him to escape the repercussions which follow.Killing Polonius is the biggest mistake that Hamlet makes in the play, turning Laertes against him and leading to the death of some(prenominal) himself and Ophelia. Although Hamlet can be seen as artificially cruel many times throughout the play, he is not evil. Hamlet is simply trying to play the cards he has been dealt in life. Throughout Hamlet, Laertes is expound as a very loyal and noble gentleman. Unfortunately for Laertes, he suffers the same fate as poor Hamlet. He loses his father and his sister, just as Hamlet loses his father and mother.Following his fathers death, Laertes feels the need to kill to relate his familys name. At first Laertes believes the murderer to be Claudius but when Claudius convinces him otherwise, Laertes shifts his attention towards Hamlet. In order to get Laertes to do this, Claudius manipulates him into thinking that Hamlet is the root o f all evil and must be taken care of. Laertes agrees to do so and even contributes his own ideas I will dot. And for that purpose, Ill anoint my sword. I bought an unction of mountebank So mortal but dip a tongue in it, Where it draws blood, no cataplasm so rare,Collected from all simples that have virtue Under the moon, can fulfill the thing from death That is but scratchd withal. Ill touch my point With this contagion, that if I gall him slightly, It may be death. (IV. vii. 139-148) also to Hamlet, it is not evil that gets the best of Laertes, but his emotions. His rage and sadness cause him to react drastically and he makes decisions at a time where he is unable to think straight. Laertes later comes to realize this as he reflects upon his plan to kill Hamlet And yet it is most against my conscience. V. ii. 288) At this point in the play, it becomes evident that Laertes evil is not of his own creation but of Claudius. It is not only Laertes who realizes this but Hamlet as wel l, allowing the hands to see the similarities in their situations and apologize to one another(prenominal) He is just servd. It is a poison temperd by himself. Exchange forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet. Mine and my fathers death come not upon thee, Nor thine on me. (V. ii. 321-325) Unlike Claudius, the men are forgiven for their sins and are able to die as heroes rather than villains.This final act of nobility is what truly defines the characters of Hamlet and Laertes, not their mishaps. William Shakespeares Hamlet exemplifies how it is not what a character does but who a character is that determines whether they are truly evil or not. Nevertheless, that is not to recite that the characters do not fall victim to lure or evil. It is the way that they handle themselves once they have done so that allows spectators an insight into their true nature. As Hamlet says, There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking it makes it so. (II. ii. 245-246)