There are two main characters in this play who were seeking revenge; Laertes and
Hamlet. Claudius could also have been seeking revenge when he killed Hamlets dad in
theory but for the most part he seems to have killed for selfish crown seeking reasons.
Laertes and Hamlet on the other hand were clearly seeking revenge for there fathers
death.
Hamlet is the main character of the play Hamlet. Who would have thought? In
the play he discovers that his fathers death was not an accident but instead a homicide.
His fathers ghost comes to Hamlet and reveals that he was poisoned by his brother while
sleeping in the garden. To top it off, Claudius marries Hamlets mother months after his
fathers passing. Hamlet speaks of revenge and enjoys plotting his uncles death but only
finally gets up the courage right before his own death. That’s not entirely fair, Hamlet
did nearly kill Claudius once but he was in a confessional. If Claudius was to repent
before Hamlet killed him then he would go to heaven and we don’t want that. Ironically,
Claudius wasn’t able to truthfully repent. In the end Hamlet does force feed Claudius the same poison that killed his mother.
Laertes is also set on revenging his fathers death. The man who stabbed Laertes
father in the Queens closet, with a dagger was in fact; Hamlet. Dun dun dun. While it
was an accident, Hamlet really didn’t seem to care and Laertes already didn’t trust him.
In the end Hamlet and Laertes end up killing each other with the same poisoned sword.
They take the time before they die to make up.
Claudius could also be looked at as a character who sought revenge. We don’t
know the whole story but it’s safe to think that Gertrude and Claudius were having
“relations” before this whole mess began. There may have been some type of feud and
romantic revenge but the play doesn’t go into that. For the most part people assume that
Claudius’ reasons were more selfish than romantic and Gertrude was just a bonus. He
does just let her poison herself so I’m not sure he was terribly in love.
While Hamlets greatest theme is revenge most of the characters were bystanders,
casualties, victims. Only two characters were seeking revenge and only two people were
the target, one originally, yet everyone died. Ironic as it is that’s a Shakespearean tragedy for you.