Revenge in Hamlet and Frankenstein Essay - 1714 Words

Dictionary.com states that revenge is â€Å"to exact punishment or expiation for a wrong on behalf of, especially in a resentful or vindictive spirit.† The novel, Frankenstein, and the play, Hamlet, are two works of literature that revolve around the notion of revenge. The main conflicts of the stories are Prince Hamlet attempting to avenge the murder of his father and Frankenstein’s monster hunting down Victor Frankenstein for abandoning him in an empty and lonely existence. The novels use other themes to tie together the underlying theme of revenge, such as death, madness, and learning and â€Å"un-learning.† Death is a source that fuels the yearning for revenge in both stories. Prince Hamlet is obviously pushed to revenge when he figures out†¦show more content†¦Rather than just killing Victor, however, the monster decides to kill his loved ones. The death of a potential companion in the world incites the monster to create even more death. The monster kills William Frankenstein, Justine Moritz, and Henry Clerval before Victor Frankenstein’s darkest emotions are drawn out. With the loss of Henry Clerval, Victor’s closest friend, Victor is finally pushed to the brink of insanity and starts plotting his own revenge. Of course, the monster ends up murdering Elizabeth as well and while that death puts the monster’s quest for revenge at ease, it only intensifies the thirst for revenge that Victor Frankenstein tastes. â€Å"Yet he knew me not at first. ‘ A said I was a fishmonger. ‘ A is far gone, far gone. And truly in my youth I suffered much extremity for love, very near this.† (Act II, Scene 2, p.46) Polonius says this when describing Prince Hamlet’s madness to himself during their exchange in Act 2, Scene 2. Hamlet pretends to be insane in order to throw off Polonius, because he is fully aware that Polonius is acting as a spy for Claudius. Seeking revenge leads to Hamlet becoming an utterly mad person with antic behavior. By mocking him, Hamlet convinced Polonius that he was crazy so that Polonius would report his craziness to the court. With Claudius thinking that Hamlet had succumbed to madness, he would be an easy targetShow MoreRelatedComparing the Results of Victor and Hamlet’s Choices1575 Words   |  7 PagesThough the feeling of revenge is meant to motivate a person to retaliate towards someone who did them wrong, it often harms themself in the process. In the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley and the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Victor’s devotion to acting on his revenge leads to his death, while Hamlet’s refusal to do so leads to being killed by a man who does take action. This reveals that a person devoted to revenge causes their own death as well as the deaths of people who take too longRead MoreThe Theme Of Madness In Frankenstein, Hamlet, By William Shakespeare1193 Words   |  5 Pagesworks we have read and discussed. 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