The Nature of Evil in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Society has been preoccupied by the c erstwhilept of good and corruptive since the emergence of civilization and, just as humankind has evolved over time, so has the commentary of evil. Evil was first used to describe someone who placed themselves above others and it wasnt until the Old and Middle English period that evil became associated with wrong-doing. As time passed, the definition continued to become increasingly more specific until it reached its modern day definition extreme moral wickedness. (www. etymonline. com/index. php? term=evil) However, what one ultimately defines as evil depends on ones own(prenominal) experiences, frame of reference, and culture. For instance, during World War II, the Ameri weeds believed that dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima was an act of good 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 deaths of thousands of people.This proves that good and evil fueln ot always be seen as simply black or white, tho also as shades of grey making it difficult to label images in various literary works, especi all toldy those of William Shakespe are. The ambiguity of evil in William Shakespeares critical point forces spectators to interpret each characters thoughts, actions, and personality in order to place them properly on the gra clearnt of evil. Regardless of ones personal idea of evil, Claudius can be seen as a villain from many standpoints.He constantly performs actions with malicious intent and expresses true love only for himself. The first and most important act that Claudius commits is the finish up of his own brother, which he does to obtain the crown of Denmark, as described by King Hamlets ghost Now, Hamlet, hear. Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard, A serpent stung me so the whole ear of Denmark Is by a forged process of my death Rankly abusd exclusively know, thou noble youth, The serpent that did sting thy fathers anim ateness Now wears his crown. (I. v. 34-40)The ghosts speech shows the true nature of Claudius evil as he allows himself to butcher his own brother. However, this is not to say that Claudius does not understand the nature of his sins. chase The Murder 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 done O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven It hath the primal eldest curse 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 normal human being and showing or recognizing his emotions. This is very important as many people believe that repentance leads to mercy. However, Claudius finds himself unable to properly do so as he comes to realize that he does 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 sharp as will, My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent My fault is past but O, what form of prayerCan execute my turn? 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 run below. Words 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. in spite of Claudius callousness, the fact that he even attempts to repent is honourable.However, by continuing to manipulate, destroy, and murder he voids any chance of forgiveness. He uses his son as a whipping boy by focusing all of the negative attention on him and thus avoids negative attention himself, marries his brothers widow, turns Hamlets childhood friends against him, and ultimately causes the deaths of all the m ain characters in the play. He uses his charm and political power to unleash increasing amounts of chaos 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 malevolent deeds, causing a dramatic deepen in his nature. He becomes a slave to misfortune and feels the need to right the wrongs in his life, specifically the murder of his father. Upon hearing the truth about the nature of his fathers death, Hamlet becomes a vital part in the cyclical pattern of evil as he vows to take revenge on his uncle, Claudius Haste me to knowt, that I with fly as swiftAs meditation or the thoughts of love May sweep me to my revenge. (I. v. 29-31) Although Hamlet is a victim of Claudius deeds, the reader is unable to sustain any feeling of heightened compassion once he seek s justice 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 relatiative justice as unacceptable and morally wrong. Therefore, Hamlet would have 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 arranging the performance of The Murder of Gonzago, to prove his suspicions and keep a clean conscience Ill have groundsMore sexual intercourse than thisthe plays the thingWherein Ill catch the conscience of the King. II. ii. 603-605) By trying to figure out whether or not Claudius is guilty, Hamlet shows that he is trying to cause the least damage potential and does not want to kill those who do not deserve it. A truly 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 attacks Polonius who is hiding back an arras.The attack kills Polonius, who Hamlet initially thought was Claudius. While some may consider this to be evil, Hamlet recognizes the event as a tragic apoplexy 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. Take thy fortune. (III. iv. 28-29, 31-32) By comparing the murder of Polonius to the murder of his father, Hamlet acknowledges that what he has done is wrong but unfortunately this does not allow him to escape the repercussions which follow.Killing Polonius is the biggest dislocate that Hamlet makes in the play, turning Laertes against him and leading to the death of both himself and Ophelia. Although Hamlet can be seen as unnaturally cruel many times end-to-end the play, he is not evil. Hamlet is simply trying to play the cards he has been dealt in life. Throughout Hamlet, Laertes is described as a very devoted 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 uphold 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 of 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 swor d. I bought an unction of charlatan So mortal but dip a knife in it, Where it draws blood, no cataplasm so rare,Collected from all simples that have virtue Under the moon, can save 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) Similarly to Hamlet, it is not evil that gets the best of Laertes, but his emotions. His anger 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 almost 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 well, allowing the men to see the similarities in their situations and apologize to one another He is just servd. It is a envenom temperd by himself. E xchange 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 say that the characters do not fall victim to temptation 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)