The notion of revenge in literature and society

William Shakespeare and Thomas Middleton explore the depth and range of the human psyche in their plays, Hamlet and the Revenger's Tragedy. Through the characters of Hamlet and Vindici, we discover different motivations to their feelings of vengeance, illustrating the complexity of human nature as it relates to revenge. However, while both plays operate under the same theme of vengeance, they are quite different in terms of how each protagonist is portrayed and how each play is received. Hamlet, because he relates his father's death to the state of the world, represents a larger social commentary on mankind while Vindici and his antics represent a play that shocks rather than provokes thought.

Hamlet and Vindici respond to injustices that they have witnessed, which is the murder of a loved one. Hamlet, while motivated by revenge, is also motivated by his melancholy. This, at times, creates a great conflict within him as he tries to deal with his mission set forth by the ghost. Hamlet is also troubled by his mother's sudden remarriage to Claudius, which presents another element of revenge. Throughout the play, he struggles endlessly with his emotions and his religious beliefs, which prevent him from acting. Hamlet views King Hamlet's death as a matter of the universe, so to speak, and therefore, it influences his thoughts and perceptions of the world around him. For example, rather than think about the state of affairs at court, he would rather his:

sullied flesh would melt,

Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew,

Or that the Everlasting had not fixed

His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O. God, God,

How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable

Seem to me all the uses of the world! (Shakespeare I.ii.133-8).

Here, we see that Hamlet's entire world had crumbled because of what has happened.

Hamlet is also motivated by an outside force, which is the ghost. The presence of the ghost guarantees that hamlet will find no rest from his sorrow or his shock until he avenges his father's death. The presence of the ghost adds a supernatural element to Hamlet that The Revenger's Play does not have. This element allows us to believe Hamlet when he compares the rankness in Denmark to the fallen state of the world. The ghost heightens Hamlet's inner conflict not only because it exists but because of its request. Hamlet's religious upbringing has taught him that murder is wrong and Hamlet tries to get out off killing Claudius by wasting time trying to determine of the ghost is legitimate or simply a "goblin damned" (Shakespeare i.iv.44). Even when hamlet decides that the ghost is good, he experiences difficulty following his orders. The ghost in Hamlet opens the play up to spirituality and thus spiritual conflicts.

In contrast, Vindici has no inner conflicts nor does have anyone or anything prodding him to action. He is the mastermind behind his plan and he returns to court with one plan in mind, which is vengeance. He states in the opening lines of the play that the Duke poisoned his wife "Because thy purer part would not consent/Unto his palsy-lust, for old men lustful" (Middleton I.i) and because of this the Duke must pay. While Hamlet searches for meaning on a deeper level, Vindici simply waits for opportunity.

Hamlet's famous tragic flaw of delaying what he must do is a stark contrast to Vindici's eagerness to get the job done. Vindici returns to the Duke's court, assumes the personality of Piato, and cleverly executes his plan. This is significant to understanding the meaning behind both plays. Clearly, Shakespeare wanted us to witness Hamlet's inner turmoil. The desire for vengeance conflicting with the desire to remain moral is something to which everyone can relate. With Vindici, we do not see hesitation or fear. In short, Hamlet's hesitation makes him more realistic and believable. Moreover, Shakespeare presents us with a ruthless and illegitimate king with the character of Claudius. Middleton's Duke, while he did a bad thing, does not evoke the same type of disgust.

Many have claimed that Hamlet's problem is that he thinks too much. With every opportunity he has to kill Claudius, he finds a reason not to. Hamlet thought he could muster the courage to kill Claudius after gauging his response to the Mousetrap play, but this was not the case. When he finds Claudius alone in his room, he has the chance to kill him, but decides against it because Claudius is praying. Hamlet says, "Am I then revenged/To take him in the purging of his soul,/When he is fit and seasoned for his passage?" (Shakespeare III.iii.89-91). This act might send Claudius straight to heaven, so he passes on the chance. Hamlet then decides that it would be better to wait for a more favorable time to kill Claudius, such as "When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage,/Or in th' incestuous pleasure of his bed" (III.iii.94-5). This logic is weak, but it works for Hamlet. What it reveals to us is that Hamlet does not really want to kill Claudius.