Tiffany Jih

McCluskey
ENGL 3135
06 May 2015
Final Topic A
Part of what distinguishes Shakespeares works from some of the greatest literature in
history is his skillful presentation of universal human traits that his audience can easily relate to.
One of the most commonly occurring aspects of human nature that appears in his work,
particularly his tragedies, is the concept of revenge. Three of those tragedies, Hamlet, Othello,
and Macbeth, specifically revolve around the theme of revenge for the loss of a loved one, which
often leads the main characters down a self-destructive path that ultimately concludes in either
their deaths and others.
In Hamlet, Shakespeare highlights three different approaches to revenge by three men
seeking revenge for the deaths of their fathers. Out of the three, Hamlet takes undoubtedly the
longest and most complex approach, biding his time and waiting for the best opportunity to strike
down Claudius rather than killing him at the first chance he has (Ham. 3.3.73-96). Laertes and
Fortinbras, however, serve as foils to Hamlet in that they take the boldest actions towards
achieving their revenge. Immediately after learning of his fathers murder, Laertes actively seeks
revenge against Hamlet and challenges him to a duel (3.4.139), while Fortinbras musters an
entire army to reclaim both his fathers land and honor (1.1.95-106).
Upon discovering the culprits behind their fathers deaths, Hamlet and Laertes conclude
that the murderers must be killed as compensation and begin plotting their revenge around the

thought of killing the ones responsible for their loss. Therefore, their desire for revenge comes
from more personal motives, rather than out of respect and desire for justice.
In contrast, Fortinbras appears to be waging war not only to avenge the death of his
father, but to reclaim land that has been taken from his people. Ultimately, due to Claudius
renegotiations with Fortinbras uncle, it is basically through his inaction towards Denmark that
he becomes the victor (1.2.1-40). Despite the fact that Fortinbras appears very rarely throughout
the play, the audience can still catch glimpses of his noble personality through his actions,
particularly when he recognizes Hamlets nature at the end and gives him a proper funeral
(5.2.395-400).
At the conclusion of the play, both Laertes and Hamlet end up victims of their own
revenge plots gone wrong, and Fortinbras is left as the victor because he alone has survived
without taking deadly action against his wrongdoers. One can infer that this is evidence of
Shakespeares disapproval of vengeful actions, as the characters of Hamlet and Laertes, despite
the marked differences in both their personalities and attitudes towards achieving revenge, do
share a darker motive for their revenge than Fortinbras and suffer death as the result.
Contrastingly, in Othello, the lead characters downfall is a result of the actions of
another character, rather actions of his own doing. The play itself is built largely on Iagos
motives for revenge, as well as the motives he creates and spreads to the other characters to
foster their own misplaced desire for vengeance. Shakespeares treatment of revenge in this play
differs from Hamlet in that the main plot revolves around layered subplots rather than three
different methods all carried out independently of the other characters.
Primarily, Iagos motives are the strongest and the most concrete of all the characters, as
he has substantial reason to resent Othello for granting his promotion to Cassio, who Iago sees as

undeserving of such a position (Oth. 1.1.9-33). Other motives, such as his belief that Emilia has
had an affair with Othello, are revealed throughout the course of the play, and further serves to
explain his desire to corrupt Othello so thoroughly (1.3.378-82). Interestingly enough, his
approach towards achieving his goals appears to be giving other characters false motives to seek
their own revenge and, in Othellos case, destroy themselves in the process. It is this momentum
of revenge plot building upon revenge plot that keeps the plot moving forward, as well as leading
to the culmination of Iagos plan to see all his enemies struck down.
Brabantio is the first character witnessed onstage to fall to Iagos plan, as Iago convinces
him that his daughter has been taken advantage of by Othello and causes him to actively pursue a
confrontation with Othello (1.1.115-183). Iago accomplishes this through the usage of vivid
visual imagery, a method which he later utilizes again when convincing Othello of Desdemonas
affair with Cassio (3.3). This leads Othello to the conclusion that he must seek revenge against
his wife for her betrayal, which results in her death and eventually his own when he realizes the
crime hes committed (5.2.359).
Similarly to Hamlet, the connection between revenge and destruction is evident
throughout the play; Brabantio and Othello resort to killing as a form of justice, and both of
them die as a result of seeking that vengeance. However, Iago, despite his villainous actions,
does not physically attack the object of his hatred, but instead encourages Othello towards his
own downfall through more indirect means. Although Shakespeare is by no means condoning
revenge, this is further evidence to support the possibility that he considers revenge culminating
in direct murder as a greater evil than Iagos or Fortinbras methods.
Macbeth, although it is also a revenge-centric play, handles the topic somewhat
differently than Othello and Hamlet. Despite being the lead characters of the play, Macbeth and

his wife are not the ones seeking revenge, but instead they fear vengeance from those that they
have wronged. The first instance of revenge in the play is the execution of Duncans guards by
Macbeth, which Macbeth falsely claims is an act of justice for the murder of the king (Mac.
2.2.101-106). This establishes Macbeths character early on as one thats clearly willing to use
revenge as justification for his actions, and understands the correlation between death and
vengeance.
Banquos ghost serves as a visceral reminder of Macbeths fear of revenge throughout
the play. The ghost doesnt take any direct actions to take vengeance against his murderer, only
smiling to signify his satisfaction when he knows that his descendants will take the throne,
however Banquo does serve as a foil to Macbeth and a symbol of retribution throughout the play
that contributes to Macbeths spiral of guilt and paranoia (4.1.123).
The most important form of revenge in the play is Macduffs vendetta against Macbeth
once he discovers the death of his family (4.3.201-240). Macduffs revenge is a personal one, but
one with good purpose and lacking in corruption, unlike other characters with personal motives
behind their desire for vengeance. Again, as in Hamlet, revenge with a cause for the greater good
is backed by a form of providence, and Macduff is ultimately successful in avenging himself
upon Macbeth (5.6.19-20).
In conclusion, revenge is a common theme among Shakespeares tragedies, most
prominently in Hamlet, Othello, and Macbeth. However, revenge is not presented identically in
the three cases, and differ from character to character depending on Shakespeares purpose.
Despite this, a common trend among the three plays is that revenge for the sake of personal gain
or malicious intent through murder often ends in the death of the avenger, while vengeance
sought for a greater purpose or through more indirect means is more frequently rewarded.