1. Critical study of Hamlet… From the “revenge tragedy” perspective…

2. The revenge play or revenge tragedy is a form of tragedy which was extremely popular in the Elizabethan and Jacobean eraseras. The best-known of these are Thomas KydKyd's The Spanish Tragedy and William ShakespeareShakespeare's HamletHamlet. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenge_play)

3. What makes a “revenge tragedy”??? A secret murder, usually of a compassionate ruler, by a bad person A ghostly visitation of the murder victim to a younger kinsman, generally a son A period of disguise, intrigue, or plotting, in which the murderer and the punisher (avenger) scheme against each other, with a slowly rising body count A descent into either real or feigned madness by the avenger or one of the auxiliary characters An eruption of general violence at the end, which is often accomplished by means of a feigned masque or festivity A catastrophe that utterly decimates the dramatis personaepersonae, including the avenger

5. Hamlet as a “revenge tragedy”??? Hamlet is one of the few Shakespeare plays to fit into the revenge category Hamlet (as a supposed Shakespearian “tragedy”… with a tragic hero) is a big break-away from other Shakespearian tragedies. As regards as being a “revenge tragedy”, Hamlet is famous for the way in which it complicates the expected Shakespearian themes Hamlet has been interpreted, with some support, as showing a thematic conflict between the Roman values (of martial bravery and blood-right) and Christian values (of humility and acceptance)

7. Kiernan Ryan is Professor of English at Royal Holloway, University of London and a Fellow of New Hall, University of Cambridge. He states… http://www.rsc.org.uk/educationexplore/hlanguageandthemes/hamletandclaudius.htm http://www.rsc.org.uk/educationexplore/hlanguageandthemes/hamletandclaudius.htm Revenge Tragedy was a popular form of 16th / 17th Century Drama. It is based on the pagan tradition of blood for blood which is evident in the Historiae Danicae written by Saxo Grammaticus, the 12th century source for the Hamlet. In this source material, when Hamlet kills Polonius he cuts up the body and throws it into the open sewers to be eaten by pigs. Revenge tragedies usually follow this bloody vein.

9. Hamlet is unusual in questioning this attitude, delaying violent action and offering more complex moral debate, making it seem more modern than its contemporaries. Shakespeare added the ghost, the Mousetrap scene, the drowning Ophelia, the pirates, the graveyard scene, Laertes, Fortinbras and Osric. There appears to have been an earlier Elizabethan version of Hamlet - possibly by Thomas Kyd. We call this the Ur-Hamlet, the Hamlet-that-went-before Kiernan Ryan is Professor of English at Royal Holloway, University of London and a Fellow of New Hall, University of Cambridge. He continues…

11. http://www.rsc.org.uk/educationexplore/hlanguageandtheme s/hamletandclaudius.htm In Hamlet, there is a contamination process at work and all are touched by it. Even the hero commits murder and must therefore die, not inherit The play invites us to consider how to deal with issues of injustice and abuse of power Having seen his father in purgatory. Hamlet has to grapple with questions of mortality; how to make this world better and cleaner by the removal of Claudius at the risk of his own death and afterlife Hamlet is the first of the revenge heroes not to turn into a monster. He tries hard to follow his father's instruction not to become corrupted but how do you kill without becoming as bad as your enemy

13. but… wait! …there’s more…. http://www.rsc.org.uk/educationexplore/hlangu ageandthemes/revengehero.htm http://www.rsc.org.uk/educationexplore/hlangu ageandthemes/revengehero.htm