The True Villain
Discuss the “villain” in your novel. Is there a clear one? What makes him or her villain? Sometimes we actually like the villains in novels. IS this one likable?
The constant discrepancy of the true villain in Hamlet thus far has been extremely prevalent; the entirety of the plot revolving around Hamlet's deteriorating mental state because of the person who killed his father. Though the "villain" would be considered Hamlet's uncle, as that is who Hamlet believes has killed his father, it is difficult to assume the uncle as the true villain considering there is no evidence to convict. Analyzing Hamlet's spiral into chaos, his one-mindedness in discovering his father's murderer, and the extreme need he feels to revenge his father's death, the true villain can be concluded to be revenge itself. The catalyst for Hamlet's downfall is his need for revenge. Though he is distraught over his father's death, Hamlet's ultimate demise is his feelings of revenge. This revenge he feels becomes the antagonist and villain of Hamlet: an internal struggle. There is not a clear villain in the play as of yet, considering we have not seen the true murderer of the king, but the opposing force against the main character is his own desires. The majority of the play is told focusing on Hamlet--the title reflecting this focus--telling the reader to sympathize with him. Taking the sympathy for Hamlet into account, it is difficult to like or enjoy seeing him lose his mind. Unlike (the possibility) of seeing characters such as Antonio, who was a true antagonist with antagonistic traits, spiral downwards, Hamlet's more innocent personality causes me to dislike seeing his destruction.
The constant discrepancy of the true villain in Hamlet thus far has been extremely prevalent; the entirety of the plot revolving around Hamlet's deteriorating mental state because of the person who killed his father. Though the "villain" would be considered Hamlet's uncle, as that is who Hamlet believes has killed his father, it is difficult to assume the uncle as the true villain considering there is no evidence to convict. Analyzing Hamlet's spiral into chaos, his one-mindedness in discovering his father's murderer, and the extreme need he feels to revenge his father's death, the true villain can be concluded to be revenge itself. The catalyst for Hamlet's downfall is his need for revenge. Though he is distraught over his father's death, Hamlet's ultimate demise is his feelings of revenge. This revenge he feels becomes the antagonist and villain of Hamlet: an internal struggle. There is not a clear villain in the play as of yet, considering we have not seen the true murderer of the king, but the opposing force against the main character is his own desires. The majority of the play is told focusing on Hamlet--the title reflecting this focus--telling the reader to sympathize with him. Taking the sympathy for Hamlet into account, it is difficult to like or enjoy seeing him lose his mind. Unlike (the possibility) of seeing characters such as Antonio, who was a true antagonist with antagonistic traits, spiral downwards, Hamlet's more innocent personality causes me to dislike seeing his destruction.
I completely agree with your points here. I like your take on describing the "villain" as not just a human being, like many would assume, but rather a feeling or emotion that acts as the primary villian in the play. I agree that because the majority of the play is focused on Hamlet, the reader feels the need to sympathize with him; however, something or someone must be blamed or claimed as the villain, and your description of the internal struggle and those "revenge" feelings accompanied with Hamlet as the villian of the story, could not be more accurate. I enjoyed reading this blog post and being exposed to thoughts broader and more complex than most would have described for the villian of the play.
ReplyDeleteI think you make a valid point in that Claudius being the villain is “difficult to assume”. Hamlet’s deteriorating psychological state and his obsession with his father’s prophetic ghost makes him an unreliable character. The argument you made about the true villain being revenge is intersain as well, as the derivative of every character’s evil is the desire for revenge and its subsequent damage. Revenge, because it is not a human character, takes on similar characteristics to the serpent in Genesis––ever-present and manipulative, always whispering in the ears of both impressionable and ambitious characters. I agree with your sentiment that Hamlet’s demise is difficult to witness, because we see exterior factors slowly eat away at a character we sympathize with.
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