Hamlet
Hamlet Critical Essay Elizabeth Muir The death of the central character in William Shakespeare’s play, ‘Hamlet’, is conveyed by the dramatist to be an appropriate ending. Key themes, characterisation and structure all contribute to my understanding of the final scene and the reasons why Hamlet’s death is, to some extent, inevitable. ... In the play, young Fortinbras, Laertes and Hamlet were all looking to avenge the deaths of their slaughtered fathers. However, Hamlet was not only looking for revenge because Claudius killed his father, but also because Claudius was sleeping with his mother, he pushed in front of Hamlet’s own claim to the throne and he was himself plotting to kill Hamlet. The lack of thought used in exacting the revenge led to the deaths of both Laertes and Hamlet. ... ” After being poisoned, Laertes admits both the King’s and his own guilt in the plan to murder Hamlet; Laertes motives for revenge were that Hamlet murdered his father, Polonius, and drove his sister to suicide. ... On the other hand, we know that Claudius, who is racked with guilt, is eager to kill Hamlet – purely so Hamlet does not kill him first!