In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare illustrates how revenge can ravage one’s mind. Revenge, put in simple terms, is an act of inflicting harm or injury in return for a wrong. [Obvious?] Both Hamlet and Laertes vowed to seek revenge for the murders of their fathers. In doing so, they weren’t making right what was once wrong, but instead they were returning the same evil that had been inflicted upon them. Revenge isn’t good or sweet when it is in fact evil continuing to repeat itself.
William Shakespeare helps bring this point to the forefront by using the Ghost of King Hamlet as a foil to Hamlet. The Ghost is used to give Hamlet someone to talk to in order to understand him more. These two characters both express their revulsion of Gertrude’s marriage to Claudius. [You need to cite from the text here, particularly for the Ghost.] Also, both King Hamlet and Hamlet were brought to their deaths at the hands of poison, although King Hamlet had the poison poured in his ear by Claudius while sleeping. On the other hand, Hamlet was poisoned with the point of Laertes’s rapier during their duel.
The Ghost brings about two different perspectives of Hamlet. First, Hamlet can be viewed as a loyal son. Hamlet is prepared to avenge his father’s murder before the identity of the murderer was made. [He is?] After the Ghost reveals Claudius as his murderer, he demands that Hamlet does not punish Gertrude in seeking revenge against Claudius. Hamlet doesn’t get revenge against Claudius until his mother dies after drinking the poison in the cup that was originally intended for Hamlet to drink. [Ergo, does he get revenge for his father, or for his mother?] On the other hand, Hamlet doesn’t necessarily fulfill his father’s wishes. Although unintended, Hamlet “punishes” Gertrude by slaying Polonius before her eyes. Thus evil deeds were to continue to repeat themselves. [I don’t see the repetition here.Which “evil deeds” are you referring to?]
Another character used as a foil to Hamlet was Laertes. Both Hamlet and Laertes had endured the lose [loss] of their fathers at the hands of a murderer. Both character[s] sought revenge for these murders. Laertes immediately wanted to kill Hamlet for his crime, expressing how he would cut his throat in the church.
Tradition of Rape in Breath, Eyes, Memory breath
Tradition of Rape in Breath, Eyes, Memory One main theme which I believe that this book repeats is the idea that people will blindly follow long standing traditions simply because it is “expected.” For instance, Tante Atie felt obligated to care of her mother. This was the tradition for the oldest women of the family, in Haiti. Tante Atie was obviousely resentful of this duty, but she felt that it was her obligation as a part of that family. Sophie’s mother, on the other hand, was free from this tradition and able to move for New York. Sophie’s mother was also tormented by the fact that her mother blindely followed the obligations taught to her. It is the tradition in Haiti, that by the time a girl hits puberty, she is to be ritualistically “tested” for her purity. These tests were obliviousely psychologically damaging for the girls, but no one ever questioned the tests. It was simply tradition. Sophie’s mother was only saved from having this test done because she was raped, which she names as being “the only good thing which came from my being raped.” Tante Atie was said to have screamed in protest to this purity test. Yet, when Sophie came of age, her mother still preformed these tests on her out of tradition, even though she was aware of how mentally damaging these tests were on young women. I realize that every culture has its own traditions which seem strange to outside cultures. For instance, the book mentions a women from Ethiopia who is in Sex therapy because of the mutalating ritual which was performed on her by her elders. I just feel that when it comes to rituals and traditions such as these, it should not be a matter of whether it is a tradition or not, but whether it is morally and ethically exceptable. I do not understand how any mother could possibly do anything damaging or painful to their child. The books explaination for preserving the girls purity is so that when the girl marries, her family can save face by having the daughter be pure. I feel that these tests only make it extremely clear to the young women that they are not trusted to do the right thing or to tell the truth.