Hamlet and revenge

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Hamlet
One of the central themes in the play "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare is revenge. The main character, Hamlet, is out to avenge his father`s death. However, this task proves a huge challenge that requires extra-ordinary measures in order to accomplish. It is for this reason that Hamlet feigns madness in order to accomplish his mission (Mathison 2). Therefore, the thesis of this essay states that Hamlet feigns insanity and resorts to antic disposition in order to make his uncle confess killing his father.
The play opens with the murder of Hamlet`s father. Hamlet`s father has been the king of Denmark until his brother, Claudius, puts him to death. The death of King Hamlet devastates the son, Hamlet. When Claudius marries Hamlet`s mother, Hamlet becomes distraught and sets out for revenge. However, he has first to prove that indeed, Claudius is behind his father`s death. Matters come to a head when Hamlet realizes that the only proof he needs lies in Claudius` own confession of the heinous crime. Hamlet, therefore, has to pretend to be insane in order to drive Claudius, the new king of Denmark, to confess his guilt.
There are numerous instances in the play that point to Hamlet`s artificial madness. To begin with, Hamlet deftly plans to find out the truth for himself. The encounter with the ghost sets off Hamlet`s determination to figure out the truth about his father`s death. The ghost makes it clear that the new king of Denmark, Claudius, is the murderer. Consequently, Hamlet has to find a way of making the new king own up to the crime.
Hamlet declares to Horatio that he "must be idle" (3.2.85). Hamlet is laying down the groundwork in discovering the truth behind his father`s murder. He plans to enact a play on stage that will depict a man killing another one and taking over the throne as well as the bereaved wife. In the process, Hamlet makes it clear that he would deliberately act foolish in order to squeeze ...