The character of Hamlet, from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, is the most influential instrument of suffering as he terrorizes several other characters such as Ophelia, her brother Laertes, their father Polonius, his childhood friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and his own uncle King Claudius. However, Hamlet does not bludgeon all of these characters in the same way. Hamlet kills Polonius and Ophelia accidentally; Laertes, Claudius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern were murdered as a way of getting revenge for their mistreatment of Hamlet and his father.
In act three, Hamlet also commits manslaughter as he stabs Polonius while talking to his mother. Polonius was eavesdropping on Hamlet for Claudius out of sight. Although this was an accident, Hamlet does not feel any remorse in part because Polonius forced Ophelia to ignore Hamlet and return his letters of affection to him, but also because he is has become so desensitized to the act of murder. Hamlet also demonstrates this part of his personality by hiding Polonius’s body in the castle for the sole purpose of letting the scent of decaying flesh permeate the premises.
Hamlet brings misfortune to Ophelia in more ways than one. At first, Hamlet pretends to be crazy, denies his love for her, and insults her by telling her to become a nun (act three). He leaves Ophelia in order to continue his charade of insanity, and this breaks her heart. This sends Ophelia into a deep depression which eventually leads to her death (scholars debate whether or not Ophelia’s death was an accident or suicide). Not only does Hamlet harm Ophelia through the first confrontation, they encounter several small conflicts together throughout the play. Ophelia’s death follows immediately the death of her father Polonius (also caused by Hamlet) in act four.
Ophelia’s insanity and death combined with the death of his father causes an extreme hatred for Hamlet to build inside Laertes. Laertes returns home in act four just before Ophelia dies. During Ophelia’s funeral, Laertes attacks Hamlet and tries to beat to him to death, literally. Claudius, in his several attempts to kill Hamlet, gives Laertes the opportunity to get revenge on Hamlet through a fencing competition with a poisoned rapier. Claudius also plans to poison a cup of wine in the event that the rapier does not impail Hamlet’s body (act four).
Hamlet discovers that Claudius poisoned his father Hamlet Senior in order to take the crown and marry Gertrude through the ghost of his father in act one. This is when Hamlet decides to kill Claudius as a form of revenge for his fathers death. Claudius also sends Hamlet off to England (act four) and makes arrangements so that as soon as he arrives, he will be executed. Hamle had planned to kill Claudius as soon as possible, but his desire to affirm the accusations made by the ghost inhibited him from taking immediate action. This allows for major plot developments and several other deaths. Hamlet, in the final act, kills Claudius with the poisoned rapier that Claudius planned for Laertes to use in Hamlet’s assassination. By this time, Hamlet is not only motivated to avenge his fathers death, but also by the many complications and attempts to end Hamlet’s life made by Claudius.
In his effort to off Hamlet in England, Claudius sends a letter with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to make sure that the plan is executed. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were sent as guards of Hamlet to make sure that he arrives in England in act three. Hamlet, in his devious ways, returns the favor (so to speak) by editing the letter and replacing his name with theirs. Upon their arrival in England, they are killed.
Hamlet’s actions start as accidents, and sequentially become more purposeful, escalating to the point of premeditated murder. Hamlet did not intentionally cause neither Ophelia’s depression or her murder. When Hamlet killed Polonius, he had the intention of killing the person behind the curtain -- regardless of who it was. Hamlet sees that it is Polonius, and does not care. This marks Hamlet’s transformation as a character who goes from trying to get revenge for a just cause to someone who is murdering people for minor offenses. By the end of the play, Hamlet has intentionally killed Laertes, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Claudius. In turn, Hamlet aids his own unfortunate death. His inability to control his intentions and refrain from bringing suffering to those he encounters causes him to lose control and everyone -- including himself -- dies because of it.
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