Martinez Sanchez 1

Manuel Martinez Sanchez

O’Meara

AP Literature

10 March 2022

The Cycle of Sin and Loss of Morals

Confucius proclaimed that “before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves”

(“Confucius Quotes (Author of The Analects)”). Confuscious eloquently spoke these 11 words,

which would transcend time. Even more so, this philosophical teaching remains evident in

Hamlet as Hamlet embarked on a journey of revenge and ended up dying like the villain that

prompted this whole arc. The play of Hamlet begins with Hamlet, the Prince of Elsinore, coming

home for his father’s funeral and his mother’s engagement to his uncle and now king, Claudius.

Soon after, Hamlet learns about how Claudius murdered King Hamlet, Hamlet’s father, to secure

the throne. Hamlet embarked on a journey to get revenge for his father’s murder. As Hamlet

pursued this journey, he went through many personal changes like his love for Ophelia and his

shift from apprehension to bold actions near the end. Hamlet accidentally murdered Polonius

thinking that it was Claudius and this resulted in Laertes embarking on a journey of revenge. At

the end of the play, Hamlet engages in a fencing match with Laertes with spectators like

Gertrude and Claudius. This ended up in Hamlet getting revenge on Claudius but at the expense

of his own life and the life of Laertes, Gertrude, Claudius, and many others. Through the

characterization of Claudius and Laertes, and the big idea of revenge, it is revealed that in a

morally corrupt society, truth is often insufficient to those with a flawed perception of justice;

instead, they opt for revenge and murder even at the expense of their own righteousness. The

representation of these ideas throughout Hamlet implies that humanity should instead base
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justice on the truth of the events rather than do impulsive actions like revenge. By accomplishing

this switch, society will revert to a morally right society in which justice will prevail.

Throughout the play, Claudius maintains values of power, greed, and self-gratification as

he continues to act in mischievous ways even when prompted with the opportunity to improve,

which is seen by his actions and what he says about himself. This serves to demonstrate how

individuals opt for mischievous actions at the expense of their own righteousness. First, at the

beginning of the play, Hamlet returns to Elsinore after hearing about the passing of his father,

King Hamlet. Hamlet is seen grieving, and Claudius begins to have a conversation with Hamlet

in a public setting. King Claudius goes on to say:

CLAUDIUS To do obsequious sorrow. But to persevere

In obstinate condolement is a course

Of impious stubbornness; 'tis unmanly grief;

It shows a will most incorrect to heaven,

An understanding simple and unschool'd;

And we beseech you, bend you to remain

Here in the cheer and comfort of our eye, (1.2.95-119)

Claudius speaks to Hamlet, his son-in-law and son of late King Hamlet, and Claudius uses

manipulative and condescending diction. In the beginning section, “To do obsequious sorrow” is

intended to humiliate Hamlet and his gloomy attitude. “Obsequious” means obedient or attentive

to an excessive degree. When applied in this context, Claudius discredits Hamlet and his

emotions. Claudius accomplishes this by characterizing Hamlet’s sorrow as excessive. Claudius’

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attacks elevate his stature as the people in the courtroom can see how he places himself above

the heir to the throne. These attacks also serve to manipulate Hamlet into moving on from his

father’s death. Claudius would want to move on from King Hamlet’s death as quickly as possible

Claudius murdered King Hamlet; ergo, Claudius’ attacks serve the purpose of manipulating

Hamlet into moving on for the benefit of Claudius. To elaborate on Claudius’ series of

demeaning comments, Claudius brings up how it is natural and expected for a parental figure to

pass away. Thus, it should not be something to mourn to the extent that Hamlet has mourned.

Claudius goes on to state, “Of impious stubbornness; tis unmanly grief; It shows a will most

incorrect to heaven.” “Impious” is defined as lacking in reverence or proper respect;

subsequently, this serves as an immediate attack on Hamlet as he makes it sound like Hamlet’s

mourning is excessive and should be stopped since it is offending God. Even more so, Claudius

describes Hamlet’s grief as “unmanly” to further humiliate Hamlet and downplay his

masculinity. Claudius does this for two main reasons: to boost his self-esteem in the attempt to

make himself seem superior and to manipulate Hamlet into moving on from King Hamlet’s death

so that Claudius can escape from his sins. Claudius values power as he manipulates others to act

a certain way and manipulates Hamlet to stop his acts of grief. This value of power is seen in the

following section as Claudius describes Hamlet to be “simple and unschool’d,” which further

invalidates Hamlet as a person as he is a scholar. By this statement, it is further evident that

Claudius values power and self-gratification as he continues his attack on Hamlet to degrade him

further and make him susceptible to Claudius’ desire to stop Hamlet’s mourning. Even more so,

Claudius says this in a public setting; ultimately, Claudius showcases to the audience his

supposed superiority in how he stands above all at the expense of damaging Hamlet’s public

perception by humiliating him. In the last section of this quote, Claudius takes advantage of
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Hamlet’s loyalty to his mother and makes a request on behalf of both him and Gertrude. From

this quote, it can be seen that the value of power has a great effect in this situation as it heavily

affects Claudius's statements. The value for power led to Claudius humiliating his son-in-law to

manipulate him into moving on. Consequently, these values are seen to harm others and are

ultimately self-serving; with that, it reveals that Claudius does lack any principles, as will be

seen throughout the play. The lack of principles leads to the destruction of relationships, as seen

here as the relationship between Hamlet and Claudius is already hindered and would continue to

worsen as the play progresses. Moreover, consistent acts of power and superiority reveal that

Claudius is willing to do all that he can do to justify his right to rule. The aforementioned values

and lack of principles create the idea that these negative actions lead to the loss of righteousness

and morality. It is seen that Claudius goes on to manipulate others and abuse his power in order

to preserve himself at the expense of his morality and others. A cycle of sin/moral ineptitude

emerges as when one acts unrighteously, that same individual can continue to negatively

influence others which could lead to impulsive emotionally-charged actions rather than actions

that are based on truth. Another revelation about Claudius’ values is found when he is praying to

God and states:

CLAUDIUS My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent,

My fault is past. But, O, what form of prayer

Can serve my turn? 'Forgive me my foul murder?'

My words fly up, my thoughts remain below.

Words without thoughts never to heaven go. (3.3.42-100)

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Claudius has a conversation with him and is seen to be in a conundrum. In the first section of the

quote, Claudius is in a dilemma as he states that “my stronger guilt defeats my strong intent,”

which shows that he feels guilty for murdering his brother; however, his value of power and

greed remains present. Claudius faces a conundrum where he has the option to pray to god and

rid his sins, but he believes that he cannot pray due to his sense of guilt. He cannot fully feel

guilty because he knows he wants to repent. This shows his value of power as he could absolve

his sins but chooses not to. Regarding the value of greed, it shows that he believes that pleading

guilty would - in a sense - lessen who he is and also endanger his role as king; thus, Claudius

decides not to jeopardize his power showing his greed for maintaining the crown. More so, this

also shows that Claudius is not entirely inhumane as he has this desire to repent and thus

highlights his good side as he wants to free himself of self-guilt. However, Claudius’ strong

value for power and greed prevents him from doing so. Claudius then tries to repent (without

praying) by trying to justify his actions. This is seen by him saying, “My fault is past…’Forgive

me my foul murder.” This serves to show that he wants the mental and moral benefits that come

from praying and admitting his fault but without doing so, and this further highlights his value of

power and greed as he can rid himself of his guilt but chooses not to. Lastly, Claudius

acknowledges that whatever prayer he can say will be of no use since he does not want to admit

to what he has done, and a prayer without said essential factors would not reach God and thus

serve no use. From this quote, Claudius is seen to have the option to admit his wrongs and go on

a more “righteous path”; however, Claudius decides not to. This decision highlights Claudius’s

value of power as he does not want to endanger his power, which further showcases his value of

greed because he does not want to lose what he obtained. By Claudius making the decision not to

repent, it further illustrates his lack of principles as he does not act to change for the better.
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Additionally, through Claudius having the option to change, it reveals that people do have a

choice to change and shift to a more righteous path. However, for Claudius, the lack of principles

leads him onto a path of self-destruction to not only him but to those around him. Claudius

constantly acts in ways that benefit him at the expense of others which leads to horrific

outcomes. Lastly, Claudius’ values of power, greed, and self-gratification are seen in his

interaction with Laertes as Claudius states:

CLAUDIUS Not that I think you did not love your father,

But that I know love is begun by time,

And that I see, in passages of proof,

Time qualifies the spark and fire of it.

Hamlet comes back. What would you undertake

To show yourself your father's son indeed

More than in words? (4.7.121-137)

In the first section of this quote, Claudius attempts to provoke Laertes. He does this by stating,

“Not that I think you did not love your father,” which has this questionable and sarcastic tone

that serves to anger Laertes by questioning his relation to his father. Claudius begins his

manipulation by riling up Laertes in order to get him in an emotional state; consequently, Laertes

will be more susceptible to do what must be done to avenge his father. Even more so, Claudius

states, “Time qualifies the spark and fire of it,” which further serves to manipulate Laertes as the

statement establishes this natural progression of love that has a beginning and end. Thus, serving

to manipulate Laertes into thinking that he could accomplish something that would make him

feel as if he could stop loving his father in a “natural” way. Claudius previously did a similar act
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of manipulation with Hamlet but in the way that Claudius attempted to convince Hamlet to move

on from his fathers’ death. By first questioning his father’s love and describing a way to stop the

love, Claudius is both angering Laertes by questioning his love but also creates this idea that

Claudius knows how to put Laertes’ love for his father at rest in a healthy way. This serves to

make Laertes both angered to fight someone that is responsible for his father’s passing but also

susceptible to do anything. In this section of the quote, it is visible that Claudius is manipulating

the truth of the events and Laertes to accomplish a deed that Claudius does not want to do.

Through this fixation of trying to kill Hamlet, it is clear how Claudius values his power as he

does not want to lose it, which also shows his greedy nature. In the second section of the quote,

Claudius continues the manipulation by bringing up Hamlet and thus setting him as the target.

Claudius continues to play on Laertes’ loyalty by stating, “What would you undertake / To show

yourself your father’s son in deed / More than in words.” This statement serves to antagonize

Laertes and make it so that he is susceptible to the recommendation of Claudius to kill Hamlet.

Here, Claudius’ value of power and greed continues to be seen by how he continues on with

manipulating Laertes to do this. Claudius manipulates the truth of the events that led to Polonius’

death in order to manipulate Laertes. Consequently, Laertes becomes emotionally charged, and

leads to his own demise. Laertes realizes how he was manipulated in the final scene of Act 5 and

goes on to tell Hamlet that the murder plan was Claudius’ idea. The value of power comes from

Claudius’s prioritization of his role as king as he does all that he can to grasp onto the crown.

Overall, Claudius’ values of power, greed, and self-gratification are seen in his actions. Even if

the value is potentially a positive aspect like power, Claudius uses said values in a negative way

and forgoes having any principles. Claudius cannot achieve salvation, so he and those around

him suffer the consequences. Once the head of state engages in these negative aspects and
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maintains no moral principles, it further promotes society to do so. This then leads to humanity

committing to impulsive actions rather than the truth to achieve “justice.” Claudius’ values and

lack of principles further reveal that truth is difficult to obtain in this corrupt society. Hence,

there is this cycle of sin in how individuals act on impulse rather than facts.

Throughout Hamlet, the concept of revenge is discussed and reveals the consequences

that come with it. Revenge is the action of retaliating against someone who also inflicted harm in

hopes of achieving vengeance. To begin, when Hamlet encounters the ghost of King Hamlet, the

ghost tells Hamlet the tale of how King Hamlet died. This served as the catalyst of Hamlet’s

revenge plan. The ghost states:

GHOST Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder

Let not the royal bed of Denmark be

A couch for luxury and damned incest.

But, howsomever thou pursues this act,

Tain not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive

Against thy mother aught. (1.5.24-86)

Throughout this quote, the Ghost uses serious and vengeful diction. In the first line, “revenge his

foul and most unnatural murder” serves as the catalyst statement made to Hamlet that would

influence him to seek revenge for the murder of his father. This initial part of the quote says

nothing of the method to get revenge but what the ghost says afterward reveals what revenge

could be. The word “unnatural” directly contrasts what Claudius stated earlier as Claudius

criticized Hamlet for how he acted after his father’s supposed natural death. The use of the words

“revenge” and “foul” contributes to this idea. Furthermore, there is this redirection of revenge
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from being more for a familiar but rather concern for society and image, as seen by the

statement, “Let not the royal bed of Denmark be / A couch for luxury and damned incest.” This

serves to show how there could be various intentions for revenge. Initially, it was thought to be

done to avenge King Hamlet; however, this statement makes it seem that the act of revenge

should be done to restore Denmark’s image as Claudius could be deemed as an unfit ruler. This is

especially seen through the description words of “luxury” and “incest” as the contrast between

both highlights the revolting events that occurred. There is this idea of corruption as the royal

bed is initially described as luxurious, but the contrast with incest contributes to this idea that not

everything is what it appears to be. Furthermore, the two contrasting words contribute to this

idea of righteousness and how people have the chance to become morally right. As mentioned

earlier, Claudius had the opportunity to confess his sins but decided not to as he valued his power

and position. Through the words “luxury” and “incest,” and the suggestion of replacing Claudius

as ruler, there comes this idea that society should become morally right ( “luxury”) rather than

malicious (“incest”). Moreover, the use of “damned” serves to emphasize the importance of

getting revenge. “Damned” implies hatred, and the last few lines create this ominous and

cautionary tone. The ghost simply told Hamlet to “tain not thy mind,” and throughout this, there

was no direction of how exactly to cast revenge for the murder of Hamlet. Hamlet interpreted

getting revenge as killing Claudius; alternatively, one could interpret getting revenge as

removing Claudius from his position of power. From this quote, there is this idea that revenge

depends on the individual and how they determine to go after it. For instance, the Ghost does not

directly tell Hamlet how to enact revenge but rather just to achieve it. The meaning behind this

indicates that revenge can result in the individual losing their values/principles, especially as it

could be a consuming force in a morally wrong society. So, the ghost is warning Hamlet to
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ensure he does lose himself in the process of revenge. In essence, the Ghost’s warning about

revenge serves to create this idea that humans often act impulsively, which ultimately leads to

their demise. Thus, the idea of revenge reveals that society needs to focus on the truth of the

events and revert to “moral” justice rather than impulsive actions. Later on, Hamlet falls victim

to the consequences of seeking revenge to the point that it is all he seeks.

HAMLET And ever three parts coward—I do not know

Why yet I live to say “This thing’s to do,”

Sith I have cause and will and strength and mean

O, from this time forth,

My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth! (4.4.41-65)

At this point in time, Hamlet has essentially been pushed beyond the bounds he used to hold

himself and has now entirely shifted his focus on getting revenge. Throughout this entire play,

Hamlet has been seen to be highly methodical when it comes to getting revenge like when he

orchestrated a whole play to even determine if his father’s ghost was telling the truth or not.

Even after confirming what the ghost said, Hamlet still hesitated when it came to enacting

revenge. He did not kill Claudius when Claudius was praying, and there are other instances

where Hamlet could have enacted revenge. Hamlet himself recognizes this hesitance when he

states, “I do not know / why yet I live to say ‘This thing’s to do’ / sith I have cause and will and

strength and mean.” The hesitance that Hamlet had showcased the lead-up to the loss of

righteousness. Hamlet has been seen to get figure out the truth of the events as seen by the play

and the spying on Cladius. However, Hamlet states “My thoughts be bloody.” The diction of the

word bloody implies violence and that Hamlet has made the decision to go with the lethal route
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of enacting revenge; therefore, Hamlet decided to opt for murder as the truth is insufficient to

him. Thus, it showcases the theme that in a morally corrupt society, truth is insufficient to those

with a flawed perception of justice. Hamlet essentially sees justice and revenge as “eye for an

eye” in the sense that Hamlet must murder Claudius for murdering King Hamlet. By Hamlet

making this transition, it implies that he has let his mind be tainted; thus, this further reinforces

the idea that in a morally wrong society, individuals will often revert to morally wrong actions as

they lost their righteous principles. In terms of revenge, this quote seems to show the idea that it

can be an all-consuming concept that can corrupt those that have been intellectual and

methodical. This concept of revenge is further demonstrated by foil characters like Laertes. After

losing his father, Laertes is fueled with anger and a demand for justice for his father. He goes on

to state:

LAERTES How came he dead? I'll not be juggled with:

To hell, allegiance! vows, to the blackest devil!

Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit!

I dare damnation. To this point I stand,

That both the worlds I give to negligence,

Let come what comes; only I'll be revenged

Most thoroughly for my father (4.5.104-10).

The tone and diction of this entire stanza can be described as aggressive. The use of exclamation

points enhances this aggression, further illustrating the obsession and desire to get revenge.

Laertes immediately disrespects the throne as he exclaims “To hell, allegiance!” and this

showcases how enraged Laertes is as he no longer respects the throne. Even more so, it is evident

in how emotionally driven he is as he continues to exclaim “Conscience and grace, to the

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profoundest pit! / I dare damnation” which showcases how he does not care about the

consequences of his actions as he values family more. Through the use of this powerful diction,

it is seen how emotionally charged people can become. In contrast to Hamlet, Laertes acts much

more impulsively and energetically as seen by the riot he brought and diction employed. In

regards to revenge, this quote illustrates how consuming it can be. Laertes before this has been

seen as a “calm” individual as he thinks thoroughly and doesn’t use aggressive language as can

be seen by earlier interactions with Ophelia. However, with the murder of his father, Laertes

becomes enraged and is susceptible to manipulations by Claudius, as seen later on by how

Laertes follows through with Claudius’ plan of the duel. This shows how when following the

path of revenge, one loses judgment. Laertes here did not question Claudius as to why he wanted

to murder his own stepson. As seen through diction, Laertes believes that revenge is necessary;

however, Laertes becomes fully susceptible to the consuming force that is revenge. Laertes gives

up allegiance to the crown despite his father formerly serving as an advisor to the crown. This

action suggests that Laertes views revenge as avenging his father in any means necessary with no

regard to what his father believed in. Throughout these quotes, it is revealed that revenge

consumes one’s sense of principles and righteousness. It reveals that humans often base their

actions on their emotions rather than the truth of things as seen by Hamlet’s commitment to

murder and Laertes’s diction use. The concept of revenge reveals that truth is insufficient to

those individuals that have a flawed perception of justice which leads to further degrading

morals. Moreover, revenge in Hamlet reveals the importance of acting based on the truth of

events as without doing so will continue the cycle of sin.

Throughout Hamlet, Laertes serves as a foil to Hamlet and serves to reveal that how

consuming revenge can be as it drove Laertes to do impulsive actions. At the beginning of the
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play following the events of the talk between Hamlet and Claudius, Laertes talks to his sister,

Ophelia.

LAERTES For Hamlet, and the trifling of his favours,

Hold it a fashion, and a toy in blood;

A violet in the youth of primy nature,

Foreward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting;

The perfume and suppliance of a minute; (1.3.6-10)

Laertes speaks to his sister and the diction used can be described as caring/concern. Laertes

beings by stating “For Hamlet, and the trifling of his favours,” which carries this mockery

diction as Laertes critiques Hamlet’s behavior. Because of the death of his father, Hamlet has

been gloomy; consequently, Laertes believes that this makes Hamlet unfit to satisfy the needs of

Ophelia. Although the diction comes out as mockery, it actually serves as a caring connotation as

Laertes is saying this out of concern for his sister. Furthermore, Laertes carries on to critique

Ophelia’s relationship stating that “Foreward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting; / The perfume

and suppliance of a minute.” Although this critiques Ophelia’s relationship, Laertes states this to

try to convince Ophelia to end the relationship as he believes it will not last long. Even though

this comes off as rude, it showcases Laertes’ honesty and concern for his value. Laertes is willing

to state unpopular sentiments in order to help his sister. Thus, it can be assumed that Laertes

values honesty and family. Based on this situation, Laertes appears to have the principle of

family. This principle has lasting impacts as it will lead to Laertes committing to various actions

in the name of his family. From this, it is revealed that Laertes will do what he can in the

protection and name of his family. Furthermore, Laertes values honesty, as evident from how

honest he is with Ophelia. In relation to the theme, it is revealed that just because one is honest, it
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does not necessarily mean that others will be honest. There is no guarantee that Laertes will be

provided with the whole truth of the events. Ultimately, this will result in the manipulation of

Laertes and loss of moral righteousness. Following the death of Polonius and right before the

death of Ophelia, Laertes is talking with King Claudius in regards to how to seek revenge for the

murder of Polonius. Laertes discovers his target is Hamlet, according to Claudius, who did not

provide all the details as not to provide the whole truth.

LAERTES And for that purpose I'll anoint my sword.

I bought an unction of a mountebank,

So mortal that but dip a knife in it,

Where it draws blood no cataplasm so rare,

Collected from all simples that have virtue

Under the moon, can save the thing from death (4.7.153-158)

Laertes speaks to Claudius about the plan to get revenge for the death of Polonius. Laertes

unknowingly is being manipulated by Claudius. In this quote, Laertes uses violent and blunt

diction in order to convey his devotion to getting revenge. To begin, “unction” is the action of

anointing someone with oil or ointment as a religious rite or as a symbol of investiture as a

monarch. However, when applied in this context, it is referring to the poison that Laertes will use

to dip his sword to ensure the murder of Hamlet. Connotatively, “unction” carries this serious

diction. This shows Laertes' devotion to getting revenge. The denotation of the word implies the

monarchy is involved, and the matters of the monarchy are considered vital. Taking this into

consideration, the use of “unction” indicates how Laertes is subconsciously serving the king

rather than serving himself and his path towards revenge. When combined with the word

“mountebank,” which is a person who deceives others in modern English; however, in historical
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English, it was a person who sold medicines in public places. With that said, it indicates that

Laertes could be the individual getting deceived; however, not necessarily by the person who

sold the poison but rather by Claudius. Laertes's dedication to achieving revenge can be seen in

his choice of poison, and the diction used to describe it. Laertes states that “where it draws blood

no cataplasm so rare…under the moon, can save the thing from death.” In these lines, Laertes

uses violent and blunt diction to further showcase his seriousness when it comes to getting

revenge. This is especially true as he describes the poison to have no antidote. From the poison

used and the diction used throughout this interaction with Claudius, it can be seen that Laertes

values honor and family as he takes getting revenge seriously. In this situation, the values of

honor and family lead to Laertes acting impulsively. Laertes could have gotten vengeance for his

father’s death by using the justice system; however, Laertes is going to act on emotions rather

than on truth. It is important to note that Claudius manipulated the truth by not revealing the

whole facts of what led up to Hamlet murdering Polonius. From this, it reveals that society may

act impulsively rather than on the full truth of things; people do not aid in revealing the truth

which allows for the cycle of sin and moral ineptitude to continue. The flawed perception of

justice will continue, and with that comes the loss of righteousness in society. In the fencing

match, Laertes’ value of family gets brought up again alongside his principles. During the

fencing scene, Laertes ends up getting hit with his own poisonous blade, which results in his

death.

LAERTES Unbated and envenom'd. The foul practice

Hath turn'd itself on me. Lo, here I lie,

Never to rise again. Thy mother's poison'd.

I can no more. The King, the King's to blame. (5.2.325-328)

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Laertes announces this to Hamlet and those that are in the courtroom where the fencing match is

taking place, and he uses regretful diction. To begin, Laertes uses the word “unabated” which is

when something is at full force with no decrease. The significance of this is to illustrate that

Laertes still was determined enough to win the battle; however, the poison is causing this health

decline. Laertes then acknowledges how the foul practice backfired and ended up in the

soon-to-be death of himself. This showcases the more determined side of Laertes as he was

essentially saying that had not the poison consumed him, he would have still been determined

enough to enact revenge. In the end, Laertes repeats, “The King, the King’s to blame,” and by

repeating “the king,” it serves to emphasize the true culprit of all this violence and death. To

begin, it showcases a sense of cowardness as Laertes does not blame himself for these morally

wrong deeds. On the other hand, this serves to showcase Laertes's revelation in how he realized

that he had been manipulated. In all, the characterization of Laertes reveals that an individual can

display moral righteousness but can go on to opt for revenge and murder. Laertes acted

impulsively as revenge can be an all-consuming force. Furthermore, Claudius manipulated

Laertes in going through these actions. Claudius told Laertes that he couldn’t bring Hamlet to

court as he is a popular figure, and this serves to create this idea that Laertes must handle the

issue on his own. Furthermore, Claudius does not reveal the whole truth to Laertes.

Consequently, Laertes gets primed to act impulsively, which ultimately leads to his demise. It is

revealed that both impulsive action and lack of truth will result in harmful actions. This is

especially true as Claudius perpetuates a flawed perception of justice as seen through his actions.

Claudius then creates this cycle of sin as he influences others to act morally incorrect. With that

said, it is crucial for humanity to act on truth rather than commit to impulsive actions in order to

stop the cycle of sin.

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As described, truth is insufficient to those with a flawed perception of justice, especially

in a morally corrupt society. The actions taken from this flawed perception come in the form of

revenge and murder, even at the expense of their own morality. As seen by Claudius’ character,

he is morally wrong as he fails to repent for his sins and prioritizes his own social status.

Throughout the novel, Denmark has been described as rotten and with negative descriptions

implying that it is a morally wrong society. This is further perpetuated as the king of Denmark is

not morally right. Through the use of the bid idea, It is clear that those who pursue revenge often

have negative consequences. Hamlet ends up going mad, losing his relationships, and eventually

dying. Similarly, Laertes pursued revenge and ended up dying. However, both individuals

learned about who really murdered their fathers and instead of bringing them to justice to the

world. They opted for murder and revenge as both became morally corrupt. As seen by the

characterization of Laertes, he committed morally wrong actions even though it would have been

sufficient to bring the murderer to justice, not to death. Shakespeare advocates that people should

rather not become entranced on getting revenge for actions done. Alternatively, people should

pursue truth and justice. By focusing on truth and good moral values, more land can be spared

for growth and life rather than caskets.

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Social Hierarchy: With Classification Comes Distinction

With time comes progress, but it has been made clear that with time comes the

widening wealth gap and the distinctions between social classes. In Hamlet, Shakespeare

prominently presents the social issue of social hierarchy and how it results in inequality among

the masses. The inequality could come in various forms like different standards of living,

chances at prosperity, and justice. Social Hierarchy is the way a society organizes groups of

people based on several factors like wealth, race, education, gender, or social status. The issue

comes from the inequalities that occur between different groups. Shakespeare portrays the issues

of social hierarchy in various ways. Most prominently, Shakespeare showcases the abuses that

those in higher social power can commit and get away with. Shakespeare introduced this topic in

Hamlet as a commentary on the issues present with a social hierarchy during the Elizabethan era;

although, the social hierarchy has long apart been an issue in society even before the

aforementioned era and continues to present issues in the present day.

In Hamlet, there exist various flagrant inequalities in the social hierarchy. One of the

most prevalent occurs in regards to the criminal justice system. From the beginning, it is

established that there was hardly an investigation into King Hamlet’s death as it was passed off

as natural causes. However, it is known to the reader/audience that his death was an assassination

but since there is hardly any evidence as well as Claudius is in power, not much was done.

However, another example of where the higher class individuals can abuse their standing to

escape or even just undergo lower punishment occurs with the murder of Polonius. Laertes

displays this as he rushes into the castle with a mob and demands Claudius answer why

Polonius’ murderer has not been brought to justice, as seen in this interaction by Claudius and

Laertes.
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LAERTES Why you proceeded not against these deaths

So crimeful and so capital in nature…(4.5.7-8)

CLAUDIUS Why to a public count I might not go

Is the great love the general gender bear him,

Who, dipping all his faults in their affection (4.5.18-20)

Laertes questions as to why nothing has been done to bring to justice Polonius’ murderer.

Claudius then responds that it is because of the public viewpoint of Hamlet that prevents

Claudius from doing so. Despite this seeming like a popularity issue, it is vital to identify that

there is still this inequality of the application of law and order just because of social standing.

With that inequality, Hamlet was able to escape the consequences of murder. This shows how the

lower classes' people's voice(s) can easily get silenced. Laertes is not a part of the highest social

class, and when he questions an authoritative figure, he immediately gets shut down. This

highlights the necessity there is to band together in order to get a chance as evident how he

elicited a grander response from Claudius when he brought a whole gathering of people to

protest. Even in the present day, it has been seen that those with more popularity and wealth have

received less “damaging” sentences when convicted of crimes. In regards to more common day

criminal justice, “Social class and crime are connected in a magnitude of ways. Those from

lower economic strata are more likely to be arrested, convicted, and incarcerated for crimes that

are more affluent individuals ” (Lee Miller 2). It is clear that lower-income people suffer more

consequences from committing crimes than those with higher affluence, and there is this

subconscious idea that the law does not apply to all. This idea further gets reinforced by society

as those who are higher class often have more connections to people in a higher power and have

grander access to better resources. This could be in the form of better lawyers that are willing to
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do more actions in order to protect their clients, unlike the free public servants who may not be

able to do as much work. This is especially evident in the present-day United States, where those

of higher affluence get audited by the IRS less frequently. Syracuse University’s transactional

records in regards to the IRS reveal that “the current situation here is the most alarming because

the latest data reveal that 97 out of every 100 taxpayers reporting over a million dollars of

income were not audited last year. And for these millionaires, the puny number of IRS audits has

been cut in half since 2010.” (“Millionaires and Corporate Giants Escaped IRS Audits in FY

2018”). This reveals that despite having accrued vast amounts of wealth, the higher class

relatively pays less in taxes and are less likely to be charged with tax fraud. The commissioner of

the IRS also stated that the IRS disproportionately targets lower-income individuals as they are

easier to target and require fewer resources (Kiel 1). From both of these statements, it highlights

the issues in a society where the more affluent individuals have the funds to afford to pay their

share of taxes, yet they do not. This reveals how those that are more affluent can ultimately help

themselves maintain said wealth as they are less likely to be targeted by the IRS and thus get

away with fraud more often. During the Elizabethan Era, there was a mass economic downfall

and struggle. With that said, the Monarchy attempted to resolve the issues to calm social tensions

among the classes as lower-income individuals became increasingly frustrated. The Monarchy

passed the “Poor Laws” which aimed at giving “the local government the power to raise taxes as

needed and use the funds to build and maintain almshouses; to provide indoor relief (i.e., cash or

sustenance) for the aged, handicapped, and other worthy poor; and the tools and materials

required to put the unemployed to work” (“English Poor Laws”). Despite the good intentions,

this extensively created inequality as people that were able to work but refused to were sent to a

house of correction or could be fined. This further did not resolve some inequalities, as those that
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were removed went to another parish where financial assistance was more generous. In regards

to what this says about the social hierarchy, it creates this idea that the lower class are not able to

elevate themselves on their own, and this comes from other issues associated with a lower social

class like worse economic opportunities. In comparison to the present day, there exist various

laws and programs designed to help the less fortunate in America like Medicaid and many

others. As seen by the inequalities in the justice system in Hamlet and the present United States

and the continuation of social welfare programs, the issue of social hierarchy continues to persist.

In the renaissance period, the social hierarchy existed in the sense that different groups got

different economic opportunities or titles; however, in the present day, the social hierarchy

transformed itself into who goes in which tax bracket and who lives paycheck to paycheck.

Moreover, the renaissance period showcases the different punishments that different groups had

in terms of criminal justice. For wealthy people, the punishment could have come in the form of

bribes and lost money. Contrastingly, the punishments for low-class individuals could be jail

time or capital punishment. In the present-day, criminal justice is nearly the same with the

difference being the names for the punishments.

Despite the play taking place roughly 400+ years ago, many of the issues that are caused

by social hierarchy continue to hinder society. The unequal application of the justice system

continues today as lower-class individuals may not receive equal punishment when committing

crimes similar to those of wealthier individuals. In American society, some efforts have been

made to resolve this by bringing this discrimination and inequality to light; however, this issue

continues to persist. In regards to the unequal application of the death penalty, the Supreme

Ruled in Gregg vs. Georgia that the death penalty is constitutional, but the state must draft

guidelines to guide the jury (“Gregg v. Georgia and Limits on the Death Penalty: Overview”).
 Martinez Sanchez 22

This shows how there is a push towards more equality in regards to the application of certain

sentences. Overall, society in various parts of the world has made great leaps in abolishing the

inequality that comes with different levels of social hierarchy. However, there is still large

amounts of work that needs to be done to ensure the lower class have equal opportunities in life

and can obtain a good standard of living. In Hamlet, there was the issue of justice, as can be seen

by Polonius’ lack of murder. Therefore, for modern society to progress, the various inequalities

must be addressed. Society needs to hold all accountable equally and work towards making

distinctions among social hierarchy equal in the sense that there is an equal opportunity, equal

criminal justice, and more.

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Annotated Bibliography

“English Poor Laws.” Social Welfare History Project, 19 Jan. 2011,

https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/programs/poor-laws/.

This article explains the English Poor Laws that occurred during Elizabethian

times. It talks about the causes for these laws to come into a place like the economic

depression in England in 1601. It goes on to detail what the Poor laws did and how it

gave the local government the power to raise taxes and use said houses to overall provide

relief for the lower-income individuals. Furthermore, it talks about the long-lasting

effects and the revisions that occurred to these laws.

This article will be used to further explain the connections between Hamlet, this

issue, and the Elizabethian era. This will be accomplished by first highlighting that

during these times, the differences in the social hierarchy were evident and classified.

However, it shows how some actions were done to try to close to the gap, but ultimately

there were issues with the execution of this.

“Gregg v. Georgia and Limits on the Death Penalty: Overview.” Congress.Gov, Library of

Congress. https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt8-2-2-2-3-1

/ALDE_00000970/. Accessed 2 Mar. 2022.

This article by the Supreme Court talks about the case of Gregg v. Georgia. It

goes into detail about the Eighth Amendment and the limits of the death penalty. More

so, it talks about the reasoning behind their ruling and how there has to be a change to the

application of the death penalty. It talks about how in McCleskey v. Kemp, the court found

a racial disparity in capital punishment. Thus, there must be a change to allow for the

equal application of the death penalty.

 Martinez Sanchez 24

This article will be used to show the strides made in regards to the equality of the

application of capital punishment. This shows how there are strides made to ensure there

is an equal application of this punishment and shows the diminishing impacts of social

hierarchy.

Lee Miller, Bryan. “Social Class and Crime.” The Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment,

edited by Wesley G Jennings, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2015, pp. 1–5. DOI.org

(Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118519639.wbecpx150.

This article talked about the connection between social class and crime. It found

that people from the lower economic class were more likely to be convicted and

enprisoned for said crimes when compared to higher-income individuals. Furthermore,

those that are imprisoned and exit out are more likely to be unemployed and earn less

money. It has been found that those affluent individuals are less likely to be caught and

convicted even if the criminal activity done imposes a larger financial cost to society.

This article will aid in establishing the connection to Hamlet as this will show

how those in higher social class are able to escape criminal punishments more feasibly

than those in lower social class. By commenting on this, it shows the inequality there is

when it comes to social class, especially with the application of justice. Even more so,

this will be used as a prime and will later be backed upon with even more sources that

show how the higher class escape prosecution.

Kiel, Paul. “IRS: Sorry, but It’s Just Easier and Cheaper to Audit the Poor.” ProPublica,

https://www.propublica.org/article/irs-sorry-but-its-just-easier-and-cheaper-to-audit-the-p

oor. Accessed 23 Feb. 2022.

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This news report brings up reports from the IRS and data that show that the IRS

audits the working poor at roughly the same rate as the higher class. Chief Comisonner

Rettig of the IRS acknowledges this difference and stated that the IRS has no plan at the

moment to rectify that. Furthermore, this article talks about how it is easier for the IRS to

audit the lower class, whereas the higher class is much more difficult and labor-intensive

due to the complexity of their filings. With this said, it talks about how to rectify the IRS

needs more funding so that they can investigate higher affluent individuals, but without

the monetary funding, the IRS will continue to audit lower-income individuals more.

This article will be used to back up the premise made by Lee Miller as it provides

evidence for some of the inequalities that the wealthy have. Especially as it further backs

the idea that white-collar crimes generally go unprosecuted especially as there are fewer

investigations as evident here. On top of this, this article will be used to further connect to

the general idea that the wealthier have access to more resources to avoid crimes.

Millionaires and Corporate Giants Escaped IRS Audits in FY 2018.

https://trac.syr.edu/tracirs/latest/549/. Accessed 23 Feb. 2022.

This article showcases data of how over time the audits of millionaires have

decreased over the year. Even more so, it also showcases how the audits of corporate

giants have also decreased in recent years. Another thing that it talks about is criminal

prosecutions and how the IRS now refers fewer and fewer for criminal prosecution.

Lastly, this article brings up potential reasons for why this has occurred.

This article will be used to back up the previous claims made regarding how the

higher class has more advantages as they are being audited less and less. Even more so,

this article can be used to bring up the potential issues that come with this as the criminal
 Martinez Sanchez 26

justice system is being used inconsistently as well as the other consequences of the

wealthy not contributing to taxes as much.

 Martinez Sanchez 27

Works Cited

“Confucius Quotes (Author of The Analects).” Goodreads,

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/15321.Confucius. Accessed 28 Feb. 2022.

“English Poor Laws.” Social Welfare History Project, 19 Jan. 2011,

https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/programs/poor-laws/.

Kiel, Paul. “IRS: Sorry, but It’s Just Easier and Cheaper to Audit the Poor.” ProPublica,

https://www.propublica.org/article/irs-sorry-but-its-just-easier-and-cheaper-to-audit-the-p

oor. Accessed 23 Feb. 2022.

“Gregg v. Georgia and Limits on the Death Penalty: Overview.” Congress.Gov, Library of

Congress.

https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt8-2-2-2-3-1/ALDE_00000970/.

Accessed 28 Feb. 2022.

Lee Miller, Bryan. “Social Class and Crime.” The Encyclopedia of Crime and Punishment,

edited by Wesley G Jennings, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2015, pp. 1–5. DOI.org

(Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118519639.wbecpx150.

“Millionaires and Corporate Giants Escaped IRS Audits in FY 2018.” TRAC,

https://trac.syr.edu/tracirs/latest/549/. Accessed 23 Feb. 2022.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Edited by Barbara.A. Mowat and Paul Werstine, Folger.