The thought of revenge The theme of Shakespeare's Hamlet is the underlying element of all literature. It is inherent to the characters' struggles and therefore to the story itself. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the theme of revenge develops plot and character. Revenge consumes Hamlet's every move throughout the entire play. It all begins from the moment his father's ghost tells him that his horrible death was not accidental. He was murdered; poisoned by the new king Claudius, also known as Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet pretends to be mad to hide his true feelings of hatred for the new king. He searches for the truth by reading the king's body language when presented with a reenactment of Hamlet's father's death. So the king acts abnormally. Although, through his desire for blood and the underlying theme of revenge in the play, Hamlet shows the audience what a true philosopher is. Hamlet procrastinates in seeking his revenge by initiating long, thoughtful soliloquies. It touches on intense topics such as grief, life and death, wisdom in suicide, and the importance of being true to yourself. He is a lover of words and this seems to be his biggest character flaw. The one time Hamlet acts without intense deliberation, he kills Polonius, the father of Ophelia and Laertes. This causes Ophelia to go mad and eventually kill herself, and Laertes returns to Denmark from France with a huge crowd ready to fight for him and avenge the person who killed his father. "Thus conscience makes cowards of us all, and thus the native color of resolution is faded by the pale tinge of thought, and deeds of great importance and moment in this respect their currents turn aside, and lose the name of action," said Hamlet (Act 3, Scene 1, Line 84). This means that the fear of death makes all human beings cowardly and that innate qualities of strength weaken due to oppressive thoughts. The actions that Laertes is a Danish gentleman currently studying in Paris. He is the son of Polonius, also a Danish lord, and the brother of the beautiful Ophelia. At the beginning of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Laertes asks permission from the new king, Claudius, to return to France. After doing so he talks to his father, receiving life advice before leaving. Polonius tells Laertes that he must not be so quick to act on what he thinks, and he should not be quick to argue, but if he does, he must do his best. His father however foreshadows what Laertes will eventually do. He is a very affectionate and passionate man, who seeks emotion wherever he can. Laertes then leaves for France. As time passes, tension grows in Denmark. Hamlet's father had just been killed, a ghost appeared, Hamlet believes that Claudius killed his father, which leaves Hamlet in a state of madness, even though he says he is simply pretending. Hamlet confronts his mother about how wrong his new marriage is and, hiding behind a curtain, Polonius is stabbed by Hamlet, who believes it is Claudius trying to protect Gertrude. When Laertes hears the news of his father's death, his love and obligation towards him pushes Laertes into very passionate action. He rushes home to Denmark from France with a crowd defending him, ready to fight. Laertes invades the palace, then interrogates King Claudius at knifepoint demanding answers about who killed him