Shakespeare is famous for many plays and the tragedies that befall them. Hamlet is the play of a young man who sees the ghost of his father who seeks revenge for his death. The hero while trying to kill his stepfather catches him trying to be a villain. What does the hero foresee: can he really avenge his father's death? Otherwise will he collapse and go crazy himself with all the dilemmas surrounding him? The tears, the efforts, the laughter and all the frustrations that the audience has to face to find out that almost the entire main cast has been wiped out. However, Hamlet not only avenges his father, but remains sane until the end. While many of these problems stem from the corruption of other characters, whether forced upon them or accepted with open arms, many characters go mad until the end. Shakespeare uses the dramatic elements of plot, characters, and dialogue to illustrate the theme of corruption in Hamlet. Shakespeare uses the plot to show the theme of corruption. In the rising action, viewers are revealed that Claudius is the villain, not only did he kill his brother but he married his widow just two months after her husband's death. Polonius describes Hamlet as mad due to the fact that he had been away from Ophelia. The king decides to use her against Hamlet to see if she is the reason. However, in the action of the fall Polonius' death drives Ophelia mad causing her to drown. Suspected of suicide, she is scorned in death for having had a Christian burial. Goldstein states, "Even Laertes has so little reason to attack Claudius that, despite Laertes' passionate desire for revenge, the king can manipulate and destroy him." (71) Laertes made the decision to fight Hamlet to the death. Claudius lets Gertrude drink from the poison... middle of paper... Shakespeare's tragedies tug at the heart of the beholder. People will never know what will happen when revenge is sought. If someone could get revenge and survive, would that be fulfilling? Can they say it was a win in their book? Carrying out revenge or not in Hamlet didn't really solve anything, rather it led someone to an early grave. The show is over and when the audience leaves they will remember that revenge brings madness, corruption and suffering to all involved. Works Cited Goldstein, Phillip. “Hamlet: Not a World of His Own.” Shakespeare Studies 1980: 71. Literary Reference Center Plus. Rete. 1 April 2014. Shakespeare, William. "Hamlet." Compact literature: reading, reacting and writing eighth edition. Boston: Cengage, 2007. Print.Sterling, Eric. “Shakespeare's HAMLET”. Explicator autumn 2012: 2. Literary reference center Plus. Rete. 1 April 2014.