Hamlet/Raskolnikov Similarities

Elements of a Revenge Tragedyby Dame Helen Gardner (British scholar andprofessor at Oxford 1908-1986)*In a typical revenge play the protagonist must killthe slayer of his relative or firend in the mostterrible way possible.a. The hero faces a predicament not of his ownmaking.b. The villain provides the means for the vengeancec. The avenger conceives a plot and puts it intoaction.d. Usually the hero descends to the moral level ofthe man being punished ( a mild irony) with aterrible revenge scheme.e. The denouement of Hamlet shows a “profound”irony: Claudius plans Hamlet’s death, but both heand his queen die.17