Summary
Aram S. Topchyan
In Shakespeare’s time, the late Renaissance, among other traditional notions blood vengeance was also thoroughly reconsidered. The so-called ‘revenge tragedy’ became an important genre in English theatre. This or that dramatic character, being faced with the obligation of revenge, dealt with it in a specific way, becoming a determined avenger, a tolerant stoic or a pious believer who relies on divine justice. Shakespeare totally transformed the genre: in Hamlet, the vengeance has acquired a much deeper and contradictory meaning, and any one-sided characterization of the play’s protagonist would be unconvincing.