Question

Read the passage from Hamlet, Act IV, Scene v.

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 reveng’d
Most throughly for my father.

Based on the passage, which best describes how Laertes feels about his father’s death?

eager to take his father’s place
anxious to avenge his father’s death
loyal to his father’s memory
worried about his father’s soul

Answer 1

anxious to avenge his father’s death

He rejects conscience, vows and concern for the afterlife—saying he’ll “dare damnation” and give up both worlds—so his primary feeling is a desperate drive to get revenge.