Character Analysis Of Shakespeare's Hamlet

In all great literary works, there exists a protagonist. Throughout a piece of writing, the author portrays the protagonist in not just their best, but in their worst state as well. Conflict always seems to encounter the main character and both their inner and outer struggles are depicted. Even if the character is likable or unlikable, the way in how the character responds and deals with their struggles holds the audience’s attention. In the play Hamlet, written by famed playwright William Shakespeare, nearly all of the characters undergo struggles that could be linked back to the death of King Hamlet and the ensuing insanity of his son Hamlet. However the character who undoubtedly withstands the most is the titular character, who is driven

Mope around like a dreamer, not even bothering with plans for revenge, and I can say nothing—nothing at all—on behalf of a king whose dear life was stolen………….. Ah, revenge! What an ass I am, I’m so damn brave. My dear father’s been murdered and I’ve been urged to seek revenge by heaven and hell, and yet all I can do is stand around cursing like a whore in the streets!” (2.2.1640-1660).

However, Hamlet ponders his first move in his revenge plot in this Act as well, coming up with the plan to make the actors perform something similar to his father’s murder to see if Claudius felt some sort of guilt. And as Hamlet predicted, Claudius seems to suffocate under the events on stage, yelling for the lights before storming out of the

He continues to make his long soliloquies proclaiming his sadness and how he would get his revenge, but as the play comes to a close, Claudius is still alive and instead planning for Hamlet’s murder. Despite all that is going on in Hamlet’s life when a bet is placed on him by King Claudius, unlike other things, he does not hesitate to accept the challenge. A fencing match is set for that very day, which Hamlet attends along with the rest of his friends and family. With one thing leading to another, Claudius ends up accidentally poisoning his wife Gertrude, both Hamlet and Laertes getting wounded by a poisoned tip blade meant specifically for Hamlet, and Claudius finally being killed by Hamlet in his dying minutes. As Hamlet finally poisons Claudius, he seems to get all of his anger off of his chest in some of his last words: “Here, thou incestuous, murd'rous, damned Dane, drink off this potion! Is thy union here? Follow my mother. King dies.” (5.2.3892-3894). And with the simplest of actions, Hamlet finally goes through with the so called revenge that he had been implying that he would do throughout the play, thus ending as the titular character dies only minutes