Hamlet: A Complex Tragic Hero
A man cannot become a tragic hero until he comprehends the reason for his own demise, a rule which provides the framework for all tragedies. Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, is a play set during the late middle ages in the royal palace of Elsinore with the grieving prince Hamlet in center stage. Many argue that Hamlet is the quintessential tragedy, as it is dominated by one character and his struggle to justify his father’s death at the hands of his uncle and now stepfather. Hamlet’s tragedy and tragic flaw specifically highlight the delicate nature of revenge and procrastination.
Aristotle once said,
A tragedy is the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself; in appropriate and pleasurable language; in a dramatic rather than narrative form; with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish a catharsis of these emotions.
Therefore, in order to comprehend the tragic aspects of this play in particular,
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Hamlet argues, “And so am I (revenged.) That would be scanned: / A villain kills my father, and for that, / I, his sole son, do this same villain send / To heaven. (3.3 80-83)” While many rush to fault Hamlet for failing to stab Claudius right at this moment, Hamlet asses the situation as one where he still doubt’s Claudius sin. Therefore, from Hamlet’s perspective, it is rational to wait until a time when Claudius has been proven guilty to kill him. A time where he will not be granted direct access to heaven and will be forced to roam the Earth, much like his father’s ghost. However, the audience is aware that Claudius feels no remorse for the actions he has committed and killing him right then and there would have saved the lives of so many- including Hamlet’s love interest,