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Hamlet Tragic Hero Research Paper

626 Words3 Pages

In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, the question many wonder is, does Hamlet posses a tragic flaw? In literature, Hamlet represents the perfect standard of a tragic hero. His character’s situation begins with great motivations to seek revenge on his father’s murderer, but as the storyline slowly progresses with several twists and turns, his choices and actions become so grim that the only reasonable outcome should be his personal death. Hamlet does not live to witness the effects of his actions, which is what makes him especially similar to a traditional tragic hero. In other words, the outline of his behavior and his downfall is because he possesses a tragic flaw. In the dark and introspective play, Hamlet, it is Hamlet’s intense connection …show more content…

Each soliloquy acquires its own unique theme, but they all highlight how he thinks considerately and deeply through every scenario. As a whole, they reveal how his language influences him to base his perceptions of reality on his interpretation and allows himself to become overwrought with creating meaning. Being a part of a royal family only heightens the negativity of being a contemplative character because in a royal environment negative and stressful situations are more prevalent thus causing his engagement with words to level as tragic and crippling. The words Hamlet speaks are the driving force for the action in the play and are poison for all characters. For example, it is not Hamlet’s actions that drive Ophelia to death, but simply his words. Hamlet scolds her and tells her she should enter a nunnery instead of becoming a “breeder of sinners" (3.1.122-123). Instead of ignoring her or shunning her out in a physical manner, he uses his power of words to act as daggers. Possessing such erratic and wild language causes Hamlet to display a high degree of madness and highlights his personal struggle between sanity and

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Words such as “fardels,” “ills,” and “calamity,” depict the pain Hamlet feels in living. The formalness of the diction reveals intelligence, the rhetorical questions help ponder philosophy, and metaphors prove literary knowledge. Hamlet appears to be inside his mind, discussing his options which is not the smartest idea, because he begins contemplating suicide, furthering the instability ideal. The assonance from “sleep” and “dreams, provides contrast for, “Ay, there’s the rub” (10). The words above pause the reader’s train of thought causing a deeper focus.

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William Shakespeare’s Hamlet lead the protagonist down a never ending spiral for revenge on his father’s murderer, which ultimately lead to his own death and six others. I will uncover how Hamlet’s quest for revenge and his own personal arrogance and pride made him mentally unstable which lead to his own demise. Act I, Scene II Hamlets father has been dead for two month and Hamlet is revealed wearing all black and mourning the death of his father. He is confronted by the reality at court in the kingdom that people have moved on from the mourning of his father and are celebrating the marriage of King Claudius and his mother Gertrude the Queen. These gestures make Hamlet depressed, uneasy and suspicious of everyone’s happiness.

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In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet struggles to cope with his late father’s death and his mother’s quick marriage. In Act 1, Scene 2, King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, and Hamlet are all introduced. Hamlet has just finished publicly speaking with his mom and the new king, and after he is interrupted by his good friend Horatio, who reveal the secret about King Hamlet’s ghost. Hamlet’s soliloquy is particularly crucial because it serves as his initial characterization, revealing the causes of his anguish. Hamlet’s grief is apparent to the audience, as he begins lamenting about the uselessness of life.

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He is struggling to come to terms with the world around him and feels powerless to control the events that are unfolding. Hamlet's

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As I read through this play, I found it very difficult to decipher Shakespeare 's writing and his choice of words. It is necessary to read the text aloud in order to comprehend Shakespeare’s language and have some sort of understanding of Hamlet’s inner feelings. To understand Hamlet’s frustration, anger, and confusion throughout the play. Hamlet’s inner feelings are expressed in his second soliloquy beginning with “O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!” (2.2.560).

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King Hamlet, the past King of Denmark and beloved husband of Queen Gertrude and father of Prince Hamlet died this past week after being poisoned by his brother, Claudius. The King was the victim of jealousy between brothers. King Hamlet was sleeping in the garden, when Claudius approached him in his sleep, pouring poison in his ear. Claudius was jealous of his brother, having the throne and the beautiful Queen Gertrude. Claudius proceeded to take the crown, and the Queen, but King Hamlet got revenge in the end.

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While Hamlet remains introspective and melancholy throughout, the two contrasting soliloquies also reflect his deteriorating sanity as reason, justice, discretion, nobility, and poetic language give way to emotion, vengeance, rashness, pettiness, and angry profanity. Both speeches begin with Hamlet’s declaration of self-pity, referring to himself as “sullied flesh” and “a rogue and peasant slave.” In the first, he decides against suicide only because God had “fixed his canon ‘gainst self-slaughter.” In the second, he calls himself a variety of depressed epithets from “dull and muddy-mettled” to “pigeon-livered.” Furthermore, both soliloquies focus intensely on Hamlet himself.

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The previous leader of Denmark, King Hamlet, has been killed. The death of the emperor occurred in the orchard of the kingdom. The loss of the King was on 24th April 1602. However, it is unclear of how the King had been murdered and the reason behind the death. The news of King Hamlet’s death has been spreading, and it is said to be that the cause of his death was a snake bite.

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This archetype is shown through Hamlet’s values and actions. One aspect of a tragic hero is that the character must be flawed in his judgment. For example, upon listening to Claudius’ confession of to God, Hamlet confirms that Claudius is his father’s murderer. However, he still delays in killing him. Once more, Hamlet makes the wrong choice, believing that this is not the right time to kill Claudius.

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Hamlet’s mental state will be examined through multiple actions and a soliloquy. Upon learning the truth about King Hamlet’s death, Hamlet has a hard time facing

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A tragic plot of revenge, murder, madness, and the contemplation of suicide defines the classic novel Hamlet written by English poet and writer, William Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s novels all surround the main idea of comedy, and tragedy; in this case, the novel Hamlet demonstrates the clear root of tragedy, madness, and revenge. The external conflicts within Hamlet reflect Hamlet’s internal struggles and emotions, and feed into the misconception of real life vs. reality. Like most endings, conflicts that occur outside of one’s mind usually end with an emotion that an individual obtains after it is done- this is the same for Hamlet, however in a far more dramatic occurrence. The external conflicts in Shakespeare’s Hamlet result in Hamlet’s internal

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Hamlet’s personal choice to treat Ophelia with such disregard and mediocrity was able to drive Ophelia to the point of near madness, the compiled stress grief and anger over Hamlet taking her father’s life was too much to take and lead to her committing suicide. Hamlet’s way of reconciling with what occurred was to display his grief and anger in front of her funeral procession and thusly further anger Laertes, a decision needing reconcilement as the play continues. The inability to predict the outcomes of his impulsive actions play a key role in the action and constant chaos experienced by the characters in the

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“Hamlet does have a tragic flaw, for being the principal character in a tragedy, written within the template of a classical tragedy, Hamlet was expected to share this trait with all other noble, tragic characters.” (Tatu, 126). Hamlet had a fundamental weakness that he couldn’t overcome until the end of the story. Hamlet was responsible for his own downfall. He felt like he was obligated to defend his father when finding out the truth behind his death.

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Brimming with appalling emotions, Hamlet confronts his mother to disclose, “Mother you have my father much offended” (III, 4, 13). Hamlet cannot wrap his mind around the idea that his mother married his father's murderer. He believes there are no excuses as to why she did it, and now that he discerns Claudius slaughtered his father, his fury towards the Queen rises. Abounding with hatred Hamlet proceeds to affirm to his mother and accost her to break the silence. Hamlet asserts to his mother “...good mother, As kill a king and marry with his brother” (III, 4, 34-36).

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In Shakespheres’ play, Hamlet, there are several major conflicts that appear throughout the play with the main character Hamlet. Of the several conflicts, only one major conflict stands out the most, the battle of his inner self. In this major conflict, Hamlet battles if he should avenge his father’s death. When approached by his ghostly father, who claims to have been murdered by his brother, Claudius “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life. Now wears his crown” (I.5.39-40).

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