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Hamlet Tragic Hero Essay

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Are you familiar with Davy Jones, Romeo Montague, and Oedipus Rex? They were the true definition of tragic heroes. Each one came from a high standing in their realm of life and fell to defect of their own. Many insist on arguing whether Hamlet is a tragic hero or not, but he fits the description very well. According to Greek philosopher, Aristotle, a tragic hero is someone who is highly renowned and prosperous. They must also fall from tremendous good fortune. Hamlet was born the prince of Denmark during the late medieval ages. A prince is first in line to become the king. In this time period, the King claimed ownership of the land and granted the land to important nobles - these nobles then pledged their loyalty by swearing to serve and protect …show more content…

Aristotle says, “By the end of the play, the tragic hero comes to recognize his or her own error and to accept its tragic consequences.” The real heroes do not blame anyone but themselves. They are mortified by the experience, but the sequence of events makes the character more knowledgeable. Hamlet's tragic flaw is settling for fate. Throughout the text, nothing goes his way. His father dies before the story begins. He finds out that his uncle killed him. His friends from school spied on him. Laertes and Fortinbras want to kill him. His one true love drowned by a lake. Aristotle says, "… and at the same time the tragic hero will be found at the heart of a number of unrelated problems." All these happened within months, and after every tragedy, Hamlet reacted in the worst way possible.. The fact that he could not control his fate drove him to make alternate resolutions to his problems. These decisions ultimately lead to Hamlet's death.
Aristotle wrote, "..
Hamlet contains every key factor of a tragic hero. He was the son of Hamlet, King of Denmark, which makes him a prince. He had an uncommon tragic flaw, but it was indeed one. Hamlet had a problem facing fate. He always had to retaliate to make himself feel better. Hamlet's actions also shows us that he wasn't saint, but he wasn’t a full a complete male factor. Hamlet was a true tragic

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