Element 6 - Death of tragic hero Flaw of the character Murder Recognition of the flaw too late In Act V of Hamlet, there are many aspects and key points that represent element 6, the tragic pattern. The first aspects highlighted in the act coincide with each other, death of a tragic hero and murder.. Hamlet, the main character, is faced with the troubling decision of whether he should or should not kill his uncle. However Hamlet is unaware that his uncle has already plotted a murder of his own. Laertes and Claudius formulate a plan to take Hamlet out once and for all. This plan, however, takes a turn for the worse and ends in the death of four characters. When Hamlet comes to make amends with Laertes, Laertes doubts his plan and regrets …show more content…
Hamlet has many flaws and his failure to realize/acknowledge his faults which in the end result in his death. Since the beginning of the play Hamlet has been putting on a facade of madness. Hamlet created almost like an obsession with the idea of revenge but in the moment can never follow through. His inaction and inability to follow through become an internal conflict for Hamlet. His conscience is in constant battle with what he believes he must do. Hamlet’s cowardness and unsureness are what in the end cause the downfall of characters near to him. Hamlet is so entrapped in the idea of “madness” that he fails to see what he is shutting out. He killed Polonius Ophelia’s father and told the love of his life that he did not love her. This led to the insanity expressed by Ophelia and to her death. “I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum. What will you do for her?” (Act V, Scene 1, lines 252-254) This quote was said by Hamlet when he figured out who the grave was being dug for. By this time it was too late and Ophelia was gone. Hamlet’s obsession got the best of him and took down everyone in his path. He killed Polonius, stabbed Laertes with a poisonous sword, did not drink the poison intended for him which his mother drank and died, stabbed Claudius and then was killed himself. As you can see