Hamlet's Tragic Flaw

One of Hamlet’s tragic flaws that leads to his ultimate downfall is his indecision. In Act II scene ii, Hamlet’s soliloquy reveals how much loathing he has for himself. He sees himself as weak and useless for not avenging his father’s death after the spirit of King Hamlet discloses the information of his murder. Hamlet calls himself a coward because he does not have nearly as much passion for his deceased father as the actor does for Hecuba, a fictional character that the player does not even know. However, Hamlet convinces himself that he has a reason for not immediately killing Claudius. He believes that it could be the devil in disguise preying on his sorrow, and this leads him to devise a plan so he has more than just the word from a ghost

At the beginning of the soliloquy the tone is overly dramatic as it starts off with hamlet ranting, “Oh, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!”(2.2.577). Hamlet thinks he is a low-life and spends a good part of his soliloquy ranting and tearing his character apart. The hatred radiating off of Hamlet is reflected in the tone at the start of his speech, but it slowly turns away from Hamlet to Claudius. Once Hamlet stops blaming himself and remembers its Claudius’ fault, the tone shifts away from depressing to more confident. Hamlet is ready to avenge his father now, but he knows he can’t kill Claudius because a ghost that may or may not be his dead father told him to. “The spirit that I have seen may be the devil, and the devil hath power t' assume a pleasing shape”(2.2.627). This is where the meticulous and clever Hamlet is displayed. The tone near the end of the soliloquy is much more calm than Hamlet’s earlier ranting. For legitimate reasons, Hamlet is wary the ghost may be the devil using his current state of despair to trick him into murdering Claudius. This leads hamlet to finally formulate a plan to discover proof of Claudius’ guilt. In conclusion, Shakespeare distinguishes his purpose which is to illustrate the clashing of Hamlet’s feelings through the use of diction and tone. After watching the actor deliver so much passion, Hamlet discovers that he has not been doing enough to complete the wishes of his deceased father. The only thing holding him back is the reliability of the ghost because it is against his nature to act rash. It is through the cautious tone clashing against harsh diction where Shakespeare’s purpose is truly emphasized and the character of Hamlet is