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Who Is Responsible For Hamlet's Downfall

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Merriam Webster defines arrogance as an “attitude of superiority which is expressed in overbearing and condescending behaviours or bold and presumptuous claims” (Merriam Webster). In William Shakespeare's famous play Hamlet, Hamlet’s arrogance contributes to his demise as well as the demise of others, revealing itself as his hamartia. In fact, Hamlet’s arrogance is on full display when he disrespects his mother in her chamber. Following the play, Hamlet is unapologetic, judgemental and condescending when he accuses Gertrude of betraying his father as he states; “Mother, you have my father much offended. ” (Ham 3.4 11). Also, he is hurtful when he tells her that he wishes she were not his mother and forces her to sit down so that he can ‘hold a mirror’ to her flaws, highlighting …show more content…

Hamlet also completely ignores the ghost’s advice to be gentle with his mother, showcasing his lack of empathy or understanding for feelings beyond his own. Furthermore, Hamlet demonstrates arrogance when he accidentally kills Polonius, mistaking him for Claudius. During their argument, Gertrude worries that Hamlet is going to kill her, so she begins crying out for help, this causes Polonius to begin squirming behind the curtain that he is hiding behind. Hamlet’s arrogance leads him to believe that it is Claudius behind the curtain, so he confidently stabs the moving figure, killing Polonius. Unfortunately, once he realizes his mistake, Hamlet is neither remorseful or apologetic about killing an innocent man and the father of the woman he claims to love. Instead, Hamlet insults a dead Polonius as he shouts; “Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell. I took thee for thy good. Take thy fortune, a sacrificial sacrificial sacrificial sacrificial sacrificial sacrificial sacrificial sacrificial sacrificial sacrificial sacrificial sacri Thou find’st to be too busy is some danger” (Ham.

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The scene that best captivates Hamlet’s arrogance as his hamartia is when he confronts Gertrude and unknowingly murders Polonius. This scene marks the beginning of Hamlet's tragic downfall. Some could say he acted out of fear, or that his state of mind was unclear; but it is evident upon further analysis that he acted out of his own hubristic nature. To begin, Hamlet’s arrogance is demonstrated by rudely lashing out at his mother, blaming her for marrying Claudius and begging her to leave him.

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This impulsive act sets off a chain of events, resulting in further tragedies, including the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet's arrogance blinds him to the potential consequences of his actions, leading to his own downfall. Throughout Act III Scene IV, Hamlet's arrogance is evident through his disrespectful and domineering behavior towards

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In William Shakespeare’s, “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”, a young prince named Hamlet is depressed and misguided. His father, the King has died and his mother Gertrude has already remarried his uncle Claudius. Hamlet is absolutely torn until his father’s ghost visits the castle and entreats Hamlet to avenge his death and kill his uncle King Claudius. Hamlet begins to test Claudius with plays and when Claudius finds out, all he has by his side is his councilor Polonius. Polonius tries to entrap Hamlet in every way possible, even by using his daughter Ophelia.

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Hamlet stabs Polonius through the curtain in the Queen’s room, thinking that was stabbing Claudius. He did not know who he was stabbing because the curtain was in the way. In the film, the curtain is gigantic, so Hamlet cannot tell exactly where Polonius is. He manages to hit Polonius, and the sword is showed moving up and down as Polonius is dying. The murder of Polonius shows Gertrude that her son is truly insane because Hamlet murdered Polonius in cold

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Hamlet retaliated by accusing her of insulting his father by marrying Claudius. Polonius, hidden behind a tapestry, thought that Hamlet might attack her and cried for help. Hamlet, who thought it was Claudius, stabbed Polonius through the tapestry. Soon, Hamlet returned to his scolding. Just as Gertrude started begging for mercy, the ghost reappeared and told Hamlet show less cruelty and remember to carry out revenge.

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Hamlet’s arrogance causes him to act impulsively, as he believes he is avenging his father by murdering Claudius. Rather than confirming the identity of the person behind the curtain, Hamlet acts on his assumptions and instead kills Polonius, depicting his arrogance as his tragic

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In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Claudius conspires with others to carry out his various schemes. Fueled by the desire to obtain his brother’s success, Claudius’ reign of power leaves a path of destruction in its wake. Once he kills the King, his true goal shifts to murdering Hamlet. After learning of Claudius’ betrayal, Hamlet seeks retribution. Consequently, this fire Claudius sparked in Hamlet’s heart burns brighter with each waking moment, and as the flame grows, his mind continues to falter.

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I am certain that Hamlet had prepared for this conversation, he knew exactly who Polonius was and by using such rash and insulting adjectives he did not sound very high-class creating the image that he has gone

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When he learns Claudius is responsible for the death of his father, he intends to reveal this newfound information to not only Gertrude, but the rest of the characters. He is smart enough to know that she will not believe him based solely on his encounter with the ghost, and must create a trap where Claudius will reveal his guilt on his own. When the players arrive at the castle, he alters their script to mimic the king’s murder and “catch the conscience of the king” (II.ii.567). During the performance, Claudius shows signs of guilt and worry, making Hamlet’s plan a success and proving his

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As Hamlet reaches the climax of the play, his entrapment comes in the form of malevolence towards Claudius in Act III, scene iv. This is when Hamlet stabs Polonius through the curtain, and then voices how he will fully commit to violent actions against the king, after the Ghost tells Hamlet again to do what he has been told. “I do repent; but heaven hath pleased it so, to punish me with this, and this with me, that I must be their

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Hamlet is stressed over his own father's murder, but he has to plan the right way to murder his Uncle Claudius. At one point, he thought he had finally murdered Claudius but it turned out to be Polonius, the chief counselor to the king . This murder only complicated things for Hamlet and caused him to be more confused about what to do with the situation. Shakespeare decided to depict Hamlet in a way that shows his flaws because it creates drama in the play.

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His father’s sudden death, and his mother’s quick remarry did not help his case. That being said, his emotions lead him to his insanity. Many people claim that Hamlet’s insanity is feigned, but his actions based on things that have happened in the past, prove otherwise. Very shortly after the tragic death of King Hamlet, Gertrude, his wife, immediately remarried to Claudius, making the mourning process quite uncomfortable for Hamlet. Hamlet 's act of stabbing Polonius through the curtain, which occurs almost casually in the middle of the tirade against Gertrude 's lust, seems only to increase his passionate desire to make her see her error in preferring Claudius to her first husband.

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