As stated by Aristotle, the tragic hero is a man of noble stature. He is not an ordinary man, but a man with outstanding quality and greatness about him. His own destruction is for a greater cause or principle. Hamlet begins with the noblest motivations, which is to avenge his father’s death but by the end, his situation is so dire that the only plausible final act should be his death. Like the classical tragic hero, Hamlet does not survive to see the full outcome of his actions and more importantly, this is because he possesses a tragic flaw. Hamlet is the protagonist and the driving force of the tragedy. Hamlet embodies all the characteristics commensurate to those defined by Aristotle, which in turn makes Hamlet the quintessential tragic hero.
A tragic hero is derived from nobility. Being of noble birth ensures that the hero has higher social status than that of an average person. The tragic hero is typically a king or a member of a royal family. A tragic hero has encompasses exceptional qualities and is admired by those who would be considered normal. Hamlet is the son of the King of Denmark, often referred to as the Prince of Denmark. He is the direct descendant of the throne after Claudius. Hamlet is very loyal, intelligent and exhibits a great amount of bravery. Hamlet’s loyalty to his King/father is like no other, “Haste me to know’t that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to my revenge”. Hamlet is unwavering in his drive to set right the state of Denmark. He is extremely popular among his friends, family, and society, as shown in IV, III, 6 “He’s loved of the distracted multitude.”His friend Horatio paid homage to Hamlet “Hail to you lordship!”
(I, II, 159).
Hamlet experiences a revers...
... middle of paper ...
...s, and then when he has all the information, he worries that perhaps he has missed something. Hamlet's tragic flaw is his own indecisiveness; he is too conflicted internally to actually do anything. He knows that he ought to act on what he has learned, but he keeps pushing to learn more, hoping that he will discover the ultimate truth. Part of him understands that he is doing the wrong thing by not acting and his is constantly criticizing himself. Hamlet’s inactiveness costs him many opportunities to fight for his purpose. In addition the murder of Polonius sheds more light into Hamlet’s faults. Hamlet didn’t bother to verify the identity of the individual who was spying. Hamlet just assumed it was Claudius and immediately stabs but it turns out to be Polonius. This behavior shows how irrational Hamlet has always been and prevents him from making rational decisions.
In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, protagonist Hamlet, experiences many rises and falls throughout the play that have a major impact on his mentality decline. The way in which readers interpret the character, Hamlet, can vary in many ways. For instance, Hamlet delivers many soliloquies throughout the work, giving readers a better insight of his state of mind. Additionally, two significant soliloquies in both Acts II and III show a clear view of Hamlet’s mental and emotional state.
In Lesson 19 of the videotape “Literary Visions';, the actor performs two interpretations of the monologue, “To be or not to be';. As said in the video, there are many ways that an actor can choose to interpret that particular speech in Hamlet. Many actors relish the opportunity to perform Hamlet, because of that particular speech. In a play, the actors’ interpretation of the character is what gives the audience the background and insights into the characters’ feelings, since there is not a narrator, like in a short story. Each actor’s version of Hamlet is different, and therefore the interpretation by the audience will be different. There is not a right or wrong interpretation, but a change in the actor’s tone of voice or facial expressions, can transform the meanings of the words. As seen in the video, the actor’s two interpretations of “To be or not to be'; from the video are very different from each other.
Hamlet none other than the underlying thought of doubt, shape the play and its characters in such a dramatic way. In fact the plays main questions and events all come about due to some doubt and uncertainty from any multitude of characters. Although a common theme for many no other one character portrays this literary theme and crippling condition then the stories main focus and protagonist, prince Hamlet. Hamlet struggles with believing the evidence brought to him of his fathers death, and goes through much indecision and pondering about life, death and his future endeavors before he eventually fufils his purpose. Hamlet even after he’s chosen his path is crippled by his chronic indecision and failure to act, and in the end is brought down by it. Through Hamlet we are clearly shown that doubt and thought have there place, but too much can and in hamlets becomes his downfall.
Hamlet. Romeo. Othello. These men not only star in some of Shakespeare’s finest plays, but they are all classic examples of tragic heroes. A tragic hero is one who is courageous and admired but who has a tragic flaw that leads to his downfall. Othello was one of the greatest military men of the time. He was highly respected among his superiors for both his military prowess and level headed nature. This was a man who could be in the heat of a battle and would remain collected. Though this great hero also had great shortcomings. Othello was naive, jealous, and concerned with public appearance. Othello is truly a dynamic character. As the play continues and his jealous increases, Othello gradually changes from a flawless military general into
Shakespeare tragic story, “Hamlet”, illustrates the miserable character under such a tragic reality. Hamlet is a clear representation of Shakespeare's tragic hero, as he possesses all the necessary characteristics of such a hero. Hamlet is seen as a tragic hero as his father king Hamlet died and his uncle who is the murder of old Hamlet took over the power and his unfortunate fate with Ophelia and etc. These character traits and distinctiveness make Hamlet a Tragic Hero.
In all of Shakespeare's tragedies, the hero must suffer and in some if not most cases, die. What makes a tragic hero? One has to be a man of high estate: a king, a prince or an officer of some high rank.
Will Hamlet avenge his father’s death? Who killed King Hamlet? Is Hamlet really mad? These are the things that keeps the reader intrigued throughout Hamlet. Throughout Hamlet, the main character, Hamlet, is shown to be the tragic hero of the play. A tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgement error that inevitably leads to his or her own destruction. A Greek philosopher, by the name of Aristotle, said that any tragic hero must have a tragic flaw. Hamlet is a perfect example of a tragic hero because of the many tragic flaws he has. Hamlet also experiences suffering in the play and he also learns lessons. The tragic hero is an important character; without one, there wouldn’t be a tragic play.
Hamlet certainly isn't a hero in this play. He exhibits many of his weaknesses that contradict other characters in the play. A hero is a person who shows great courage through his actions and one who is noble and self-sacrificing. He does exhibit courage in parts like when the ghost came and Hamlet followed it, but yet he certainly isn't self-sacrificing. He sacrifices other characters lives to benefit his chance of getting revenge with Claudius. I thought Hamlet was a selfish, self centered, weak and crazy person. How can you call a person a hero after killing friends and family in order to get what one wants?
Webster’s dictionary defines tragedy as, “a serious drama typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force (such as destiny) and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that excites pity or terror.” A tragic hero, therefore, is the character who experiences such a conflict and suffers catastrophically as a result of his choices and related actions. The character of Hamlet, therefore, is a clear representation of Shakespeare’s tragic hero.
Hamlet’s wit and play of words deceits everyone. He seems to be philosophical and existential being with a certain interest to the meaning of life. Many may see him as the tragic hero fighting against a superior force. This image of a tragic hero seems to be just a façade. Although there can be many reason why he may be seem as a tragic hero he is corrupted by those around him making him evil.
Hamlet is the tragic hero of the play because he is a prince with nobility
William Shakespere 's tragedy of Hamlet is a story of revenge and distress involving Hamlet Jr, the prince of Denmark. The plot of the play focuses on Hamlet 's quest to avenge his father 's death. Hamlet learns that his father did not die accidentally, as the public believed, and that his Uncle Claudius is the one who murdered his father. Claudius then hastily married Hamlet 's mother and became king. Hamlet is an archetypical example of a tragic hero. He starts out as a noble and virtuous character and then confronts challenges that expose his tragic flaws which lead to his downfall. Hamlet 's tragic flaws are making rash decisions as well as being overly contemplative.
A tragic hero is a male figure who is high in society and one who always has a tragic flaw. Most of them are rich and intelligent men. In the story of Othello, Othello is the tragic hero. He was a character of nobility. He was a high in class and had high standards. He was also the focal point of society. People looked up to him. He was more of a good man than an evil man, until the end of the play.
Hamlet: one of the most analyzed tragic heroes in all of literature. Hamlet, the main character in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, is conflicted throughout the whole play. He obsesses over avenging his father’s death, and this leads to rash, irresponsible actions that cause others to suffer, as well. He plans to kill Claudius, his uncle, for murdering his father and then marrying his mother. In an act of outrage, Hamlet unknowingly kills Polonius, the King’s assistant, instead. This creates even more problems because now someone else’s father is dead. Hamlet is somewhat of an inconsistent character; he’s different almost every time we see him. Hamlet displays characteristics of depression, irony, timidity, and being hurt.