The Most Tragic of Them All
Shakespeare has shown us three very different but somewhat similar tragic heroes through three of his most famous books.At the bottom of the totem pole we have Macbeth a greedy,power hungry man that dies of his own sins of greed and blind ambition. Macbeth is one of the two heroes that followed the voice of someone else,such as the witches and his wife. Next, we have the second most tragic hero,Othello an ignorant, love struck man that dies of his own insecurities, and having the characteristics of being a follower.Finally we have the most tragic of them all, Hamlet. A man who is scarred by the death of his father and the betrayal of his mother, he dies of his tragic flaw, thinking too much and not acting on his
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Hamlet has every characteristic of a tragic hero.He was spiritually wounded, he suffered more than he deserved, he is noble in nature, etc. He was spiritually wounded from the death of his father but not only just the death of his father the betrayal of his mother marrying not only the murder of his father but also his father's brother. Claudius, Hamlet's Uncle StepFather, says “ 'Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet, To give these mourning duties to your father; But you must know, your father lost a father; That father lost, lost his, and the survivor bound In filial obligation for some term To do obsequious sorrow. But to persever In obstinate condolement is a course Of impious stubbornness.” (1.2.90-98) Claudius is telling hamlet to get over his father's death, because everyone's father has lost a father who lost their father, and he should get over his father's death because it has been two months and everyone loses their father. This brings us closer to Hamlet because we can all relate to his feelings. His feelings are very realistic unlike Macbeth and Othello. We seen ourselves through hamlet even more when he says “ His canon’gainst self slaughter!”, he wants to kill himself because, “Now i am alone, Oh what a rogue and peasant slave am I!”(2.2.526-533) he is telling us that he thinks of himself as nothing more than a low life and that is because he can not let go of his father's …show more content…
The most tragic of them all, Hamlet. A man who is scarred by the death of his father and the betrayal of his mother, he dies of his tragic flaw, thinking too much and not acting on impulse .The second most tragic hero, Othello an ignorant, love struck man that dies of his own insecurities, and having the characteristics of being a follower. Last,Macbeth a greedy,power hungry man that dies of his own sins of greed and blind ambition. Macbeth is one of the two heroes that followed the voice of someone else,such as the witches and his wife. All of these men died because of revenge be it revenge for themselves or revenge from someone else. Each tragic hero is a hero in their own way. They all suffer more than they deserve and they all are noble in nature even though they may not have every tragic hero characteristic they all are tragic and so are there stories. They all connect to one another, but revenge and guilt will kill
Macbeth could justly be classified a “Tragic Hero” as his tragic story fills out the defined criteria for a tragic hero. Macbeth holds a significant social status, reveals essential truths about humanity through his suffering, has tragically wasted talent, contains a “tragic flaw” leading to his downfall and finally he finds some relief in his death.
All these literary pieces are plotted so intelligently that it takes a moment before one can distinguish between the monsters and the men. Macbeth was a tragic hero. Traditionally, a tragic hero is someone who is born as an example of greatness, but somehow along the way they acquire a flaw in character that brings about his own downfall.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Aristotle defines a tragic hero as the main character in a story or piece of writing who has one flaw that brings them to their demise. Prince Hamlet fits this part of a tragic hero with his flaw of procrastination and hesitation. Hamlet's lack of urgency conclusively leads him, Polonius,Ophelia, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Queen Gertrude, and Laertes to their death.Whereas if the prince would have assassinated the king when first appointed could have been
A tragic hero is a person of noble birth or potentially heroic qualities. The role of a tragic hero is common in many of Shakespeare's plays such as Macbeth. The character of Macbeth is a classic example of a Shakespearean tragic hero. A tragic hero often has a noble background. This person is predominantly good, but suffers a terrible fate falling out due to glitches in their personality. The tragic hero has a monstrous downfall, brought out by their fatal flaw. Macbeth is named a tragic hero because he learns through suffering, he is isolated, and he exhibits personal courage in his acceptance of death.
Macbeth exhibits most, if not all, of the classic traits of a Shakespearean tragic hero almost flawlessly. From his rise to greatness to his ultimate destruction and death, he is most certainly a tragic hero.
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
By many accounts of Williams Shakespeare’s Hamlet the main character, Hamlet, is considered to be the classic tragic hero, but in fact Hamlet is not a hero at all. There are many accounts of heroes in earlier writings such as The Odyssey and Beowulf. These heroes had confidence, careful thought, and thought clearly in their times of trial. Hamlet was not any of these things. His inability to think clearly through his anger leads to indecisiveness which inevitably puts him in a situation that costs him his own life. Hamlet is a victim to himself in this play. Throughout the entire play Hamlet is very confused, indecisive, and blinded by his mission for vengeance. It also seems that while he is angry about the murder of his father he
Tragic heroes, who destined for a serious downfall, are the protagonist of a dramatic tragedy. A tragic hero is usually a great hero, who gets the most respect from other people; on the other hand, a tragic hero can also lose everything he gained because of his mistakes. His downfall is the result of a wrong judgment, a flaw which might combined with fated and external forces. The downfall can cause the tragic hero to suffer for the rest of his life. In many literary works, the downfall of the tragic heroes usually happen in their highest point. In the same way, Macbeth is a tragic hero in the play called “The Tragedy of Macbeth” which is written by a legendary writer, William Shakespeares. Macbeth is a great general who gained many respect from the people and even the king. In the highest point of his life, because of seeking for greater power, it created Macbeth’s downfall. Macbeth, a tragic hero, causes suffering for himself and others by committing murders and creating distress, which are the negative effects of seeking for a greater power.
for a person of lowly rank that loses his or her fortune or rank than
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.
As often associated with a tragedy, a conflict usually ensues between a protagonist and another force in the play. A tragedy is ‘a serious drama typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that elicits pity or terror’ (Webster's dictionary). Given its structure and depth in characterization, this play will or can be analyzed and interpreted from various perspectives and beliefs. However, my analysis of the play is conducted on the basis of various components which are: Hamlet as a tragic hero, the ironic message conveyed in the play, the roles of its characters, the role and personification of madness, the role of paranormality, the role of friends and family, the role of inaction, the role of sex and violence, and the role of death as portrayed in the play. Based on literary definitions and portrayal of his character, there is popular belief that Hamlet as the protagonist acted to satisfy his own conscience but could his actions be attributed purely to his desire or was he being influenced by other factors?
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.
The tragedy of Hamlet, Shakespeare’s most popular and greatest tragedy, presents his genius as a playwright and includes many numbers of themes and literary techniques. In all tragedies, the main character, called a tragic hero, suffers and usually dies at the end. Prince Hamlet is a model example of a Shakespearean tragic hero. Every tragedy must have a tragic hero. A tragic hero must own many good traits, but has a flaw that ultimately leads to his downfall. If not for this tragic flaw, the hero would be able to survive at the end of the play. A tragic hero must have free will and also have the characteristics of being brave and noble. In addition, the audience must feel some sympathy for the tragic hero.
Hamlet is the best known tragedy in literature today. Here, Shakespeare exposes Hamlet’s flaws as a heroic character. The tragedy in this play is the result of the main character’s unrealistic ideals and his inability to overcome his weakness of indecisiveness. This fatal attribute led to the death of several people which included his mother and the King of Denmark. Although he is described as being a brave and intelligent person, his tendency to procrastinate prevented him from acting on his father’s murder, his mother’s marriage, and his uncle’s ascension to the throne.
In writing Hamlet, William Shakespeare plumbed the depths of the mind of the protagonist, Prince Hamlet, to such an extent that this play can rightfully be considered a psychological drama.