As one of the most famous tragedies written by William Shakespeare around 1600, Hamlet, the prince of Denmark seeks revenge on his uncle, who murdered the King and married Hamlet’s mother, the Queen. Hamlet is considered to be well versed in both polite letters and martial arts. I believe Hamlet is a tragic hero because his irresolution becomes his fatal flaw and it eventually brings him to his downfall.
The first appearance of Hamlet is in Act I- Scene 2, he is mourning his father’s, the King’s death."But two months dead-- …my poor father’s body…why she married with my uncle, My father’s brother, but no more like my father…Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears…But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue" Hamlet can not accept what presents in front of him. Not only his father’s death but also Queen’s marriage makes Hamlet immense sense of grief, obvious feelings of anger and frustration. The combinations of these emotions at the beginning tell us that Hamlet is a very complex and conflicted man. Hamlet’s contradiction personality makes him irresolvable. As heroic qualities, Hamlet appears to have more loyalty to the King than anyone else even more than the Queen. On the other hand, Hamlet still does not want to ruin his mother’s wedding even though he witnesses the Queen’s incestuous behavior. This is self-sacrifice and loyalty to the Queen. It is also showed in the same scene later “I shall in all my best obey you, madam.” Hamlet still stays in castle even he prefers school. Upon to this point, Hamlet’s fatal flaw is not presented until he meets the ghost.
The ghost of Hamlet's father tells Hamlet that he is actually murdered by Claudius. The ghost also asks Hamlet to avenge his murder. This is where Hamlet’s irreso...
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...ia by saying that to her. Through Polonius we also know Hamlet wrote a poem to Ophelia, “Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt that the sun doth move;Doubt truth to be a liar; But never doubt I love.(ACTII Scene II line 115 )” Two events both happen during Hamlet’s false crazy. Hamlet actually loves Ophelia so he is in the dilemma which contributes to his irresolution. At the end of Act IV, After Hamlet sees Fortinbras who leads an army to fight for a piece of worthless land in the name of pride. Hamlet’s soliloquy says, “How all occasions do inform against me…spur my dull reveng…My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!” Hamlet first compares his actions to Fortinbras. Fortinbras leads his people fight but Hamlet stuck in avenging his father. If Hamlet still does nothing, then He will be worthless. Hamlet actually admits himself he take no action on revenging.
Hamlet sees a ghost of his father and learns that he was killed by his own brother, Claudius. This is when Hamlet falls into an ocean of thought. The philosopher devises ways to unmask his step father to his mother and Denmark and obtain justice and revenge for his father’s smeared death.
King Hamlet loved his son like any father does. Hamlet looked up to his father like all children do and his life was greatly changed when he learned of his fathers death. After hearing the news of his father’s death, Hamlet felt as if a part of his life was ripped away from him, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. During an encounter with his father’s ghost, King Hamlet, Hamlet learns that his father was murdered. It was not the news that his father was murdered that shocked Hamlet into reality, it was the fact that the one who murdered him, was in fact his own loving brother, Claudius. After killing his own brother, Claudius believes that he can go on with life like nothing has happened. Hamlet does not understand how someone can murder somebody, who is not only the King, but their own brother, and go on with life like he did nothing wrong.
There are a lot of flaws in a character which could lead to his downfall, like in the famous movie, Batman, where the craziness of the Joker leads to his downfall. In many movies and even in the real world there are character traits which can lead to someones downfall. Also in the Elizabethan tragedy play Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, there are many persons which have character flaws. Hamlet, known for its exciting action and tragic characters, is about Prince Hamlet whose father is murdered by his uncle. Prince Hamlet tries to get revenge for his father by
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the title character is one of histories greatest examples of a tragic hero. Hamlet is born a prince and is seen throughout the play as a hero, but soon the reader begins to see a flaw emerge. Throughout the play, Hamlet exhibits indecision and procrastination. These two traits are his tragic flaws that lead to his death. Hamlet at many times during the play has a chance to avenge his fathers’ death and kill Claudius. At one point Hamlet gives a whole soliloquy debating on whether or not to kill his Uncle, “And ...
In the players’ scene, Hamlet revises the play of The Murder of Gonzago, adding in a scene that hints at the murder of King Hamlet. When Claudius reacts to Hamlet’s trap and makes a sudden exit, Hamlet now knows that the ghost’s story is true and will “take the ghost’s word for a thousand pound.” He now has no reason not to act. Prior to witnessing Claudius’ reaction, Hamlet has been debating with himself over the legitimacy of the ghost and its story. He has been questioning himself and whether he is a coward, because all he has done is talk, not having taken any action. Now that Hamlet knows the murderous sin Claudius has committed, Hamlet feels no guilt in avenging his father’s death. The plot takes a turn, as Hamlet becomes more of a man of action than a philosopher.
Throughout the play Hamlet is in constant conflict with himself. An appearance of a ghost claiming to be his father, “I am thy father’s spirit”(I.v.14) aggravates his grief, nearly causing him to commit suicide and leaving him deeply disgusted and angered. Upon speaking with his ghost-father, Hamlet learns that his uncle-stepfather killed Hamlet the King. “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life Now wears his crown”(I.v.45-46) Hamlet is beside himself and becomes obsessed with plotting and planning revenge for the death of his father.
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
The first major action of the third act is the arranged meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia. During this meeting, Hamlet seems to turn on Ophelia, denying that he ever loved her. This apparent reversal of feelings towards Ophelia may appear as a peripeteia at first, but under closer examination will prove to be a continuation of Hamlet's pretense of madness. Hamlet is aware that Ophelia is being used to draw out information from him about the source of his insanity. This becomes evident when Hamlet inquires where Ophelia's father is. At the end of his soliloquy, Hamlet comments on Ophelia's beauty as he sees her approach. This illustrates that he still has affection for her, but in his current state o...
Furthermore, it is possible to propose that Shakespeare merely uses this scene to provoke irritation and consequently suspense from the audience. If Hamlet wasn’t given this opportunity to kill Claudius we would have not this insight into Hamlet’s indecisiveness, possible cowardice and inability to kill Claudius in cold blood. It is probable to suggest that through this soliloquy we are shown that Hamlet’s initial passion for revenge after the Ghost’s visitation has faded as the play progresses to merely thinking about killing Claudius.
A ghost came into Hamlets life and claimed he know what had happened to his father. At first Hamlet did not believe the ghost. The ghost said, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (1.5.25). The ghost was telling Hamlet he needs to get revenge on the person who had killed his father. Hamlet character progressed
"But two months dead-- …my poor father’s body…why she married with my uncle, My father’s brother, but no more like my father…Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears…But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue" Hamlet painfully moans to himself. It is clear at the beginning of the play that Hamlet was suffering—emotionally. It hurt him to see his mother marry so soon after his father’s death and Hamlet felt alone since no one else seemed to feel his pain and be mourning with him. It’s safe to conclude that Hamlet had a commendable and upright relationship with his father whom he admired. Unless one was not as courageous or as confident as Hamlet, we would’ve complained and tried to ruin the marriage. Prince Hamlet on the other hand, showed heroic skills by putting others first. He kept his pain to himself and didn’t want to cause any difficulties with the townspeople or family.
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, Prince of Denmark is a dramatic play, written by author William Shakespeare in the period between 1599 and 1601. The play has three acts and it is packed full of drama, betrayal, incest, revenge and demise. It is well written, and it best presented in live stage form. In the early 1600’s, elaborate theaters and stages were built for stories like Hamlet to unfold upon, and the audiences were not disappointed. Many writers wrote dramatic plays during this era, but Hamlet was different. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a complicated, twisted story of some of the worst things that can happen and how those behaviors lead to difficulty in relationships, love and life.
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.