Hamlet:The Enigmatic Character

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.
Hamlet shows serious signs of depression from the beginning of the play to the end. Right off the bat, we see him grieving over the death of his father. Through dialogue later on with his mother, it is evident that he thought very highly of his father and his leadership. As if his father’s death was not hard enough to cope with, his mother, Gertrude, marries her brother-in-law, Claudius, less than two months after her husband’s death. It doesn’t help that his Uncle Claudius, after becoming the new king, basically calls him a crybaby for mourning his father’s death:
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, ‘tis unmanly grief; it shows a will most incorrect to heaven… (Meyer 1611)
A typical mourning period during this time period ...

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...e is different. His death only exemplifies his role as the tragic hero. Hamlet shows signs of depression, irony, timidity, and being hurt.

Works Cited

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Mabillard, Amanda. Shakespeare Online. N.p., 2014. Web. 2 April 2014.
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. 10th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2013. Print.
O'Neill, William. "Doing and Performing in Hamlet." The Midwest Quarterly 53.2 (2012): 121+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
Shmoop Editorial Team. “Hamlet in Hamlet.” Schmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 10 April 2014.