The play Hamlet is more tragic than Agamemnon due to a stronger display of all elements of tragedy, dramatic plot and character development, and its ability to gain audience sympathy. Peripeta is used consistently throughout Hamlet as the narrative is full of unexpected plot twists. For instance, after learning of Claudius’s guilt, Hamlet does not act on impulse but rather decides to wait. Shortly after, Hamlet mistakenly murders Polonius which then leads to Ophelia’s suicide. Furthermore, all deaths near the end are also unexpected considering they were all mostly accidental rather than planned. Queen Gertrude accidently drinks Hamlet’s wine while Laertes is cut with his own poison blade. On the contrary, peripeteia is not consistently used in Agamemnon except near the very end. The initial chorus, conflict of Agamemnon’s return and Clytemnestra’s welcoming are not representative of plot twists. However, they do reveal Agamemnon’s past to provide a better context for the audience. Regardless, peripeteia is not appropriately used as Cassandra foreshadows Agamemnon’s and her own demise. The only unexpected plot twist occurs when Clytemnestra stands over Agamemnon’s corpse while Aegisthus confesses that he took part in the murder to avenge his siblings.
Additionally, hamartia occurs frequently throughout Hamlet as the protagonist passes up a few chances to immediately kill Claudius. Some notable mistakes include agreeing to duel with Laertes after killing his father, and also
Ruby Bridges is a true story of a first-grade girl who became one of the first African American students to attend an all-white school, William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. Every day as she walked to school, she faced an angry white mob who also kept their children from attending the same school. Ruby bravely walked through the crowds every day and her teacher discovers the incredible strength of this little girl. Students who read this book will understand historical inequalities and about Ruby Bridges brave fight for equal education. This book can be read for grades 1-5. I would read this book during a social studies unit about black history and famous Americans that changed society. Activities would include a bubble map to describe Ruby and write a friendly letter to Ruby stating if they thought she was brave for what she had done. This book draws an emotional and personal connection.
A Comparison of the Element of Hamartia in “Hamlet”, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, and “Agamemnon”
The present King, Claudius, is questioning Hamlet’s odd behaviour because he feels Hamlet’s new and strange behaviour could be harmful to him and his position. So he asks Polonius, the Lord Chamberlain, to spy on Hamlet to resolve the matter. While hiding behind an arras in Gertrude’s room to listen to the dialogue between Ophelia and Hamlet, he reveals his location by calling out for help, Hamlet realizing there is someone behind the tapestry and suspecting it to be Claudius withdraws his sword and stabs the hidden Polonius resulting in polonius’s death, which assisted in ophelia going mad, and also Laertes, Polonius’s son seeking revenge on hamlet, which makes Hamlet’s quest for honour and certainty even harder to complete.
When Hamlet hears a noise behind a curtain, and stabs at it wildly, assuming it is the man who killed his father, he finds out it is his friend Polonius, the father of Ophelia. After Ophelia learns of her father’s death, she loses touch with reality, and drowns. Once Hamlet decided to take action, he had no control over the actions of his revenge, which consequently led to his girlfriend’s death. Also, Laertes, the son of Polonius, after learning of his father’s murder by Hamlet, concocts a plot of his murder. He poisons a rapier to kill Hamlet, but Hamlet unknowingly uses that same poison against him. Laertes´ desire for revenge against Hamlet led to his own death from his own actions. After being poisoned in his duel with Hamlet, he says “I am justly killed with mine own treachery” (5.2.338). The characters who pursued these acts of vengeance expected satisfaction, but the opposite occurred. Thus, Hamlet, undermines the belief that revenge gives satisfaction and relief to the pursuer, especially because of Shakespeare’s acknowledgement of the drastic consequences. Finally, the play offers the idea that for both parties, revenge can be forgiven, which is more satisfactory than any other
He shows in the soliloquy that he has done wrong and he feels now after that the guilt that he is witnessing is stronger than the reason for killing his brother. He feels terrible about the death of his brother but he must continue with his plan to obtain the power instead of allowing Hamlet to have it. He manipulates Laertes, who Claudius has turned against Hamlet, to help in Hamlets murder. He coaxes Laertes to have a duel with Hamlet so that Hamlet will be killed, Laertes asks “to cut his throat i’th’ the church” (4.7.123).
Laertes also brings revenge and betrayal out of Hamlet. Though an enemy, Laertes is a foil to Hamlet. Laertes helps in the development of Hamlet through the similarities they share. These include anger over the death of their fathers, and desire to exact revenge. Betrayal is also relevant because Laertes betrays Claudius in the end, revealing his plan to kill Hamlet. Hamlet betrays his father by verbally abusing his mother, against the wishes of his father. The differences between the two men are very strong. Hamlet would not kill Claudius in the church because he was praying. Laertes, however stated that he would kill Hamlet in a church, praying or not. Another difference is that Hamlet cannot be a man of action and a man of thought at the same time. He does not use his mind when he acts. He just acts. When he is pondering something, he is unable to act out his thoughts, and keeps quiet. Laertes, however, is able to act while thinking. He finds out that Hamlet killed his father and immediately devises a plan to kill him. This flaw makes Hamlet dangerous to himself, and is ultimately his downfall.
Laertes plots for vengeance due to Hamlet killing his father and second-handedly killing his sister, Ophelia. Hamlet, who is still a self-absorbed narcissist, is beyond clueless to Laertes intentions for fighting. In the end, Hamlet is cut with the poisonous sword, Laertes is stabbed with the poisonous sword, Gertrude drinks from the poisonous cup, and King Claudius finally gets what he deserves after Hamlet, as he’s dying, stabs him and forces him to drink the poison. Hamlet, who suffered through a road of vengeance, finally kills Claudius at the last possible second. All of Hamlet’s family and friends die because of his inability to be a man of action and a man of thought at the times when they are opportune. His delay of killing Claudius led him to become invested in his own issues and become the domino effect for the death of others. His moral ambiguity is questioned even at the end of the play because he killed Claudius at the last possible second. In Shakespeare’s tragedies, like Hamlet, Hamlet desire for vengeance ultimately corrupts the morals and decisions he makes further affecting the people around him as he is so self-involved. Hamlet’s morals suffer because he never once looked within himself to understand where he went wrong. Hamlet’s moral ambiguity creates this significance to the play by emphasizing the fact that
In Hamlet, Shakespeare depicts alienation among the younger characters. Trusting no one, Claudius, the new king, and Polonius send out spies to obtain information from others to assure Claudius's rule of Denmark runs smoothly. Claudius killed Old Hamlet for the rule of Denmark and he fears that Hamlet might know of the murder. Both Claudius and Polonius spy on Hamlet to find out if he knows of the murder. Polonius sends his daughter, Ophelia, out to also gain information. Hamlet begins going mad and people claim that the cause is from the death of his father. Truly, though, Hamlet knows of the murder. But Claudius and Polonius are not the only ones, Gertrude, the queen, blames Ophelia for Hamlet's madness.
On the other hand, Laertes wants to revenge his father’s death. Therefore this mistake murder leads Hamlet to his downfall as Claudius and Laertes want to kill him.
Hamlet's fatal flaw is his inability to act. Unlike his father, Hamlet lets his intelligence rather than his heroism govern him. When he has a chance to kill Claudius, and take vengeance for his father's murder, he hesitates, reckoning that if he kills the man while he is at prayer, Claudius would have asked for pardon from the Lord and been forgiven of his sins, therefore allowing him to enter Heaven. Hamlet decides to wait for a better opening. His flaw of being hesitant in the end leads to his own death, and also the deaths of Gertrude, Ophelia, Laertes, and Claudius.
Polonius seemly hear all these vulgar and misogynistic rants and becomes ever more convinced that Hamlet is mad. He never rests easily until he ends up behind yet another arras, scheming, yet this time in Gertrude’s room and gets himself killed. The act of betrayal, by both Polonius and Gertrude has far-reaching consequences; Polonius is killed by Hamlet, Ophelia becomes mad and Laertes demands vengeance. Polonius’s betrayal disgusts Hamlet and he can only but refer to him as ‘a foolish prating knave’ and his mistreatment of his body when he says he will ‘lug his guts in the neighbour room’ can equally be taken as his disgust towards him.
Laertes loses his family because of Hamlet’s actions. His father is killed by him and his sister kills herself because of her grief. Laertes and King Claudius begin to plot Hamlet’s murder, planning to poison him, by drink or wound, whichever comes first. However, the plan backfires on the both of them and Laertes dies from his own blade, but not before saying “The King, the King’s to blame.”
Hamlet has the opportunity to kill Claudius when he is praying, but does not because he is fearful that Claudius will go to heaven despite his crimes. Hamlet is admirable in not killing Claudius while praying because Hamlet wants a revenge worthy of his father and himself. While keeping up his act, Hamlet kills Polonius, Ophelia dies and Claudius and Laertes construct a death plot against Hamlet. Claudius and Laertes plan ironically spins out of control and them both himself killed and the queen killed. Although Hamlet also dies in the process, Hamlet justly kills Claudius with the poisoned dagger and the poisoned drink. The final image of most of the characters on the stage being dead provides a superficial pessimistic ending. However, the ability for Hamlet to maintain his honor when all odds were against him provides a great sense of hope in the audience. Also, the exchange of forgiveness from Laertes to “noble Hamlet” also provides an optimistic ending. Upon the arrival of prince Fortinbras, Hamlet is given a soldier’s funeral of the highest honors which allows for a promising ending.
William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is a captivating story revolving around the death of the King of Denmark and the reveal of how his death truly happened at the hands of his own brother – who wanted the kingdom to himself. After the king’s death, he returns as a ghost to tell his son, Hamlet, of how his death truly happened. The rest of the story entails how Hamlet took this news and begins his journey to avenge his father’s murder. As this journey progresses, the audience is able to witness Hamlet’s hamartia. Hamartia is a tragic flaw which leads to the eventual downfall of a hero or heroine. Hamlet’s hamartia is his inability to act and his indecisiveness regarding avenging his father’s murder – which results in a horrid ending for Hamlet and most of the people he knows.
This is the first time the audience becomes aware of Hamlet’s ability to be a great thinker and philosopher. However, from this moment on, Hamlet is divulged into a downward spiral of an obsession of death and tragedy. This onus that he must set things right that his conscience forces him to carry during the play is the inception of his hamartia. Hamlet’s obsession of avenging his father’s death causes him to not always think clearly. At times Hamlet is suffering from analysis paralysis