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Hamlet As A Tragic Hero

Decent Essays

A tragic hero is defined as the protagonist and driving force of a tragic drama. In Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet, Hamlet’s father,the king,was killed by Hamlet’s uncle Claudius, the brother of Hamlet’s father. Claudius killed Hamlet’s father because he wanted to be the king. Claudius is also marrying Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, who is also the queen. The ghost of Hamlet’s father tells Hamlet he was murdered by Claudius, but Hamlet doesn’t know what to do. Ideas’ that will be addressed in this essay are: what makes hamlet a tragic hero, how does Hamlet relates to Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. and Hamlet’s tragic demise. Hamlet is a tragic hero, which is evident throughout Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet because he has a tragic flaw that leads to his demise.
Hamlet fits the characteristic of a tragic hero because tragic heroes typically have tragic flaws that lead to their downfall, Hamlet's Tragic flaw is his “constant contemplation and brooding” (literarydevices.net) Hamlet's contemplation leads him to opt out of killing Claudius when he had the chance, and thus lead himself to his own downfall. A tragic hero also evokes emotions in the audience; for example, “By the end, Hamlet also falls in a bloodbath, touching the hearts of the audience by highlighting the most primal fear, death” (literarydevices.net). It evokes these feelings because we all fear death, death is a scary thing because it is unknown what happens after death.”Nemesis: a punishment that the

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