Hamlet; Tragic Hero

Hamlet feels the moment of death is important and has to come at the right time. Hamlet had one well known opportunity to kill Claudius, but his hesitation came in when he realized he was praying. According to Karl S Guthke hamlet did not kill Claudius while he was praying because if he was to have stabbed him in the back at that moment he would go straight to heaven no matter how sinful his life was. ( Guthke 91) Hamlet shows how important the moment of death is when he says “that he will wait until lust and sin come back, and when his soul would be at the door of hell.” (Kilgore)He is constantly putting it off, because he is not ready, because he has not done thinking about it. Hamlet says he will not kill him now, he wants to find a moment that when killed he will be sent to hell.(Shakespeare)

Hamlet had the opportunity to kill Claudius at the chapel but restrained himself, he believed it was too good of a death for Claudius and that if he were killed his sins would be forgiven. This shows his lack of action and proves he is a procrastinator. In his soliloquies he constantly criticizes himself for the obvious avoidance of responsibility saying, "Am I a coward? Who calls me villain? breaks my pate across? Plucks off my beard, and blows it in my face? Tweaks me by the nose? gives me the lie i' the throat, as deep as to the lungs? who does me this?" (Act 2 Sc. 2, 571-575)

According to the bible, if you repent of your sins you will be forgiven and go to heaven when you die, Hamlet believes this and that is why he does not kill Claudius in this scene. Another reason he does not kill his Claudius based on the reason above, he will not give Claudius the glory of

Shakespeare's play, Hamlet illustrates the tragedy of a young prince's pursuit to obtain revenge for a corrupt act, the murder of his father.   As the exposition unfolds, we find Prince Hamlet struggling with internal conflict over who and what was behind his father's death.  His struggle continues as he awaits the mystic appearance of a ghost who is reported to resemble his father.  Suddenly it appears, proclaiming, "Pity me not, but lend thy serious hearing / To what I shall unfold" (1.5.5-6).  The ghost continues to speak providing an important clue: "The serpent that did sting thy father's life / Now wears his crown" (1.5.38-39).  In short, this passage reveals evidence leading to the identity of whom

Hamlet comes across as both a hero and a villain throughout ‘Hamlet’ at different intervals. His loyalty, morality, honesty and popularity are certainly heroic traits however one can’t deny his villainous ways in his dealings with Ophelia, his killing of Polonius and most importantly his delaying of killing Claudius. Hamlet is full of faults yet full of honourable intentions. His negative qualities are slim compared to his heroic qualities therefore I believe Hamlet to be a hero, a “prince among men”.

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, the titled character of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, William Shakespeare’s most prominent play, is arguably the most complex, relatable, and deep character created by Shakespeare. His actions and thoughts throughout the play show the audience how fully developed and unpredictable he is with his mixed personalities. What Hamlet goes through in the play defines the adventures encountered by a tragic hero. In this timeless tragedy, despite Hamlet’s great nobility and knowledge, he has a tragic flaw that ultimately leads to his ironic death.

• This scene of dramatic irony showcases Hamlet`s hatred for Claudius. He does not kill Claudius when he is praying because he doesn’t want him to go to heaven. Hamlet wants to wait until Claudius commits a sin to kill him, so that he will go to hell.

A tragic hero is defined as a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat. The hero in these tragedies is often presented as a noble however, flawed character whose demise is often impart to their own decisions, often due to their previously mentioned flaws, error in judgment and imprudent actions. Written in the early 1600’s Shakespeare wrote one arguably one of his greatest and highly controversial plays, the tragedy known as Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Shakespeare in his play introduces us the pays one of his most popular, enigmatic, and dynamic characters the tragic hero Prince Hamlet. Hamlet is presented to us a sensitive, religious, loyal, moral, intellectual, and young

In the soliloquy where Hamlet compares himself with Fortinbras, he states, “Led by a delicate and tender prince, Whose spirit with divine ambition puffed Makes mouths at the invisible event,” (4, 4, 47 - 50) By comparing himself to Fortinbras, Hamlet is able to see their differences despite being in similar situations. He realizes that Fortinbras is able to fight, despite fighting for nothing at all, and yet he is not willing to to act upon his revenge with all the reason in the world. Therefore, by comparison himself to Fortinbras, Hamlet is able to understand himself better and figure out the cause of his neglect in killing Claudius. While Hamlet figures himself out with reason in these scene, reason also prevents Hamlet from action. Hamlet initially planned to kill Claudius as he was praying but realizes, “Now might I do it pat. Now he is a-praying. And now I’ll do ’t. And so he goes to heaven. And so am I revenged.—That would be scanned. A villain kills my father, and, for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send To heaven.” (3, 3, 74 - 79) When Hamlet is kill Claudius, he realizes that if he kills Claudius as he is praying, Claudius will be instead sent to heaven instead going to purgatory where he will repent for his sins. Although Hamlet will have avenged his father, he realizes that there is no meaning if he kills Claudius while praying where he will end up

Even when he discovers Claudius' guilt, Hamlet finds himself bound by conscience. He comes across Claudius in the King's chamber, but as Claudius is in prayer (or so Hamlet perceives him to be), he cannot bring himself to kill the King, lest Claudius meet with a better end than his own father:

Once Hamlet is sure of Claudius’ guilt, it is Hamlet’s belief in his religion that leads him to inaction. In Hamlet’s mind, it is now his rightful duty to avenge his father’s murder. At the end of Act 3 Scene 3, Hamlet has a perfect opportunity to kill Claudius, when he sees the King kneeling in prayer. Hamlet enters the King's private chapel with a sword in hand, ready to kill Claudius. As Hamlet enters he observes, "now he is a-praying, and now I’ll do 't"(3.3.77-78). But, Claudius is agonizing over his actions. He has committed

Here, Hamlet shows despite his need to revenge for his father, he is held back from his constant thought of his actions as well as his moral considerations. It’s been clearly stated that Hamlet has a strong sense of heaven and hell; that he won’t kill his uncle while praying, because he thinks he might go to heaven. Hamlet himself doesn’t want to kill his uncle without being assured that he is guilty. This is why, by the end of the play, Claudius' death is something we applaud, regretting only that he was not killed sooner. The reason of this delay is because of Hamlets’ moral triumph. His morality often keeps him from acting; it makes him mull around in his uncertainty and anxiety, instead of just acting and bringing his struggle to an end.

To clear any uncertainty as to whether or not Claudius murdered his father, Hamlet decides to set him up. Hamlet plans a "mouse trap" for Claudius in which he sets up a play, for the King and Queen, to be a murder tragedy. Hamlet hopes to see Claudius's reaction towards the murder scene in hope of establishing his guilt. "The Play's the thing Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king." (II, ii, 589-591) The play works but Hamlet does not "sweep to his revenge". Why not, is he worried about Ophelia being caught up on his attempted murder? William Hazlitt states, "When Hamlet is most bound to act, he remains puzzled, undecided, and sceptical, dallies with his purpose, till the occasion is lost, and finds out some pretence to relapse into indolence and thoughtfulness again." This is most likely the reason why Hamlet does not take advantage of the opportunity to kill the king when he is at his prayers. Hamlet can not have his revenge perfect as he wishes, so he declines it altogether. "He kneels and prays, And now I'll do't and so he goes to heaven, And so am I reveng'd: that would be scann'd. He kill'd my father, and for that, I his sole son, send him to heaven. Why this is reward, not revenge. Up sword and know thou a more horrid

A tragedy is a drama or literary piece of work in which the main characters is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow most likely at the consequences of a tragic flaw or moral weakness and also a inability to suffer the unfavourable circumstances. The protagonist and driving force of a tragic drama is known as a tragic hero. In order for a protagonist to qualify as a tragic hero certain elements must be met regarding the character. The tragic hero must be of a noble birth entailing that the protagonist has a higher social status that the average person. The protagonist must go from a state of extreme high to a state of extreme low. The protagonist must go through a change and achieve enlightenment. The tragic hero must have a fatal character flaw which will result in his undoing. The tragic hero must have an emotional climax causing emotional change. The finally element needed to be a tragic hero is that the protagonist must die. Hamlet fits the definition of a tragic hero because Hamlet has a moment of change about himself during the play, he is a person of nobility who