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The Role Of Literary Characters In William Shakespeare's Hamlet

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Most literary characters have flaws of some kind as this gives them a three dimensional quality. However, in the case of fatally flawed characters, these flaws are so deeply formed that they are doomed to failure and demise. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, a tragedy, the majority of the characters are doomed or flawed in some way that ultimately results in their failure. Through his portrayal of several secondary characters, Shakespeare proves that all humans possess a tragic flaw in their nature which will ultimately lead to their demise. Despite each of these tragic characters having a unique fatal flaw, this aspect in their characters is what eventually leads Claudius, Ophelia and Polonius to their untimely deaths.

Despite being the only truly innocent, and pure character in Hamlet, driven to madness and, ultimately, death by external forces out of her control, Ophelia does play a role in her own demise due to her submissiveness and inability to stand up for herself. Her submissive nature is first introduced during the conversation between her and her father and brother, during which she is to think of herself as a "green girl" and "a baby" in this matter, and to stop seeing him. After bidding farewell to Laertes, Polonius confronts Ophelia about her relationship with Hamlet: “I would not,[...] have you so slander any moment leisure, as to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet,” to which she responds with: “I will obey, my lord.” Ophelia blindly trusts and obeys her

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