Philosopher Aristotle said “the change of fortune presented must not be the spectacle of a virtuous man brought from prosperity to adversity." From Aristotle’s “Poetics,” he suggested that a hero must evoke in the audience a sense of fear and pity. In many ways, Hamlet is the quintessential tragic hero. Like the classical tragic hero, Hamlet begins with the noblest motivations, to punish his father’s murderer, but he does not survive to see the full outcome of his actions. Hamlet’s tragic flaw as well as his extensive knowledge, causes him to think through everything before acting, effectively stopping him from being decisive, and bringing about his necessary tragic ending. Hamlet’s deep connection with knowledge causes him to base his perceptions of reality on his interpretation and understanding of the world, and he allows himself to become obsessed with the meaning of his life and revenge of his father’s death. By contemplating death, ruining his love of Ophelia, and his obsession with exposing Claudius, Hamlet’s cloudy judgment and inability to take decisive action characterizes him as a tragic hero.
Shakespeare reveals Hamlet’s tragic flaw when Hamlet begins to question his role in life, in the famous “to be or not to be” soliloquy. Nonetheless, Hamlet cannot kill himself because of his tragic flaw within the depths of his mind and his obsession with revenge against Claudius. Throughout the speech, it is obvious that Hamlet is over thinking and wavering between two
Hamlet is a suspenseful play that introduces the topic of tragedy. Throughout the play, Hamlet displays anger, uncertainty, and obsession with death. Although Hamlet is unaware of it, these emotions cause the mishaps that occur throughout the play. These emotions combined with his unawareness are the leading basis for the tragic hero’s flaws. These flaws lead Hamlet not to be a bad man, but a regular form of imperfection that comes along with being human.
In Hamlet, Hamlet knows that he must avenge the death of his father, but he is too indecisive, too self-doubting, to carry this out until he has no choice. His failings cause his downfall, and he exhibits some of the most basic human reactions and emotions.
He is a hero who makes sure his story would be known that he has conquered the ambitious Claudius. However, in the process, he lost everyone he loves including his own life. Hamlet is in fact a tragic hero. According to Aristotle’s definition of tragedy, a tragic hero is a great person who has the potential for greatness but is defeated. This protagonist must come into conflict with a force who or which directly opposes to what he should want. He must also suffer from a tragic flaw, which inevitably brings about his own downfall. In Hamlet, Hamlet is the protagonist who suffers from the flaw of inaction while he is faced against Claudius. To conclude, because of Hamlet’s great inability to act earlier, his lies and deceptive acts have all prolonged his primary goal which has resulted in his tragic death.
Quintessentially speaking, revenge is a thing that many have sought in response to a tragic event unfolding. Typically, as a result, vengeance is contemplated upon by the victim as a means of retribution, a way of making things right and seeking justice on the behest of the victim, if the law will not grant justice through due process due to corrupt forces stemmed deep within it- corrupt seeds of a corrupt plant. Therefore, revenge become an apparent option for those willing to walk that path [of no return]. However, instances of revenge not being attained in the “clear cut” way it is ordinarily acquired have occurred from time to time throughout history. One of the most prominent examples of unconventional revenge attainment can be found within the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, entailing the revenge path walked by its eponymously named main character, Prince Hamlet. Specifically, his intentful delay in attaining his revenge against his uncle Claudius for his direct role in the death of his father, King Hamlet. This literary conundrum has dumbfounded literary critics for over 400 years and counting- due to the fact that a universally accepted consensus amongst them as well as the general public as to why Hamlet delayed his revenge has not yet been reached.
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.
In this critical analysis, I will be examining an important scene that shows how Hamlet loses control and becomes a tragic flaw, or hero within this Shakespearean play. First of all, Hamlet’s loss of control beings within Act 3, scene 3, when the perfect possibility arises to avenge his father's tragic death by his uncle's jealousy. However, Hamlet chooses not to avenge his father's death and within this window of opportunity he loses complete control of the situation and things turn against him making him his own tragic hero. Throughout the play, and with most Shakespearean tragedies, there are always elements of a tragic hero that show how the main characters lead to their own downfall because they are too blind to see the truth. The elements of a tragic flaw, which result in hamlets undoing, tragic irony, the tragic results from loss of control, and most importantly catharsis the sudden climax of emotional change that results in Hamlet being a
Hamlet possesses all the traits of a tragic hero, throughout the play he exhibits his fatal flaw of indecision and unappreciation for the
Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, and there’s no question as to why. With heartbreak, murder, revenge, duels and secret plans, this play is filled with action and suspense. Hamlet’s tragic tale after his father’s death is one of great sacrifice and madness. The play is so complex that every character’s archetype could be discussed and argued endlessly, especially that of Hamlet. He faces a terrible tragedy (his father’s death) and has to evade multiple plans for his own murder while he tries to keep the promises that he has made, eventually doing so which causes a tremendous amount of death and destruction. Hamlet fits the archetypal description of a tragic hero and overall proves this through his actions, inaction, and thoughts
Bradley, an analyst of Shakespearean tragedies, argues that the distinguishing feature of a Shakespearean tragedy is the hero’s conflict with himself. Hamlet’s internal conflict is certainly one more complex than any other Shakespearean character, and arguably any tragic hero ever. Bradley believes “…Shakespearean tragedy demonstrates the existence of an ultimate power which reacts violently against evil but in the process contradictorily and mysteriously destroys much that is good as well.” This philosophy embodies Hamlet and his turmoil. It appears that Hamlet has an inability to cope with all of the terrible events that occur in his life. Though he can be a very charming character, it is taxing for him to not fall victim to his circumstances, which he unfortunately ends up doing. Hamlet pushes away all those he once loved because they betrayed him (aside from Ophelia, but we know the logic behind that). When Hamlet is left no one and nothing, he loses all inhibition, and overcomes his tragic flaw, which is the inability to act. However, he is committing an act of revenge, which usually does not end well.
In many plays there is always one person that is the tragic hero. They always possess some type of tragic flaw that in turn leads to their tragic deaths. In the Shakespearean play Hamlet the main character Hamlet is considered to be a tragic hero. By carefully analyzing the Shakespearean play Hamlet one can debate whether the main character Hamlet is a tragic hero. Although it is debatable whether or not Hamlet is a tragic
In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, it is clearly evident Prince Hamlet is overcome with “madness” due to his father’s murder and other malicious actions taken against him. Throughout the play, there are many examples of how Hamlet displays his insanity due to certain situations he experiences and how he handles them. Hamlet shows his madness through the killing of Polonius, his treatment of Ophelia, his thoughts of suicide, and the treatment of his mother Gertrude.
Hamlet is one of Shakespeare's most memorable and quintessential stories of the tragic hero. Hamlet's enigmatic nature continues to be the object of observation amongst groups of people generations after Shakespeare's time. Hamlet is a legendary tragic hero because he is a man of great nobility and unrealized potential, he suffers a tragic flaw that is both not entirely his fault and leads to his downfall, and he is a man who, despite his tragic ending, reminds readers of the beauty and the potential for human greatness.
In William Shakespeare’s most notable work Hamlet, there is a tragic hero with a tragic flaw,
William Shakespeare intended for Hamlet to be a tragic play of a hero: Hamlet. He does exactly that by allowing Hamlet to be exposed to suffering and being able to endure it without committing suicide. Although if one was to analyze the content
As defined by Aristotle, A tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his or her own destruction. In the play “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare, Prince Hamlet is the tragic hero. Prince Hamlet can even be considered a quintessential tragic hero due to how closely he relates to Aristotle’s definition. Initially he has noble motives which were to avenge his father’s death but by the end, his flaws and bad decisions lead him to his death. The fact that Prince Hamlet’s best trait is also his downfall makes him one of the most tragic heroes in Shakespeare’s work. In these ways and more, Prince Hamlet fulfills Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero.