Essay on Hamlet as a Tragic Hero - 1051 Words

Hamlet as a Tragic Hero William Shakespeare, the greatest playwright of the English language, wrote a total of 37 plays in his lifetime, all of which can be categorized under tragedy, comedy, or history. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Shakespeares most popular and greatest tragedy, displays his genius as a playwright, as literary critics and academic commentators have found an unusual number of themes and literary techniques present in Hamlet. Hamlet concerns the murder of the king of Denmark and the murdered kings sons quest for revenge. Its main character, Hamlet, possesses a tragic flaw which obstructs his desire for revenge and ultimately brings about his death. This tragic flaw makes him a tragic hero, a character who is destroyed†¦show more content†¦Next, Hamlets flaw of irresolution is shown after his third soliloquy, the famed To be or not to beÂ… lines. Hamlet directly identifies his own tragic flaw, remarking of his own inability to act. Hamlet, unsure whether or not the his uncle Claudi us was responsible for his fathers murder, schemes to have The Murder of Gonzago presented to the royal court, with a few minor changes, so its contents would closely resemble the circumstances behind the murder. Reflecting on his own guilt, he talks of death, referring to it as the undiscovered country, and then continues by riddling his own feelings. He declares conscience does make cowards of us all and that the natural ruddy complexion of one intent, or resolute, on an action is sicklied over with the pale cast of thought. This makes an individual second guess his own actions and often times take no action at all, due to his own irresolution. These statements not only applied to what had occur ed up to that point but also foreshadowed what was to occur . Next, Hamlets flaw of irresolution is shown during his fourth soliloquy. Fortinbras, the Prince of Norway, and his army have passed by Hamlet and his escorts. Hamlet sees the action Fortinbras was taking in fighting and then examines Fortinbrass efforts and bravery in an attempt to rekindle his own desire for revenge against Claudius for his fathers death. Hamlet remarks how everything around him attempts to spur myShow MoreRelatedHamlet As A Tragic Hero850 Words   |  4 Pagesas a hero if they revenge? Well In the novel Hamlet the author, William Shakespeare creates tragic events where his main character Hamlet has to overcome to achieve his goal of killing his evil uncle Claudius. â€Å"In life one has to do bad thing in order to be a hero,the hero also has to make sacrifices in order to be successful† (John Barrowman). In Shakespeare Hamlet, should hamlet be considered a tragic hero judging by him following the hero steps. Shakespeare proves that Hamlet was a tragic heroRead MoreHamlet, A Tragic Hero1003 Words   |  5 Pagesmemorable trag ic hero’s Hamlet is the definition of a tragic hero. In the book, Hamlet, Shakespeare’s character hamlet is determined on killing his uncle the king. This goal proves to be challenging to him due to his morals. He often struggles with this throughout the book. This proves to be his downfall for not deciding to kill the king until the very end. A tragic hero has to have a fatal flaw that, combined with fate, brings tragedy. This is one of the key characteristics of a tragic hero. He hadRead MoreHamlet As A Tragic Hero1071 Words   |  5 Pages Hamlet as a Tragic Hero The Webster dictionary defines tragedy as, â€Å"a serious drama typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that excites pity or terror.† (Webster Dictionary) So a tragic hero is a character who goes through a conflict and suffers catastrophically as a direct result of his choices. You will see throughout this story that the character Hamlet is a clear example of Shakespeare’s tragic hero. ShakespeareRead MoreHamlet : A Tragic Hero995 Words   |  4 PagesHamlet: A Tragic Hero William Shakespeare is known through the ages as a brilliant playwright. He has written several comedies and tragedies that people have loved through decades. Shakespeare’s plays have been interpreted in many different ways and have been debated on which interpretation is correct. Some of these included even the basis of the character’s persona. In the Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet, the main protagonist, Prince Hamlet, is fated by the ghost of his late father that, becauseRead MoreHamlet as a Tragic Hero2505 Words   |  11 Pagesterror. A tragic hero, therefore, is the character who experiences such a conflict and suffers catastrophically as a result of his choices and related actions. The character of Hamlet is a clear representation of Shakespeares tragic hero, as he possesses all the necessary characteristics of such a hero. Hamlet is seen as a tragic hero as he has doomed others because of a serious error in judgment, also Hamlet is responsible for his own fat e and Hamlet has been endowed with a tragic flaw. TheseRead MoreHamlet As A Tragic Hero1305 Words   |  6 Pages Sympathy is a feeling of sorrow, pity, or understanding of someone else’s misfortune. Hamlet, in this case, is the tragic hero due to many different sources that cause the reader to have an immense amount of sympathy for him. A series of events such as murder, failed relationships, and all the madness, created the feeling of sympathy from the audience. These specific sources cause the reader to see the development of the overall themes of deceit, justice, and revenge. Deceit is one of the mainRead MoreHamlet; Tragic Hero3618 Words   |  15 Pages Hamlet; The Tragic Hero            Ã‚  Ã‚      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 hero, one wouldRead MoreIs Hamlet A Tragic Hero Essay961 Words   |  4 PagesTo be, or not to be: a hero. That is the question often asked of William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet: whether Hamlet II, Prince of Denmark, can be considered a hero. Throughout the play Hamlet proves himself to be a hero, although different from the usual sense of one. Hamlet is a tragic hero, â€Å"a great or virtuous character . . . who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat . . . who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw tha t, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedyRead MoreHamlet As The Tragic Hero Of The Play Hamlet 1314 Words   |  6 PagesIn order to better understand Hamlet one must first asses, and define man. According to webster dictionary a man is a male often having the qualities associated with bravery,script or toughness(site webster dictionary www.define a man.com here). We know the male figure is known to exhibit distinctive male traits such as strength, dignity, courage and be a provider and supporter. As seen in Hamlet one must understand the male figure to better understand Hamlet and why the male behave in such waysRead MoreHamlet: A Tragic Hero Essays697 Words   |  3 Pagestragedy 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 m odel 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