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The Tragedy of Hamlet
Arguably the best piece of writing ever done by William Shakespeare,
Hamlet the is the classic example of a tragedy. In all tragedies the hero
suffers, and usually dies at the end. Othello stabs himself, Romeo and
Juliet commit suicide, Brutis falls on his sword, and like them Hamlet
dies by getting cut with a poison tipped sword. But that is not all that
is needed to consider a play a tragedy, and sometimes a hero doesn't even
need to die. Making Not every play in which a Hero dies is considered a
tragedy. There are more elements needed to label a play one. Probably the
most important element is an amount of free will. In every tragedy, the
characters must displays some. If every action is controlled by a hero's
destiny, then the hero's death can't be avoided, and in a tragedy the sad
part is that it could. Hamlet's death could have been avoided many times.
Hamlet had many opportunities to kill Claudius, but did not take advantage
of them. He also had the option of making his claim public, but instead
he chose not too. A tragic hero doesn't need to be good. For example,
MacBeth was evil, yet he was a tragic hero, because he had free will. He
also had only one flaw, and that was pride. He had many good traits such
as bravery, but his one bad trait made him evil. Also a tragic hero
doesn't have to die. While in all Shakespearean tragedies, the hero dies,
in others he may live but suffer "Moral Destruction". In Oedipus Rex, the
proud yet morally blind king plucks out his eyes, and has to spend his
remaining days as a wandering, sightless beggar, guided at every painful
step by his daughter, Antigone. A misconception about tragedies is that
nothing good comes out of them, but it is actually the opposite. In Romeo
and Juliet, although both die, they end the feud between the Capulets and
the Montegues. Also, Romeo and Juliet can be together in heaven. In Hamlet,
although Hamlet dies, it is almost for the best. How could he have any
pleasure during the rest of his life, with his parents and Ophelia dead.
Also, although Hamlet dies, he is able to kill Claudius and get rid of the
evil ruling the throne. Every tragic play must have a tragic hero. The
tragic hero must possess many good traits, as well as one flaw, which
eventually leads to his downfall. A tragic hero must be brave and noble.
In Othello, Othello had one fatal flaw, he was too great. Othello was too
brave, too noble, and especially too proud to allow himself to be led back
to Venice in chains. A tragic hero must not back down from his position.
He also has to have free will, in order to stand up for what he believes
in. Finally, the audience must have some sympathy for the tragic hero. In
MacBeth, although MacBeth commits many murders, one almost feels sorry for
him and his fate. Hamlet is the perfect example of the tragic hero. Hamlet
has all the good traits needed to be a tragic hero. He is brave and daring.
One example of this is that when he went to England, he was taking a big
risk. If his plan didn't work, he would have been executed He also is also
loyal. His loyalty to his father, was the reason he was so angry at
Claudius and his Mother. Another trait was that he was intelligent. He was
able to think up the idea of faking insanity, in order to get more
information about Claudius. But Hamlet like all other tragic hero's had a
flaw. He couldn't get around to doing anything, because he couldn't move
on. He was a full grown adult, yet he still attended school in England,
because he couldn't move on. Also, it took him a long time to stop
grieving about his father, because he didn't want to move past that part
of his life. And after he finally did, Hamlet couldn't get around to
killing Claudius. He kept pretending he was insane even after he was sure
that Claudius killed his father. The final example of Hamlet's inability
to get around to do anything was that he was dating Ophelia for a long
time, but never got around to marrying her. The audience was able to feel
sympathy for Hamlet too. He had just lost his father, and his mother
remarried so quickly that according to him they could have used the
leftover food from the funeral in the wedding reception. Also, the
audience could feel that Hamlet loved his parents and this sudden change
was hurting him. In any tragedy there is a tragic hero, and he must
possess certain characteristics in order to be one. He must have many
good traits such as loyalty and bravery, but one bad one such as pride.
Also the audience must have sympathy for the hero. A tragic hero also must
have free will or his fate would be decided for him, and his death could
be avoided. Finally, the audience must have sympathy for the tragic hero,
or it wouldn't seem so tragic. Hamlet is a perfect example of a tragic
hero. He was brave, loyal, and intelligent, but he couldn't move on past
one thing, which led to his death. he had a choice of how he would deal
with Claudius, and like other tragic hero's made a decision. Also, the
audience was able to feel sympathy for the position Hamlet was in. These
attributes made Hamlet the perfect example of a tragic hero.
Word Count: 950
ADDITIONAL FEATURED ESSAYS
Hamlet Polonius Family
In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the death of a character becomes a frequent event. Although many people lose their l
The Tragedy Of Hamlet
In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the death of a character becomes a frequent event. Although many people lose their li
The Tragedy Of Hamlet
In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the death of a character becomes a frequent event. Although many people lose their li
Poem: The Fate Of Hamlet
Betrayed by kinship and rebuked, Resentment toward his mother the queen, Stemmed from him trying to be redeemed. Many ti
Hamlet 7
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a play full of sorrow and excitement, its full of gore and incest. The play has a
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