ipl-logo

Hamlet And Julie Tragic Hero

1771 Words8 Pages

This paper will argue that both title characters from Hamlet and Miss Julie are tragic heroes in an absurd world. Both characters find themselves fighting an immortal battle; Hamlet is struggling for identity and meaning, Julie for independence and freedom. Hamlet 's struggle takes place after the betrayal of his father which throws him into a depressive and self-destructive cycle of indecision and contemplation. Julie 's struggle takes place slowly throughout her entire life, accelerating with her failed engagement and her relations with the servant Jean. This essay will explore the elements of a tragic hero and to what extent they apply to Hamlet and Julie. The intentions of Strindberg regarding Julie as a tragic hero will also be …show more content…

Firstly, it has to be an individual of a relatively high socio-economic status, they also have to be generally good and beloved. They have to be relatable to the intended audience and reflect the audience 's deepest fears and desires. Lastly, a tragic hero must possess a fatal flaw, a hamartia, which triggers their tragic fall from grace. The tragic hero is portrayed as both the hero and the victim, usually victimized by their own flaw as much as by their unfortunate circumstance. Both Hamlet and Julie exhibit all of these elements, whether by author 's intention or not as will be addressed further …show more content…

Turning now to the absurd world of the two plays. To begin with, Hamlet finds himself in a world of actors where no one is who they seem. Claudius is playing the role of the king though his betrayal would suggest he is not meant to be king. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are playing the role of Hamlet 's friends while secretly working for Claudius. Even fair Ophelia, who Hamlet thought honest deceives him in Act 3 scene 1. Hamlet himself is characteristically indecisive of what role to play as is seen in his "to be or not to be" monologue (3.1). On another note, Hamlet appears to be the only one grieving for his late father. Claudius assumed the throne and carried on as king, Hamlet 's mother remarried and carried on as queen. Hamlet even acknowledges "how/ cheerfully [his] mother looks" (3.2.116-117) so soon after his father 's death. Hamlet 's grief juxtaposed with the lack of grief in the other characters serves to alienate him from the world around him, as briefly mentioned before. Being alienated from his world serves to make it appear more absurd and meaningless to him. In understanding how Hamlet feels about the world around him, we can better understand his motivations

Show More
Related

  • Claudius As A Bad Father In William Shakespeare's Hamlet

    174 Words  | 1 Pages

    At the beginning of Act 1 of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Claudius conveys himself as a bad father to Hamlet because he only cares about himself and how to move up in the kingdom. Hamlet’s father has died less than two months ago and he is still grieving. His mother and Claudius on the other hand are getting married and celebrating his coronation. Claudius does not acknowledge Hamlet until after his celebrations. Hamlet does not show any emotion about the wedding or coronation which makes Claudius feel like he does not care about him or his mother.

    Read More

  • Ethan Frome's Hamlet As A Tragic Hero

    729 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ethan Frome from the book Ethan Frome fits the description of a tragic hero, but only in some aspects. In most aspects, Ethan more closely fits the description of a pathetic coward. Ethan Frome does have a reversal of fortune because of his error in judgement, but Ethan is not hubris, nor is his fate greater than he deserved. Conversely, Hamlet does fit the mold of a tragic hero well. He had a flaw of judgement in deciding to avenge his father, his fortune is reversed from a wealthy prince to a dead man, Hamlet does realize he brought about his own fate, he does have excessive pride, and his fate is the worst kind of fate; death.

    Read More

  • Grief In Hamlet's Grief

    1071 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet struggles to cope with his late father’s death and his mother’s quick marriage. In Act 1, Scene 2, King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, and Hamlet are all introduced. Hamlet has just finished publicly speaking with his mom and the new king, and after he is interrupted by his good friend Horatio, who reveal the secret about King Hamlet’s ghost. Hamlet’s soliloquy is particularly crucial because it serves as his initial characterization, revealing the causes of his anguish. Hamlet’s grief is apparent to the audience, as he begins lamenting about the uselessness of life.

    Read More

  • Hamlet's Foil Characters

    871 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hamlet on the other hand tends to share his and others people’s desires when choosing what actions to take. His actions have shown that he cares about other people’s feelings. This becomes obvious when Hamlet apologizes to Laertes and when he agrees immediately to help his dead father exact revenge. This decision to help his father wholeheartedly is initially what started Hamlet down his path to his death. This shows the flaw that he is will to do whatever to help his father even if it means dying.

    Read More

  • Importance Of Adversity In Hamlet

    898 Words  | 4 Pages

    we see prince Hamlet feeling far from cheerful due to his father 's death and his unstable family. He shows his hardships and loss of identity throughout the story, but we see it in-depth during his mourning phase when he can 't seem to deal with anyone. He goes to the people that he feels close to, the ones he can trust, and his perspective on life and maturity grow throughout the story. Adversity can at first leave us feeling a strong sense of emotion, people gradually take more control and act rationally and more stable. Hamlet is affected harshly with deep and dark feelings of thought and emotion when his father passed away.

    Read More

  • Hamlet Essay: Are Hamlet's Actions Justified?

    809 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hamlet was also dealing with a lot of emotions that are hard to deal with not to mention control. Hamlet was all so feeling betrayal in all of his relationships as stated before. Hamlet’s mother moved on to Claudius so fast (less than two months) that Hamlet thought she didn’t love his father the way he thought while growing up or maybe she only married him to stay queen. Then Claudius tells Hamlet to move on and that mourning for this long is unmanly and he should move on because everybody dies. That just pushed Hamlet over the top and he decided to get

    Read More

  • Summary Of Simon Godwin's Hamlet

    1436 Words  | 6 Pages

    There is something refreshing and new in the Hamlet play that is directed by Simon Godwin. In this play the text has not been radically altered but it is clear from the beginning of the play that something is different. The one noticeable new thing in the play directed by Simon Godwin is the opening image of Hamlet getting a degree at the University. Additionally, it is the dilemma that awaits him at home weather to confront the familiar murder, a ghost of his father or to revenge. The production by Simon does more in the definition of the Claudius’s regime who was known to be a military tyrant and from the production it is difficult to know if he was a western puppet or a dangerous despot.

    Read More

  • Was Hamlet Truly Insane?

    1457 Words  | 6 Pages

    Contrasting his attitudes with the moments that the king walks in, his behavior towards Polonius while the play is preparing, and his actions to Ophelia during the play, Hamlet is sporadic, when alone with Horatio, he is calm and collected, then again the sudden resumption to his “antic disposition” when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter. There is a long break in which we don’t sense any insanity from Hamlet, this is due to the fact that he has no need to assume his disguise. When we find Hamlet with the players, he is giving them directions for the play. With the players, Hamlet acts normal and of sound mind because the players are not likely to betray him, they don’t have the opportunity or the wish to do so.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Redemption In Hamlet

    1386 Words  | 6 Pages

    With regards to the loss of his father, Hamlet lost his sense of self-worth/value. He began to question life and whether it was specifically for him as a result of his mother marrying his uncle, Claudius, in a month's time after her husband’s death. Through the visitation of Old King Hamlet’s ghost, Hamlet was able to find purpose in life which, destroy his core issue of an insecure/unstable sense. Likewise, Hamlet had the ability to control his psyche in order for his antic disposition to work; this all lead for his quest to murder Claudius to be successful. After the encounter with the Old King’s ghost, Hamlet says, “The time is out of joint.

    Read More

  • Psychological Events In Hamlet

    1140 Words  | 5 Pages

    He was to the point where he thought it would just be easier to die than to live with all these struggles. Hamlet’s uncle Claudius killed his father which put a huge burden on his shoulders because he loved his father so much. What made it even worse was his mom, Gertrude, ended up marrying Claudius short after King Hamlet 's death. After the king was murdered, Hamlet saw his father’s “ghost” which told him that Claudius was in fact the one that killed him and that he wanted Hamlet to seek revenge for him by killing Claudius, but not to punish his mother for remarrying. He said it is not his place to do so and that heaven will judge her when it comes time.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Hamlet And Machiavelli

    910 Words  | 4 Pages

    Michael Olufunsho Fafemi Alan Rosiene HUM 2052 February 6 2018 Hamlet, The Claudius similarity and Machiavellism Shakespeare through the play Hamlet portrays many complex themes through the various characters in the play. Hamlet, the protagonist is in particular a mesh of various complexities and ideas. He is often caught in between his own opposing characteristics and these ultimately affect the course of his actions.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Man Vs. Self In Shakespeare's Hamlet

    873 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout the play, Hamlet is forced to make difficult decisions; as he is conflicted with almost every decision he makes, his uncertainty and unsophisticated thoughts will eventually lead to his downfall. Man vs. Self is a common theme in Shakespeare’s work, and Hamlet is no exception. The most distinct example of this sophisticated concept is Hamlet himself. When analyzed thoroughly, Hamlet is his greatest obstacle and enemy. The earliest of his internal conflicts is when his mother married his uncle, Claudius, in such a short window of time after his father’s death.

    Read More

  • The Affects Of Hamlet's Perspective On Life

    402 Words  | 2 Pages

    He is later disgusted by his mother’s quick remarriage to his uncle, Claudius, almost two months after the death of his father who was also his mother’s husband. After Hamlet’s conversation with his father’s ghost in which Hamlet was told that his father was murdered by Claudius, he became filled with even more grief because he has a difficult duty of killing his uncle in order to avenge his father’s death. This is seen in the “to be or not to be” soliloquy.

    Read More

  • Is Hamlet A Hero

    887 Words  | 4 Pages

    In William Shakespeare 's play Hamlet, the most heroic and brave character is young Hamlet. Despite the fact Hamlet is stranded amidst a court filled with dishonesty and misconduct and is confronted by the death of his father and his mom 's relatively quick marriage to his father 's brother, he is viewed as daring and bold in the minds of readers. For, it is his courageousness, fearlessness, determination and bravery that proves that Hamlet is not only a strong willed individual but also the most heroic character in the play. " But two months dead…my poor father’s body…why she married with my uncle, my father’s brother, but no more like my father…But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue" (

    Read More

  • Hamlet: A Psychological Approach In Shakespeare's Hamlet

    1673 Words  | 7 Pages

    The leading force for Hamlet’s behavior to change is his mother marrying her dead husband’s brother two months later. In the play Hamlet states “O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason/ Would have mourned longer-married with my uncle,/ My father’s brother, but no more like my father” ( I.ii.150-152). This explains that Hamlet is frustrated because his mother moved on so fast and it seemed to him that she never really loved King Hamlet. Hamlet also claims that “Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief,/That can denote me truly” ( I.ii.82-83 ). Hamlet is trying to tell his mother Queen Gertrude how he feels after the

    Read More

More about Hamlet And Julie Tragic Hero

Open Document