Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, centers around Hamlet’s contemplation of killing his uncle in order to avenge his father’s death. His decisions and values determine his fate. However, Hamlet’s intended action to avenge his father’s death is continuously postponed due to his moral dilemma. However, this moral dilemma causes him to make the decisions he does, and therefore, demonstrates the theme of his uncertainty versus his faith. Not only does faith stop him from taking alternative routes to achieve his goal, but his uncertainty causes him to either delay his revenge or make the wrong decisions. In fact, the decisions he makes also define him to be the epitome of the Aristotelian tragic hero. Thus, Shakespeare pairs the idea …show more content…
This archetype is shown through Hamlet’s values and actions. One aspect of a tragic hero is that the character must be flawed in his judgment. For example, upon listening to Claudius’ confession of to God, Hamlet confirms that Claudius is his father’s murderer. However, he still delays in killing him. Once more, Hamlet makes the wrong choice, believing that this is not the right time to kill Claudius. To further elaborate, Hamlet, explains, “Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge” (Hamlet 3.3.79). Hamlet believes that he will not be doing his father justice if he kills Claudius after he is forgiven of his sins. Hamlet continues, “To take him in the purging of his soul / When he is fit and season 'd for his passage?... / Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent” (Ham.3.3.85–88). By not taking advantage of the opportunity, Hamlet once again delays in fulfilling his vow to his father. Although, he is given a perfect opportunity to kill Claudius, his tendency to overthink often causes him to procrastinate in fulfilling his responsibility, therefore, becoming his major flaw. Another element of the Aristotelian tragic hero is the reversal of fate, or rather a change for the worse. He does possess the potential to claim the throne, restore order in the kingdom, and to keep his family in power of the crown. However, these outcomes are only possible if he can execute his plan with swiftness. Instead, Hamlet …show more content…
However, Hamlet’s goes through a journey of different feelings towards this motivation. Hamlet is initially ardent to kill Claudius, driven by his anger and hate towards him. For example, Hamlet describes his hate for Claudius when he exclaims, “O villain, villain, smiling, damnèd villain!...At least I’m sure it may be so in Denmark (1.5.107–110). His description of Claudius as the villain shows that Hamlet seeks to commit justice for the corruption that Claudius has brought about. Hamlet continues, “So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word” (1.5.111). From the very beginning, Hamlet describes it as his responsibility. Although initially eager to carry out this responsibility, Hamlet becomes hesitant to fulfill his vow as the story progresses. In fact, he contemplates the act of revenge as he continues to observe the corruption around him. Although he wants to avenge his father’s death, he also does not see the act of killing as moral. As a result, his revenge no longer becomes a desire, but rather a burden that continues to stay with him until he is relieved of it at death. To relieve himself of his frustration. However, Hamlet is reminded several times to carry out his duty. For example, after seeing Prince Fortinbras’ army conquer land in Poland, he expresses, “When honour 's at the stake. That have a father kill 'd, a mother stain 'd, / Excitements of my reason and my blood,/ ...My thoughts be
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Show MoreHowever, Hamlet cannot just kill in cold blood, he takes time to plan out every move and analyze the rights, wrongs, and consequences of every step he makes while seeking his revenge. Hamlet says in his soliloquy in 2.2.594-598: “This is most brave, That I, the son of a dear father murdered, Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words And fall a-cursing like a very drab, A scullion!” This quote is proof that Hamlet cannot seem to grasp why he cannot bring himself to kill Claudius. Hamlet comes across as a decent man. Killing is not something he can do in cold blood.
Hamlet, also, could not get over the death of his father. He found out when his father’s ghost came back that his brother, and Hamlet’s uncle, murdered him. He then was willing to do anything possible to get revenge on Claudius, his uncle. Both of
Hamlet became tasked with killing Claudius and his ill feelings towards his uncle are no laughing matter. This is clearly shown when Hamlet says, “Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain! O, vengeance!” (Shakespeare, II, ii, 582-583) to describe his father’s murderer. Throughout the soliloquy, there is a tone of fury--at Claudius, at the world, and at himself.
Although Hamlet wants to avenge his father’s death, he admits that he is dishonest and weak. “Tears in his eyes, distraction in his aspect, A broken voice, and his whole function suiting. With forms to his conceit? And all for nothing!”(2.2.565-567). Hamlet is starting to break
So this pushes Hamlet to lead his friends to their death. As a result,Hamlet was betrayed by his comrades who works for a king that is a murderer who took another king’s
In addition, he suffers from hesitancy in the correctness of their actions. Throughout the play, Hamlet says, “That I, the son of a dear father murder'd, /Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell.” (2.2.581-587) This
Not all people respond with hate and revenge, some people let themselves get walked over but not hamlet. Hamlet does not respond to injustice too kindly. He wants revenge for his father's death, wants to set things right, help out whoever is in charge of people receiving karma by taking things into his own hands. His main goal in the novel is to seek revenge on his father's death, this started when he was visited by the ghost of the old king. The ghost said to him “revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” the ghost of the old king wanted Hamlet to seek revenge on claudius for his ‘unnatural” murder of the kind.
After speaking with the ghost, Hamlet swears to go after Claudius. Hamlet is convinced by the ghost to kill King Claudius. If Hamlet wasn’t so upset or angry about his dad dying, he wouldn’t feel the need to end Claudius. He wouldn’t feel the need to seek revenge in the first place. Trying to kill Claudius
Both the confirmation from the ghost and the determined vow for vengeance seem to provide him with the motivation to live and start taking action. Despite the facts, instead of following the ghost’s instructions and acting immediately, Hamlet fabricates a plan to “put an antic disposition on” in order to deceive Claudius while he plots to murder him. This plan to feign madness allows time for another inner conflict to develop in Hamlet; whether to act on the ghost’s words and take revenge or leave the situation alone and return to contemplating suicide. However, certainty cannot be achieved through overthinking and Hamlet requires certainty to act. His swaying between options and creating excuses to procrastinate causes him to lose faith in himself, those around him and his own life ultimately resulting in suffering for
In a way there was never another route for Hamlet to take but villainy. This is because a heroic character would have challenged Claudius to a duel and quickly avenged his father’s death. Hamlet does not do this, instead he feigns madness with the intent of getting Claudius to admit his guilt. This seems really pointless.
The Prince has a legitimate obligation to avenge his father’s murder and thus restore the status quo; nonetheless, the murderer is the sovereign himself, which leaves him no option but even to take the law into his own hands to achieve through revenge. Hamlet perceives it is wrong to kill a human being as he is a Christian. Moreover, the Prince is very careful which he has been readily condemned for testing his suspicions and trying to find the proof to demonstrate Claudius killed his father. Another admirable characteristic of Hamlet is his extreme intelligence. Javed also states that “[Hamlet] confuses the evidence of his own eyes and common sense with that of the Ghost and must now resort to complicated indirect tactics of observations.
Hamlet no longer wanted to live in this life despair and pain. Another illustration of his indecisiveness is during the play when he had a clear chance to avenge his father by killing Claudius but choose not to do so, because he thought that Claudius was repenting for his
Of all the characters in Hamlet, the most dynamic and interesting character is Hamlet. From his good qualities to his bad qualities, Hamlet epitomizes a tragic hero. The characteristics that make Hamlet who he is are also the ones that lead to his tragic death at the end of the play. Hamlet is passionate about his family, which is a good and a bad quality. From the beginning of the play, Hamlet displays complete grief over the death of his father.
As Hamlet expresses his anger at his mother, he hears a noise from the tapestry, and, thinking it is a rat, kills Polonius with his sword (3.4.24). Hamlet is overcome with revenge, and becomes easily irritable. As a result, he kills Polonius inadvertently. The fact that revenge overrides any rational instinct in Hamlet reminds students that vengeance causes illogical thinking, and, in turn, serious consequences. Removing Hamlet’s cautionary exemplar would significantly impede a teenager’s apprehension of a critical life lesson.
A tragic hero is a multifaceted, admirable character with a tragic flaw that turns his life from glory into suffering. Hamlet is an example. ‘Born’ personality, shifting mentality, and inevitable fate leads to its tragedy which eventually triggers audience’s pity. Unlike other tragedies where tragic heros discover the truths by their own actions at the end of the story, realizing that the reversal was brought by their own actions. Hamlet begins differently by knowing the truth from things happening to him.