Hamlet’s Tragic Flaw William Shakespeare is seen as one of the best play writers to this day. He was able to make tragedies and explain human emotion in a way that is still relevant today. Hamlet is a character that has humanity and is a strong character since he values human life. Unfortunately, this also leads to his indecisiveness and inability to act, which ultimately is his tragic flaw. Hamlet first shows indecisiveness toward killing himself and can’t decide whether or not life is worth it.
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet intricately weaves in a dualistic the theme of cowardice and bravery in the spiralling plot revolving around the palpable effects of King Hamlet’s death. The young prince, distraught by the recent death of his beloved father as well as his mother’s hasty marriage to his uncle, oscillates between decisions “to be or not to be.”*to act or not to act- Throughout the majority of the play, Prince Hamlet fails to take action, hence remaining in a state of neither being or not being. Hamlet’s emotional state, in turmoil due to grief and rage, further deteriorates after the unanticipated appearance of the Ghost of King Hamlet in the first Act. After hearing the Ghost’s story in which the present king, Claudius, is King
While it is rather apparent that throughout the entirety of the play Hamlet suffers from depression. He is unsure of what he should do about it. He often contemplates the idea of committing suicide. Hamlet becomes fascinated with the act of suicide, but ultimately he does not take any action towards his thoughts. Hamlet's depression first becomes evident in the first soliloquy that he performs that occurs in Act 1 Scene 2.
His indecisiveness has puzzled many. Shakespeare uses the indecisiveness of Hamlet to demonstrate that human life is about acting, not thinking. At the beginning of the play Hamlet encounters a ghost while out with his friends. The sight shocks him, but he decides to follow it. The ghost is his father, and they begin to have a full conversation.
Some other characters, such as Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, and others, have struggles of their own, as shown by their various dialogue, soliloquies, thoughts, and actions. Characters that face mental and emotional turmoil are common in works by Shakespeare, and Hamlet is no exception. Hamlet struggles with his own mental health and sorrows throughout the play. He constantly battles his own sanity, often questioning it himself. When his father dies, Hamlet is incredibly grief-stricken and returns to Denmark from Germany to attend the funeral.
Denmark’s Demise through Foil Characters in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet In his quest for revenge in order to retaliate the responsible party for the death of his father, the character of Hamlet in William Shakespeare’s famed play Hamlet is coincidentally supported by a range of characters through their actions that emphasize the protagonist’s idiosyncrasy of inaction – thus, justifying the conclusion of the play. His lover, Ophelia, emphasizes Hamlet’s hypothesized lack of masculinity which makes him subject to the “female-like” decision making process. Ophelia’s brother, Laertes, brings light to Hamlet’s inability to act promptly enough as intended. Lastly, his opposition, Fortinbras, draws attention to Hamlet’s lack of presence within the
After the scuffle between Hamlet and Laertes and the collapse of Gertrude, Laertes tells Hamlet that the dagger and the Queen were poisoned by King Claudius. Hamlet immediately injures the King and forces the remaining poison down his throat in a moment of insanity, before collapsing and dying himself. Though Hamlet’s “antic disposition” began after learning about the death of his father to obscure his investigation and revenge against his uncle Claudius, Hamlet retained his sanity and was able to think and speak rationally when alone, or with Horatio or his mother. In Acts IV and V, however, Hamlet becomes more mentally and emotionally unstable, and descends into moments of pure insanity, where his rationale is overcome by his
This soliloquy opens with Hamlet calling himself a wretched villain who lacks courage to carry out his mission. At this moment, Hamlet is unsure if he is making heroic choices in avenging his father, or if he is the villain doing unspeakable deeds. “Bloody, bawdy villain! Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!” (569-570). Gradually, he will come to question if the ghost he saw was truly his father, or some other malicious apparition.
Like many things, Hamlet is intelligent and honorable, but his indecisiveness is the cause of his tragic downfall. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare portrays that Hamlet is very incapable of finishing the task at hand. Throughout the drama Hamlet faces many trials and tribulations due to his late father Hamlet, who was murderously killed by Claudius. His inability to kill Claudius and himself is one grand flaw of an epic hero. After King Hamlets passing, Hamlet entered an unknown state of mind that not only feared others for his wellbeing, but also feared himself.
In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare presents Prince Hamlet as a tragic hero. The play Hamlet is about a prince whose father has been murdered by his own brother, Claudius in order to be the king. In Addition to that, Claudius marries his brother's wife. Later Hamlet sees the ghost of his father and tells him to get revenge for him by killing Claudius and as he tries to get his revenge it causes the death of the whole family. Hamlet can be interpreted as a tragic hero since he has a noble mind, fatal flaw and he is mentally wounded resulting in his own death.