Hamlet Fatal Flaw Analysis

Finding the Fatal Flaw in Hamlet

William Shakespeare’s works in which the protagonist portrays a major flaw that ultimately ends with a dramatic conclusion is called a Shakespearean tragedy. The main character has the ability to be a hero however he is unable to prevail his fault. These imperfections the protagonist has are referred to as ‘fatal flaws’. In Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” Hamlet’s fatal flaw is his inability to follow through with his actions; he could not commit to suicide, nor to killing his father’s murderer while he is praying.

Committing suicide is considered a sin in religious faith. Immediately following King Hamlet’s death, Queen Gertrude abruptly marries Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius. Flabbergasted

He also struggles with the unknown. In Shakespeare’s most famous soliloquy Hamlet states “To be, or not to be, that is the question…Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep….” (1051). Hamlet is wondering if it is better to be alive and miserable, or fight for what he believes is morally right and die. He is apprehensive about the mystery of what is beyond the grave. Does one act asleep and have no consciousness? Is there a Heaven? These are questions Hamlet asks himself. Dr. Seema Rana agrees that Hamlet has an “… irresolute and wavering mind, and his incapacity for all human beings” (158). The unsteadiness of the situation limits his ability to focus on what his father’s spirit instructs him to

When encountering King Hamlet’s ghost, Hamlet is told that his Uncle Claudius poured poison into the king’s ear while he was sleeping. King Hamlet’s spirit asks for retaliation. Agreeing with Domínguez-Rué and Mrotzek “Hamlet’s main problem is that he must avenge his father’s death (674). Instead of getting revenge on Claudius immediately, Hamlet procrastinates by putting on “The Mousetrap”, a reenactment of his father’s murder. Hamlet hopes the play’s title will trigger a response in Claudius. Once he sees Claudius’s shocking reaction to the murder scene, Hamlet confirms his suspicions toward the new King. He follows the King, prepared to avenge his father’s death and sees Claudius confessing his sins to God. However, Claudius is not truly confessing, therefore the situation is dramatic irony. Robert W. Flint confirms by stating “Hamlet feels, with the King, that heaven keeps an audit of human deeds, and he is unwilling to kill the praying King for fear he might go to heaven—and herein is a double irony since the audience knows that prayer is useless, the King having forgotten the true meaning of it” (23). Another possible reasoning for not killing the king is “because at that time the sudden death of the King might cause panic to the people and danger to the state” (Junqing 2077). It is possible Hamlet; Prince of Denmark was indeed looking