Hamlet Tragic Hero Essay

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Will Hamlet avenge his father’s death? Who killed King Hamlet? Is Hamlet really mad? These are the things that keeps the reader intrigued throughout Hamlet. Throughout Hamlet, the main character, Hamlet, is shown to be the tragic hero of the play. A tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgement error that inevitably leads to his or her own destruction. A Greek philosopher, by the name of Aristotle, said that any tragic hero must have a tragic flaw. Hamlet is a perfect example of a tragic hero because of the many tragic flaws he has. Hamlet also experiences suffering in the play and he also learns lessons. The tragic hero is an important character; without one, there wouldn’t be a tragic play. Although Hamlet may anger some readers, he is an important character. Hamlet being next in line for the throne makes him an important character because he’s the Prince of Denmark and he will be able to rule once Claudius dies. Since Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark his social standing is higher and the people love him. Hamlet being loved by the people makes him an important character because it puts Claudius in a bind when he discovers that Hamlet knows he murdered King Hamlet. Claudius says, “He’s loved of the distracted multitude, / who like not in their judgement, but their eyes” (IV.iii.4-5). …show more content…

One lesson he learns is that he must act instead of think. Throughout the play, Hamlet is very indecisive and he cannot seem to make up his mind on anything. He makes mistakes by thinking instead of acting. By the end of the play, Hamlet realizes that he needs to stop thinking about everything and just do it. He has spent the entire play thinking about when the perfect chance will be to get his revenge. Now he is setting his brain aside and letting his actions come forward. Another lesson he learns is that you cannot change your fate and God is in control of everything. At the end of the play, Hamlet says to

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