The story of Hamlet was in fact a tragedy literary story. Hamlet is the main character in this story and he is struggling with physical and mental tragic flaws. A tragic flaw is a secret weakness of a character that brings a devastating downfall. Everyone is really thinking something is up with Hamlet and that he is really falling apart. Understanding that this story was about Prince Hamlet's tragic flaw leading to his inevitable demise could be the most accurate way to comprehend the plot.
In the beginning of the story Hamlet’s father dies. He is killed by Hamlet’s uncle, and which he takes the throne and marries Hamlet’s mother. So at this time Hamlet is feed up and bitter to everyone. Because he knows his mother is wrong for marrying the brother of her deceased husband. Soon after Hamlet’s mother Gertrude marries Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle a ghost visits Hamlet.
Hamlet starts to get visits from his father. The first visit from his father, he tells Hamlet about his death. Hamlet’s father shares with Hamlet that Claudius killed him. Hamlet’s father want Hamlet to seek revenge on who killed his father. “Haste me to know 't, that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to my revenge.” Act 1. Scene 5. Lines 31-37.
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The people of the town thought Hamlet would talk to himself and be rude to others. Hamlet also killed the family friend on accident thinking it would be the king instead. And he also was debated with himself if he should take his own life or not. “To be, or not to be, that is the question” Act 3. Scene 1. Lines 63-78. All together Hamlet was just losing his sense of mind. The king, Claudius orders for Prince Hamlet to be killed in another country. But that didn't work out as plan because Hamlet came back to town the same person he left
at this opportunity. In Act III, scene I, line 55, “To be or not to be...”,
Hamlet is a character that we love to read about and analyze. His character is so realistic, and he is so romantic and idealistic that it is hard not to like him. He is the typical young scholar facing the harsh reality of the real world. In this play, Hamlet has come to a time in his life where he has to see things as they really are. Hamlet is an initiation story. Mordecai Marcus states "some initiations take their protagonists across a threshold of maturity and understanding but leave them enmeshed in a struggle for certainty"(234). And this is what happens to Hamlet.
Hamlet is first tormented by the death of his father, the king of Denmark. Then he is cast into utter agony when Gertrude, the mother he loves dearly is hastily married to his uncle, Claudius. Through a ghostly revelation, Hamlet learns that his suspicions that Claudius murdered his father are true. He becomes incensed and wants to enact revenge upon the guilty party. From this point on, Hamlet struggles with his plan for revenge that conflicts with his opposite contemplative nature.
Displaying an 'antic disposition', Hamlet first attempts to side step his trepidation by feigning madness. After meeting with his fathers proposed ghost, Hamlet attempts to distance himself from the thought or evidence of death. Hamlet notifies his friends, Marcellus and Horatio, of his plan to distract the kingdom from his real intentions. Although Hamlet proposes this as a way to fool those in Denmark, in the last lines of his meeting with Horatio and Marcellus, he curses that this revenge be placed upon him. This is the first indication of Hamlets reluctance to perform murder. Hamlet then returns to Claudius and Gertrude, at the castle, and acts out his madness for them and for the visitor, Polonius. Upon speaking to Polonius, Polonius picks up upon Hamlets 'madness', yet decides that this unnatural nature is because if Ophelia's behavior toward Hamlet. Indication of Hamlets fear is presented when Polonius asks leave of the prince. Hamlet then states that Polonius can take anything from him, anything but his life. Hamlet repeats thrice this idea of taking anything 'except [his] life.' Not only does this indicate how compulsive Hamlets fake insanity is becoming, but how afraid he is of dying. During the 'To be or not to be' soliloquy, Hamlet contemplates his view of death. As he go...
Clearly this shows Hamlet grieving his father’s death while showing hostility to the king and queen for being so deathly cold about the previous king’s death. Also the readers can also see in Hamlet’s opening dialogue, it shows that he still has not come to terms with his father’s death and is still in the state of shock when we first see him.
After Hamlet talks to the ghost of his father, he finds out that Claudius killed him to gain the throne of Denmark. Hamlet has to get revenge by killing Claudius. To do this, he must act insane to draw away suspicion from himself. Hamlet says to Hortaio "How strange or odd some’er I bear myslef as I perchanse hereafter shall think meet to put an antic dispostion on,"(I;v;170-172), this indicates that from this moment Hamlet will act insane. He believes this way he will be able to kill the king and get away with it. Polonius becomes aware of Hamlet’s madness and wants to uncover the reason behind it. He says "Mad let us grant him then, and now remains, that we find out the cause of this defect, for this effect defective comes by cause."(II;ii;100-103). Claudius and Polonius spy on Hamlet and Ophelia as they talk. After hearing their conversation Claudius says "And I do doubt the hatch and the disclose will be some danger; which for to prevent, I have in quick determination thus set it down: he shall with speed to England"(III;i;163-166). This means that Claudius is starting to believe Hamlet is dangerous and wants to send him to England. From this point Claudius is very suspicious of Hamlet, he suspects that Hamlet is plotting against him, he says, "Madness in great ones must not unwatched go.
Hamlet is the son of Queen Gertrude, this type of parent and child conflicts are somewhat common in some of Shakespeare’s plays. The events surrounding these characters must be taken into account as we watch the attitudes and personalities of Gertrude and Hamlet change as the play progresses. They have their own unique places in the story but do not always mesh well together when thrown into a conflict. Throughout the play hamlet struggles to keep his sanity. This is especially apparent after his father’s ghost visits him. The ghost tells him that his father was murdered by his uncle Claudius, who is the curre...
"To be, or not to be, that is the question."(Hamlet) This is the question that plagues Hamlet through the entire play. Should I live or should I die, should I take revenge for my father's death? These are all issues that Hamlet battles within himself. Hamlet's indecision is followed by inaction. The reason for this struggle with indecision can be based on many factors or on a combination of a few.
People all around the world are familiar with the “To be or not to be” speech. Although some might not realize it is a speech by Hamlet, they do realize how powerful those lines are. Those lines show the mark of a great philosopher, and this is precisely what Hamlet is. Because Hamlet is such a fantastic philosopher at the start of the play, it leads him to what some believe is his downfall. The fact that perhaps he thinks too much on the people and incidents surrounding him is really what pulls him down. He spends an excessive amount of his day thinking about every aspect of every event.
Hamlet’s anger and grief- primarily stemming from his mother’s marriage to Claudius- brings him to thoughts of suicide, which only subside as a result of it being a mortal and religious sin. The fact that he wants to take his own life demonstrates a weakness in his character; a sense of cowarness, his decision not to kill himself because of religious beliefs shows that this weakness is balanced with some sense of morality. Such an obvious paradox is only one example of the inner conflict and turmoil that will eventually lead to Hamlet’s downfall.
Hamlet is a victim of himself in this play. Throughout the entire play Hamlet is very confused, indecisive, and blinded by his mission for vengeance. It also seems that while he is angry about the murder of his father he tries to maintain certain relationships, for example the relationship with his mother, to a fault of allowing himself to be deceived. It is clear many times during the play that Hamlet is confused as to how to proceed in certain situations. These are actions of a person that does not have the clear thought of a mature man.
Claudius killed Hamlet’s dad and then married his mom to become the leader of Denmark. Later in the play, Hamlet sees his dad’s ghost and is informed of the horrific act committed by his uncle. Hamlets’ dad’s ghost says, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (I. V. 25). Hamlets’ dad says this to Hamlet so that his uncle could get retribution for his actions. Hamlet has many opportunities to kill Claudius, but is unable because of the wrong timing.
Hamlet's fatal flaw is his inability to act. Unlike his father, Hamlet lets his intelligence rather than his heroism govern him. When he has a chance to kill Claudius, and take vengeance for his father's murder, he hesitates, reckoning that if he kills the man while he is at prayer, Claudius would have asked for pardon from the Lord and been forgiven of his sins, therefore allowing him to enter Heaven. Hamlet decides to wait for a better opening. His flaw of being hesitant in the end leads to his own death, and also the deaths of Gertrude, Ophelia, Laertes, and Claudius.
Shakespeare's time period and individuals of today alike were, and still very much intrigued by many aspects of the play. Shakespeare was able to miraculously capture the audience, despite the common folk’s ignorance. The play is often referred to as The Tragedy of Hamlet. And while Hamlet does exhibit some characteristics of a tragic hero he lacks the most fundamental of all; a tragic flaw and the element of free choice.
Soon after the death of Hamlet’s father, Claudius, King Hamlet’s uncle, married Hamlet’s mom, Gertrude. Initial what bothered Hamlet most was the death of his father and the fact that his mother remarried so quickly. To Hamlet, it felt as if Gertrude did not fully pay her respects. However, after meeting and speaking with the ghost of his father, he learned the terrible truth. Claudius murdered the King to take the throne. Hamlet toys with the idea of suicide because it would be an easy way to end his problems.