Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Who is the villain in hamlet
Who is the villain in hamlet
Who is the villain in hamlet
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Who is the villain in hamlet
According to wordrefernce.com a tragic villain is defined as a character usually an antagonist that does not truly intend to be a villain. In Shakespeare’s Othello and Hamlet the villains of the play certainly meet most of the criteria. However, there are times when Claudius, and Iago waver from the traditional path. In Shakespeare’s writing as it turns out the villains are not just tragic villains, and have characteristics that differ from the classic definitions. In order to know how Iago and Claudius stray from the path, it’s important to know what the defining characteristics are for a tragic villain. The first example, is that the villain is not really trying to hurt the hero, but is doing their actions for their own motives. An example of this is Mr. Freeze from the DC comics universe. Mr. Freeze does not want to kill Batman, he wants to revive his wife, and needs to do illegal things to try to accomplish this. The second characteristic is that they have been or were manipulated in the past. A character who is an example of this is Darth Vader from the Star Wars universe. Darth Vader was manipulated to the dark side by the Emperor. Another characteristic is that the have a tragic backstory. Magneto of the X-Men franchise is an example of this, as he grew to hate normal humans after most of his family and belonging were …show more content…
What he did was unforgivable and could be called pure villainy. However, deep inside Iago does show characteristics of a tragic villain. Iago does actually gives good advice, and kind of helps Cassio with his problems. After giving advice to Cassio when Cassio got kicked out, Iago says “When this advice is free I give, and honest,/Probal to thinking, and indeed the course/To win the Moor again?” (Othello.II.iii.304-306) Iago even admits that what he is doing is actually a pretty good thing, because its the best way to win Othello back. Iago however does show characteristics of classic
In Shakespeare's play Othello, Iago Is shown to be the villain. With the cunning use of his brilliance and manipulation, he is able to orchestrate an entire plot to take his revenge on Othello the center of all his ill tempered aggression. By lying to characters like Roderigo and many others, including his wife, in order to
The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, defined the “Tragic Hero” — his idea of a tragedy’s main character. The Tragic Hero has good intentions, but his own actions result in his downfall. The hero is usually male, of noble birth, and may have supernatural experiences. Although he may not initially fully comprehend the consequences of his choices, he eventually understand their contributions to his doom. There are characters in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar who may fit some of these characteristics. Caesar is unexpectedly killed by senators for his political approach when he assumed he was serving Rome. Antony loses his dear comrade and friend, Caesar, and tries to avenge him, but his efforts are in vain. Caesar and Antony do not meet Aristotle’s definition of the Tragic Hero in full context. However, Brutus clearly represents Aristotle’s Tragic Hero as his intentions for killing Julius Caesar were to protect the empire he loved. and brought upon him personal destruction.
Iago, the obvious villain in this love story gone array shows his true colors from the very begin of the play. Iago speaking with Roderigo in act I tells Roderigo that “I know my price; I am worth no worse a place” speaking about himself in a conceited way; referring to a promotion to luntenit that was not given to him but instead to Cassio. Iago later confesses that he only follows Othello so he can turn on him "I follow him to serve my turn upon him." Iago in upset after several years of service he wasn’t promoted but instead it was Cassio who receives the promotion (Give several quotes) Iago seems to want to hide under reasons and excuses behind his action. The dastardly villain makes it clear that he isn’t just immoral; he...
...ng. Iago did morally wrong things throughout all of Othello. He lied more than anything and was manipulative and also very deceiving. We see multiple examples of this. Iago cause quite a few people pain, injury and harm. He made Othello believe Desdemona was cheating on him which caused Othello great pain. Iago indicated future misfortune from the beginning of Othello. Ruining everyone’s life was always apart of Iago’s plan. Now if the death of five people was, we may never know. Iago fits the definition of evil almost perfectly. Iago is pure evil.
Shakespeare develops the character Iago into an instigator and evil man. Iago attempts and succeeds to convince Othello that his wife has had an affair with his friend Cassio. We see Iago beginning his plans at the very start of the play. “But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at, I am not what I am.”(Oth 1:1:64-65) He immediately tries to start trouble with Brabantio and Othello over the marriage to Desdemona. Iago want to get in Othello’s way because he was passed over for general and Cassio was chosen instead. We see from the start how he plots against Othello and he involves several characters in his plans. “And what’s he then that says I play the villain? When this advice is free. I give and honest, probal to thinking, and indeed the course to win the Moor again? For tis easy Th’ inclining Desdemona to subdue in any honest suit; she’s framed as fruitful…”(2:3:295-300).
Iago is far beyond a monster; he is in league with the devil! His ruthless, false, manipulative nature destroyed the lives or part of lives of almost all the characters in the play! To him his actions were more like a game, the characters just pawned in it. He took a contorted pleasure in seeing the suffering of others. He had no loyalty or compassion to anyone but himself.
Hamlet as a Tragic Hero A tragic hero is a character that has “heroic traits” but also has “flaws or mistakes that ultimately lead to their downfall” (Hogue). Tragic heroes also have heroic traits that earn them the sympathy of the audience” (Hogue).” The character Hamlet is a tragic hero for multiple reasons. These reasons include his love for his father, his distrust in everyone, and his indecisiveness.
The story, Hamlet a tragic hero talks about a protagonist character that comes along various challenges set. A tragic hero is an individual who has the potential to achieve something or defeat a certain challenge but ends up failing. In many, many cases, the setbacks aligned for the protagonist in the story originate from the opposing side, which in this case is Claudius (Gainor, Stanton & Martin, p. 30). The play reveals the real character of its definition by showing the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist and later the protagonist fails. In numerous situations, Hamlet comes out as the quintessential hero but with tragedy.
A tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle, is a “literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction.” Another characteristic for a tragic hero is that they are a person of high rank, making their fall all the more tragic. These two factors contribute to the fact that hamlet, in the play Hamlet by Shakespeare, is our main, tragic hero. For a hero to be tragic they have to have some goodness in them so we can empathize with them. They can’t be entirely bad, thus making the reader feel that they deserve their tragic end.
Hamlet is a revenge tragedy full of many characters portraying many different traits. Hamlet is just one character in this catastrophic Elizabethan tale. Each character contains a flaw, some that one might consider crazy or even tragic. A tragic flaw is a disastrous weakness that leads to the downfall of a tragic hero and in this case the tragic hero is Hamlet. In Hamlet, Shakespeare paints the perfect revenge tragedy, showcasing the main character, Hamlet, with an inability to act, his lack of trust, and his egocentric personality that brings him to his downfall
A tragic hero is defined as a substantial or aristocratic figure who, because of a fatal flaw, (Hamartia) makes an error that causes a twist in fate; or worse, downfall. (Peripeteia) These two aspects play a major role throughout Shakespeare's Hamlet, but are not the only characteristics you have to possess in order to be considered a tragic hero. Hamlet has to go through many challenging obstacles throughout the play, and he unfortunately never got to see the light at the end of the tunnel; but not every tragic hero has to die to be considered one. Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, is a good representation of a tragic hero.
for a person of lowly rank that loses his or her fortune or rank than
“To be, or not to be? That is the question,” William Shakespeare authors this famous and widely used quote in his tragic play, Hamlet. In Hamlet, the main character is Hamlet, the prince of Denmark. Hamlet's father was murdered by his uncle, who then married Hamlet's mother as to become king. Hamlet is about Prince Hamlet's determination to follow through with avenging the death of his father.
In 350 B.C.E., a great philosopher wrote out what he thought was the definition of a tragedy. As translated by S.H. Butcher, Aristotle wrote; “Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish its catharsis of such emotions. . . . Every Tragedy, therefore, must have six parts, which parts determine its quality—namely, Plot, Characters, Thought, Diction, Spectacle, Melody. (http://www.cnr.edu/home/bmcmanus/poetics.html)” Later in history, William Shakespeare wrote tragedies that epitomized Aristotle’s outline of a tragedy. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one such tragedy.
Hamlet is the best known tragedy in literature today. Here, Shakespeare exposes Hamlet’s flaws as a heroic character. The tragedy in this play is the result of the main character’s unrealistic ideals and his inability to overcome his weakness of indecisiveness. This fatal attribute led to the death of several people which included his mother and the King of Denmark. Although he is described as being a brave and intelligent person, his tendency to procrastinate prevented him from acting on his father’s murder, his mother’s marriage, and his uncle’s ascension to the throne.