Hamlet - A Tragic Hero

            Name:Jani Hetal umiyashankar

Roll no:12

Class:M.A.part-1

Semester:1

Submitted to:Department of English

M.K. Bhavnagar University

Assignment Topic:

     

Hamlet – A tragic Hero

Introduction :

                        ‘Hamlet’ a play which was written by William Shakespeare. We not know about birth of Shakespeare by year but we all know about his great contribution in English writing or Literature. ‘Hamlet’ is one of best example of his writing skill. ‘Hamlet’ is a tragedy. ‘Hamlet’ the play is type of melodrama. But if it melodrama it is also work of art. ‘Hamlet’ is revenge tragedy. Full name of this play is “The tragedy of Hamlet-Prince of Denmark.” In this title Shakespeare shown that it is a story of Hamlet , the prince of Denmark. Now let see how Hamlet suffers from tragedy. Let see the full character of Hamlet as tragic hero of this tragedy.

Hamlet – The Prince :

                  Prince of Denmark is part of this play. The part cannot be greater than the whole. Hamlet is major character and the protagonist. Hamlet is son of Queen Gertrude and the late king Hamlet. Hamlet is depressed , harsh , pessimistic and full of hatred towards his uncle. Hamlet indecisive and hesitant but at other times prone to rush and impulsive acts.

                  Hamlet has fascinated audiences and readers for centuries, and the first thing to point out about him is that he is enigmatic. There is always more to him than the other characters in the play drag eyes of people. Even the most careful and clever readers come away with the sense that they don’t know everything there is to know about this character. Hamlet is a tragic hero of this play. It’s revenge tragedy. Hamlet tells other character of important of his character. From other character we not aspect more things. Hamlet’s fascination involves us more than other character. When he speaks, he sounds as if there’s something important he’s not saying, may be something even he is not aware of.  

                  The idea of a tragic hero was first spoken by Aristotle in his concepts of tragedies. The concept of tragic hero have a fatal flaw was developed by Aristotle. Aristotle thought that every tragic hero had some kind of a mortal weakness that brought about a bad or mortal ending to the tragic hero. The idea of the tragic flaw is that the tragic hero has a downfall that comes from his own very nature. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Shakespeare use him as a tragic hero. when Shakespeare creates the character of Hamlet Aristotle’s idea of tragic flaw and tragic hero. In Shakespeare’s tragic play, “Hamlet,” there is the central idea that Hamlet is unable to revenge his father’s death. In this play Hamlet’s tragic downfall is his indecisiveness which ultimately leads to his death. There are many reasons that caused Hamlet’s indecisive or delayed actions. These aspects include Hamlet putting too much thought and analysis into his plans, his melancholy, his Oedipus complex, his doubt about the honesty of the ghost, and Hamlet’s doubts about his own ambitious motives.

            In this play Hamlet talking with his friends Rosencrantz and Gulldstern that :

                              “ There is nothing

                               either good or bad

                                but thinking makes it so.” 

                        It is also important to note that Hamlet is extremely melancholy and discontented with the state of affairs in Denmark and in his own family in the world at large. He is extremely disappointed with his mother for marrying his uncle so quickly, and he repudiates Ophelia, a woman he once love a lot. His words often indicate his disgust with and distrust of women in general. At a number of points in the play, he contemplates his own death and even the option of suicide. , Hamlet is extremely philosophical and contemplative. He is particularly drawn to difficult questions or questions that cannot be answered with any certainty. Faced with evidence that his uncle murdered his father, Hamlet becomes obsessed with proving his uncle’s guilt before trying to act.

                              Horatio is very near to Hamlet. Hamlet often talk with him. Once when he know his uncle killed his father he told Horatio that :

                  “There are more things in

                   Heaven and earth Horatio ,

                  Than are dreamt of in your

                                    Philosophy.”

                        Whenever he wane to do something he thinking a lot. There are many soliloquy in this play.  He often questions about the afterlife, about the wisdom of suicide, about what happens to bodies after they die—the list is extensive. But even though he is thoughtful to the point of obsession, Hamlet also behaves rashly and impulsively. When he does act, it is with surprising swiftness and little or no premeditation, as when he stabs Polonius through a curtain without even checking to see who he is. He seems to step very easily into the role of a madman, behaving erratically and upsetting the other characters with his wild speech and pointed innuendos.

                  The question arise in our mind that Is Hamlet a tragic hero? In many senses, Hamlet is the typical tragic hero. Not only does he begin with the noblest motivations to punish his father’s murderer but by the end, his situation is do dire that the only plausible final act should be his death. Like the classical tragic hero, Hamlet does not survive to see the full outcome of his actions and more importantly, this is because he possesses a tragic flaw.

                  There are many tragic flaw joined with his character  Like the classical tragic hero, Hamlet does not survive to see the full outcome of his actions and more importantly, this is because he possesses a tragic flaw. While there are a number of flaws inherent to his character, it is Hamlet’s  intense identification with and understanding of the power of words and language that ultimately bring about his requisite tragic ending. Hamlet’s deep connection with language and words causes him to base his perceptions of reality on his interpretation and understanding of words and he allows himself to become overwrought with creating meaning.

                  Hamlet fit into some quality of tragic hero in literature. Hamlet fits several into several of the defining traits of a tragic hero in literature, particularly in terms of how he possesses a tragic flaw. The fact that Hamlet’s best trait is also his downfall (his tragic flaw, in other words) makes him a prime candidate for a tragic hero and in fact, makes him one of the most tragic figures in the works of Shakespeare in general. More specifically, what makes Hamlet even more of a tragic hero is that his actions and tragic flaw is not his fault. He is an introspective character and in a normal situation, this might not be a problem. However, being part of the royal family makes him prone to negative and stressful situations and thus his engagement with words to level in which he is almost crippled is absolutely tragic, even if it is not because of anything he had overtly done. His tragic condition is very difficult to see and think. He hate women. His relationship with his mother he speak to her very harshly hamlet is tragic hero of this play in this play he success to played his role as well. Shakes pear drawn his picture very well. He emerges as tragic hero in English literature.

   

Concusion :

In short it is Hamlet and his flaws that result in much of the action. Moreover, much of the play has a very isolated feeling to it, the isolation of Hamlet’s madness, the fact that he alone has the burden of removing Claudius and the very prominent dwelling on how Hamlet perceives his reality. It is obviously a tragedy that looks inwards. Therefore it would not be difficult to suggest that it was the actions of Hamlet that precipitated his tragedy.