To be or not to be a Tragic Hero In the 4th century B.C., Aristotle defined the characteristics of a tragic hero. According to Aristotelian dramatic theory, a tragic hero is usually a man of noble standing and good character who ... a task and, in the process of this task, becomes very emotionally and psychologically upset, which results in his alienation from people around him. In my opinion, Hamlet fits the definition of an Aristotelian tragic hero perfectly. First of all, a tragic hero is usually a man of noble background. This characteristic gives the hero the ... vulnerability of "fallin...

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... who murdered his father. The Ghost delivered his news by saying, "The serpent that did sting thy father's life/ Now wears his crown" (1.5.39-40). Once Hamlet had found out it was his uncle that he must seek revenge on, he began to complain that, "The time is out of joint: O cursed ... gaming, swearing, or about some act/ That has no relish of salvation in't:" (3.3.90-93) in order for Claudius to go to hell, where Hamlet thinks he belongs. Hamlet expresses that if he were to kill Claudius while he was praying, it would not truly be revenge, "O, this is hire and salary, not revenge ... ." (...

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... he was "wearing his exact armor" and he "frowned just like the king did". The ghost tells Hamlet how his father died by saying in Act 1, Scene 5, and Line 39 "The serpent that did sting thy father's life, Now wears the crown" but what happens after that is ... how he proves that he is actually sane and he is just pretending he is insane. After Hamlet, Horatio and Marcellus see the ghost; Hamlet tells Horatio that he is ... play in being performed and one of the performers pours the poison into the player King's ear "Claudius stands up" line 248. This shows Hamlet is indeed sane because ...

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... and most unnatural murder- (Hamlet, Act I, Scene 5, Lines 23 and 25). Hamlet had not realized that his father had been murdered. The ghost goes on to say, "The serpent that did sting thy father's life now wears his crown,"" (Hamlet, Act I, Scene 5, Lines 38-39). It is at this point that Hamlet realizes that his father's ... murderer was his uncle, Claudius. Hamlet swears to have revenge. This sets up the circumstances that cause the remainder of the action in ... say for sure. The chain of events leading to her death came from two different directions. One cause of her apparent suicide ...

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... suspicions but he had no proof that his uncle was responsible for his father's death. " The serpent that did sting thy father's life now wears his crown,"(I.v.38-39). Then the apparition of his father appeared. The ghost told young Hamlet that Claudius poisoned him. He said that Claudius has poured poison in his ear while he was sleeping. The ghost told ... to Claudius. Claudius gained the crown and the kingdom. This was the motive for Claudius to murder the king and a foundation for Hamlet's revenge. Claudius stole what was rightfully Hamlet's. Hamlet behavior was erratic. Polonius rep...

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... has stood the test of time? When William Shakespeare wrote it. But why are his works so respected and cherished? One of his famous works, Hamlet, is still a favorite among actors and occasional readers alike, but why? Why is Shakespeare's work still able to challenge and inspire people four hundred years ... or charitable, / Thou com'st in such a questionable shape / that I will speak to thee. I"ll call thee Hamlet, / King, father, royal Dane. O, answer me!" (I, iv, 39-45) It is quite clear that Hamlet is unable to make a decision. Even though this spirit is right in front of him and has...

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... the dead king of Denmark. A ghostly image, resembling King Hamlet, appeared to converse with young prince Hamlet. The ghost tells Hamlet, "The serpent that did sting thy father's life now wears his crown." (Ham. I.v. 38-39). The ghost explains how it was done and Hamlet decides he has an idea to seek revenge. He gets ... some of the actors of the play and adds in a few lines of his own. The new script depicts the death of King Hamlet in vivid detail. The actor playing King Hamlet lays down ... befallen his sister Laertes says that he will, some how, seek revenge on those responsible fo...

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... also expresses a vengeful tone against his brother in lines 81-84,"If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not..." Clearly the king wishes that Hamlet would expose the crimes of his uncle and avenge his father's death. In contrast to the ghost's opinion of the crime, King Claudius feels mixed ... remourse and self serving ambition. In lines 36-39, Claudius compares his crime to the crime of Cain in the Bible. "It hath the primal eldest curse upon't..." Further along in his speech he wonders ... gatesand alleys of the body..." Claudius represents the voice of this new society; he is the per...

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... saying "that the Everlasting had not fixed His canon "gainst self-slaughter!" He continues to describe why he feels this way using a list of unfavourable adjectives. Hamlet is clearly suffering from what would be diagnosed as depression with his main symptom the inability to see any good in any ... worldly activities, preferring to describe them as "weary, stale, flat and unprofitable." Hamlet uses the image of an "unweeded garden" to describe his perceptions of contemporary Denmark. This shows how bleak everything seems to him and ... currently triumphing over goodness and justice. Thi...

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... that did sting my fathers life now wears his crown" branding Claudius to be his murderer. It was this revenge which inspired Hamlet to "put on an antic disposition" in order to reveal Claudius's murderous plot. On King Claudius's wishes, Rozencrantz and Guildenstern were invited ... deceitfulness towards a friend is what took their death in the end. The sword fight between Hamlet and Laertes was another example of Claudius's insidious behavior. Claudius used Layertes to plot Hamlets death by using an unbaited sword and a poisoned pearl in a drink. However his plan failed when Gertrude ...

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... to truths told by Hamlet, Ophelia and Laertes create this concept. These three types of truth when interconnected result in total understanding. Ever since the death of King Hamlet young Hamlet has been in what appears to be a state of madness; using madness as his guise Hamlet reveals empirical knowledge of ... the past which leads to present suffering and future self-destruction. Hamlet is "born to set [his father's murder] right" ... revenge has led him "[i]nto the madness wherein he now raves" (Madden 94). Using madness to his advantage Hamlet keeps the court occupied with his menta...

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• Has Bibliography
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... the king's secrets. They both try to hide their thoughts and feelings from each other to deflect suspicion of knowing information the other doesn't. Hamlet's madness is an act to help hide his true emotions from Claudius which helps to plot against him. Claudius tries to hide his guilt of killing ... he uses to deceive the king's mind. By making the king go insane, he is able to learn about Claudius' true feelings towards murdering his father. Hamlet explains the process of his plan by telling Horatio; "The harlot's cheek beautied with plast'ring art,/ Is not more ugly to the thing that ....

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... a sense of violence between the characters. It also confirms to the audience that Hamlet's madness is still a performance, because he can respond quickly and with wit. When this is juxtaposed with Ophelia's legitimate insanity, it becomes clear that Hamlet is still performing. Ophelia speaks cryptically in Act 4, using metaphors and imagery of nature. Her use of rhyme and poetry also adds to ... the audiences understanding of true madness. Hamlet's performance turns to reality directly after he murders Polonius in cold-blood. If ... Hamlet were sane he would have shown an emotional rea...

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... has spoken with the players about adapting a few of his own lines to the play of, The Murder of Gonzago. So Hamlet can determine whether Claudius is guilty of King Hamlet's death, by creating "The Mousetrap" for Claudius to see what reaction he will have once the play is performed. During ... truth, "What, frighted with false fire? (3.2.292)," he says to Claudius when he rises from his seat during the play. During this time Hamlet seems almost uplifted by the news he sees. Perhaps, finally to know the truth and not have to guess or suspect is what brings his excitement ... Claudius. Onc...

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... the one who killed his father. King Claudius also finds out that Hamlet has escaped the trap that he set up to get him murdered. So Claudius sets up another plan, this time with Laertes. This plan calls for Hamlet and Laertes to have a sword fight, but Laertes will be using a poisoned sword. Laertes agrees to this, ready to claim Hamlets" life for ... his father's vile murder. When the sword fight begins Hamlet is winning, but Laertes gets frustrated and stabs Hamlet when he is not looking with the poisoned sword. After Laertes ... stabs Hamlet, Hamlet then turns around and manages to ...

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... ). Approaching the end of the story, Hamlet can no longer determine whether he is mentally fit and he pays the ultimate price. On his way to solving his predicament, Hamlet was met with many obstacles that he had to overcome. Such as when Claudius (using Hamlet's feigned madness as an excuse), told ... Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that Hamlet was a threat and that they were to take him to England as ... soon as possible. However, Hamlet, being the clever man that he was, figured out the King ... murdered by his brother. Then he watched his uncle during the performance and noticed Claudi...

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... his court yard of the Elsinore Castle, now Claudius the kings brother has taken over the throne as King, and has married Hamlet's mother Gertrude. Horatio a friend of Hamlet tells Hamlet that he is afraid because he thinks he has seen a ghost who resembles the late King. King Claudius and his lord Chamberlain ... tells them that he's going to pretend to be crazy while he plans his revenge towards Claudius. Now that Hamlet is said to be crazy, Polonius goes to the King and tells him about Hamlet's strange behavior concerning Ophelia. Claudius sends Hamlets friends, Rosencrantz and Guilden...

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... his court yard of the Elsinore Castle, now Claudius the kings brother has taken over the throne as King, and has married Hamlet's mother Gertrude. Horatio a friend of Hamlet tells Hamlet that he is afraid because he thinks he has seen a ghost who resembles the late King. King Claudius and his lord Chamberlain ... tells them that he's going to pretend to be crazy while he plans his revenge towards Claudius. Now that Hamlet is said to be crazy, Polonius goes to the King and tells him about Hamlet's strange behavior concerning Ophelia. Claudius sends Hamlets friends, Rosencrantz and Guilden...

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... Is it a free visitation?" (2. 2. 277-278). They eventually tell him they were sent for, finding it difficult to lie to the forceful Hamlet, and Hamlet then seems to open up, telling them "I have of late, --but / Wherefore I know not, --lost all my mirth, forgone / All custom of exercises" (2. 2. ... comes back to Denmark when he hears of his father's death, and is prepared to see Polonius" murderer punished. The king explains that the queen and the people love Hamlet, so it will not be that easy to punish him. Laertes responds with "I [have] a noble father lost; / A sister driven into des...

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... he intended for Hamlet to be killed with. The only deception towards Claudius is put on by Hamlet, with the exception to Horatio and Marcellus keeping their mouths shut about the play staged to find his guilt, and the outcome is the inevitable death of King Claudius. Claudius was using Laertes as a pawn ... in the plot to kill Hamlet, and even though Laertes shows repent for his actions saying, "the treacherous instrument is in thy hand, / Unbated and envenomed. ... / Hath turned on me. Lo, here I lie, / Never to rise again", he dies by the same poisoned sword that he deceitfully tried...

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... the letters that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were taking to the King of England, which instructed the king to kill Hamlet. Hamlet, our hero, immediately wrote out several new letters and sealed them using his signet. The new letters ordered that the two men accompanying him should be put to death). This shows ... major growth and maturity. In the beginning, Hamlet was a man of pure thought, but this did not work. He then ... Laertes fumingly irate. The clever incident with the arranged killing of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern is the point in which Hamlet melts pure thought Hamlet and p...

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... that his insanity is merely a facade. There is a reason for his deception, which will be discussed. With the first appearance of the foreboding ghost of Hamlet's dead father, he learns the truth of his father's death at the hands of treacherous uncle, the new king of Denmark, Claudius. He informs his ... good friend Horatio that he will use his grief stricken insanity to his advantage. By using his insanity to his advantage it gives him an opportunity and method to gathering information and proof from his enemies so he can devise a way ... to achieve his revenge on Claudius. Even though...

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... relies on men in her life. Gertrude also displays her dependence on her husband. This is clear due to her inability to remain single following senior Hamlet's death. Within a short period of time Gertrude remarries her brother in law as a way to receive the attention and protection that she seeks. Having ... women lie in the shadows of the males reveals the power men have over women that Shakespeare suggests. With the lost of independence the women of Hamlet take on the role as the weakest characters. This weakness makes public as they choose to escape their troubles in life by taking the...

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... Claudius had been living in a different part of the country until recently, and now resides in one of the plantations guesthouses. Claudius soon becomes jealous of Hamlet Sr. and becomes friends with Gertrude. Eventually Claudius feels that his life is greatly incomplete and he decides that he wants to possess all of what is ... tenders are standing around in front of the barn where all the equipment is kept. Suddenly out of nowhere, interrupting their conversation, appears the ghost of old man Hamlet. They are terrified of this entity and run inside to grab a couple of muskets. Upon th...

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REVENGE In my mind, the primary theme of Hamlet is revenge and betrayal. To me it appears that, throughout the whole play, someone is always trying to get back at someone or is using someone for their own benefit. This theme has always been a common one among playwrights and even modern screenplay writers ... because it can be very easy to create a very complicated work based on the theme of revenge. Throughout Hamlet there are different examples of people ... I feel that the only way to possibly know the answers to these questions is to be in the situation. I don't think that the rage that ...

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