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Hamlet's Tragic Flaw

The first to die is Polonius, chief counselor to Claudius. Polonius dies when Hamlet stabs him through a wall hanging. Some may argue that it is Polonius's fault that he dies, saying that if he would not have been eavesdropping then Hamlet would have never killed him. However, others may argue that Polonius's death is Gertrude's fault for screaming for help. But it is Hamlet's fault for not believing the ghost. When Hamlet kills Polonius it is one of the few times that he actually does act on impulse. "Is it the king?" (3.4.28) asks Hamlet. Unfortunately, it is not the king and Hamlet has killed an innocent man. The death of Polonius could have been prevented if Hamlet would not have questioned what the ghost told him. But Hamlet wants to make sure that what the ghost told him is true before he kills Claudius. Hamlet gets some players to put on a play for the king and queen. The play, called The Murder of Gonzago involves a scene in which a king is murdered by someone pouring poison in his ear. Hamlet is sure that what the ghost has told him is true when he sees Claudius's reaction to the play. But Hamlet does not kill him right away and because of this Polonius gets killed. Polonius never would have been behind the arras if Hamlet would have killed Claudius as soon as he was sure of his guilt.
             Ophelia's death could have also been prevented if Hamlet would have killed Claudius right away. Ophelia becomes mad after her father's death. Whether or not she was mad because her father died, or because the man she loved (Hamlet) is the one who killed her father is uncertain. Ophelia just walks around the castle singing tunes that do not make any sense in an almost trance-like state. Opelia falls into the stream when the branch she is sitting on breaks. She was weaving garlands and hanging them from the tree. Ophelia dies when Hamlet is away but her death is still his fault.


Essays Related to Hamlet's Tragic Flaw

1. hamlets summary

Hamlet's Tragic Flaw Hamlet's famous soliloquy (Hamlet, act III, scene 1) shows his thinking ability. Throughout the play, Hamlet stops to think before acting on anything. The more he thinks, the less he does. Therefore, thinking led him to doubt, which led to no action. "Thus conscience does make cowards of us all." Hamlet's "tragic flaw" is his inability to act upon anythnig. Stopping to think before acting cost Hamlet numerous opportunities to get revenge. He ironically passed up his most obvious opportunity when Claudius was praying in the church. He wanted to wait until Claudius was doing...

  • Word Count: 255
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Hamlets Moral Idealism

HAMLET"S MORAL IDEALISM In all of William Shakespeare's classic tragedies, the often "heroic" protagonist demonstrates a clear flaw that will ultimately result in their downfall; fittingly, Hamlet is no different: It is Hamlet's moral idealism which makes him ignorant and vulnerable to the corrupt society around him, and finally, causes his inevitable demise. Unfortunately, Hamlet could have possibly pursued his idealistic views had other betraying characters been as loyal to him as he was to them. Ironically, he contributed to his own self-destruction, as his false sense of invincibility led...

  • Word Count: 860
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Hamlet, Act5, sc.2

... and violent death, which he must avenge. Hamlet's uncle Claudius, the murderer, has since married his widow in "most wicked speed". Thus begins Hamlets battle of wits with Claudius, in order to confirm the plot and get even. He ponders his thoughts expecting to do the deed immediately but instead ... Hamlet has many good traits such as valor, fidelity and astuteness and one tragic flaw of hesitancy, which brought him his ruin. There is the theme of appearance versus reality and this was the fact that leads to Hamlets tragic flaw, as he was the victim of the appearance of many people. Thr...

  • Word Count: 3059
  • Approx Pages: 12
  • Grade Level: High School

4. HAMLET & SOLILOQUIES

... behind his actions. If it weren't for his soliloquies, his true character would not be fully understood by anyone until his death. Hamlets first soliloquy is essential to the play because it highlights his inner conflict caused by the tragic events in the play (Coleridge). Hamlet endures pain and anger because of his father's death and his mother's incestuous remarriage, leading him ... speech, Make mad the guilty and appal the free .. -More relative than this. The play's the thing Wherein I"ll catch the conscience of the King". - (Shakespeare, Lines 547-604) In Hamlets soliloquy in Act...

  • Word Count: 1397
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

5. The Fatal Flaws of Many

... or sheer beauty bestowed in the play (well, here we go). The six main characters in Hamlet each have a unique fatal flaw; Grumpy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Happy, Bashful, Dopey and Doc; "oh wait,"" that would be something entirely different, anyway. In ... dead husbands' brother so she can become queen not because she loves him. We find that Gertrude is greedy in Hamlets first soliloquy. "She married. O, most wicked speed, to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets!-(1.2.156-157). In ... ! my revenge -(2.2.509-512). In this quote Hamlet declares revenge on Claudius for killing Hamlet senior...

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6. hamlet

... made Hamlet very angry towards his mother. The ghost was a major part also because that it what drove him mad. The first of Hamlets flaws is the killing of Polonius. The death of Polonius was an accident that shouldn't have happened. Hamlet believed that it was indeed ... Hamlets death for her to remarry. He says "Almost as bad, good mother, as kill a king, and marry his brother"(Meyer 493). The major effect of his killing of, Polonius, was his death. This ignited Laertes' revenge on Hamlet which resulted in Hamlet's death. Just as the killing of Polonious was a tragic flaw of Hamlets ......

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  • Grade Level: High School

7. Symbolism in

... , his self loathing becomes additionally emphasised and exaggerated by the language he uses. The pain felt by Hamlet as he himself uncovers his tragic flaw is again presented to the audience as he conjures images of emotionally driven actors, spurred forward by their passionate imaginations. The language evokes ... putrefaction that the Ghost is conveying to Hamlet. Symbolism of disease and decay is also employed by the playwright when addressing the issue of Hamlets sanity. In Act III, Hamlet describes his condition stating, "my wits diseased," presenting audiences with a lyrical versi...

  • Word Count: 2581
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8. Hamlet

... of a kingdom. As is said in the play, this is one of the oldest crimes in the bible, the first murder ever committed. Hamlets love for Ophelia is another tragic point of the play. He loves her as much as any man could love a woman, but loses that for she rejects his love because of ... the wrong place at the wrong time. Had they not gotten involved, they probably wouldnt have died. I think the fact they kind of betrayed Hamlet was another tragic factor that ended up in their undoing. This, i feel, they deserved for betraying their friend, especially a friend of that long. Hamlet himself ...

  • Word Count: 911
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Hamlet

... although the oedipal complex is questionable to many. It is the Hamlet who I am going to be focusing on and how his oedipal complex makes him a tragic hero and ultimately prevent him from killing the king. The psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud believed Hamlet had an Oedipal complex, "Being in love with the one parent and ... father unknowing that they were related and had nothing to do with his mother. At the end of Act 3 Scene 3 we see a great example of his tragic flaw which is his inability to act. It seems as if Hamlet is about to fulfil his revenge on Claudius from the way he speaks, "N...

  • Word Count: 1742
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

10. Hamlet as an Aristotelian Trag

... can be applied to any characteristic that causes the downfall the hero. Shakespeare's Hamlet, Prince of Denmark can be seen as an Aristotelian tragedy and Hamlet as it's tragic hero. Hamlet's flaw, which in accordance with Aristotle's principles of tragedy causes his demise, is his inability to act. This defect of Hamlet's character is displayed throughout the play. In the opening scenes ... put off killing Claudius until after the "play within a play", Mousetrap, is preformed. Not surprisingly, Hamlets inability to act gets the best of him even after he has obtained his proof that Clau...

  • Word Count: 584
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

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