The Tragic Flaw of Hamlet Essay - 792 Words

The Tragic Flaw of Hamlet One of the greatest works in literature, Shakespeares Hamlet has been the topic of controversial discussion ever since it was written. The controversies range from Is Hamlet truly mad, to Is Hamlet really in love with Ophelia. The most intriguing topic of discussion though, is Hamlets fatal flaw. As in all Shakespearean works, there is always a tragic hero. This hero is always the person that the audience comes to love, however every tragic hero has to have some kind of a tragic flaw that eventually leads to his downfall. Many critics have different ideas of what Hamlets flaw is, some believe it is his procrastination, others his deep moral sensibility, or his high idealism, and so on. These†¦show more content†¦After this soliloquy, Shakespeare then goes right into the supernatural meeting between Hamlet and the ghost of Hamlets dead father. What the ghost tells him is what the rest of the play is centered around. The death and unnatural murder of his father must be avenged by Hamlet. The way to seek revenge is to take the life of the one that took his fathers life, so in essence killing him. Hamlet must now deal with death in its entirety until he avenges his fathers death, and the only way to do that is by causing more death. The whole escapade of his dead father coming back to tell him all this causes Hamlet to think about death like no other. He has now experienced a real ghost coming back from beyond the grave; this heightens Hamlets curiosity about death, and causes him to contemplate it even more. The personal relationships that have gone bitter are almost as devastating to Hamlet as the physical appearance of a ghost. The relationship between his mother and he are dead, because she married his uncle. Hamlet now feels that no one can understand the agony he is going through due to his fathers death. Ophelia, the love of his life has respected her fathers decision to stay away from Hamlet.Show MoreRelatedHamlet As A Tragic Flaws1515 Words   |  7 Pagesliterary characters have flaws of some kind as this gives them a three dimensional quality. However, in the case of fatally flawed characters, these flaws are so deeply formed that they are doomed to failure and demise. In William Shakespeare s Hamlet, a tragedy, the majority of the characters are doomed or flawed in some way that ultimately results in their failure. Through his portrayal of several secondary characters, Shakespeare proves that all humans possess a tragic flaw in their nature whichRead MoreHamlets Tragic Flaw Essay692 Words   |  3 PagesHamlet#8217;s Tragic Flaw It is better not to put off till tomorrow what you can do today. Many consequences can arise when one procrastinates. An example of this is found in Shakespeare#8217;s Hamlet through the depiction of the central character. 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Before discussing Hamlet’s hamartia, please let me say that Hamlet is one of my all-time favorite plays. Yes, it is tragic. Yes, they all fall in the end. But, good lord, what action! So, what is this shortcoming the unfortunate Hamlet possesses that brings about his undeserved end? Before discussing the frailty of this tragic hero, let us examine the word, hamartia, used by Aristotle in â€Å"The Poetics†. Hamartia