Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, and there’s no question as to why. With heartbreak, murder, revenge, duels and secret plans, this play is filled with action and suspense. Hamlet’s tragic tale after his father’s death is one of great sacrifice and madness. The play is so complex that every character’s archetype could be discussed and argued endlessly, especially that of Hamlet. He faces a terrible tragedy (his father’s death) and has to evade multiple plans for his own murder while he tries to keep the promises that he has made, eventually doing so which causes a tremendous amount of death and destruction. Hamlet fits the archetypal description of a tragic hero and overall proves this through his actions, inaction, and thoughts …show more content…
The conflict between Hamlet’s action and his inaction shows his inner conflict and desperation. Hamlet refrains from killing the King (Claudius) while at prayer, showing Hamlet’s strength and resolve. In contrast, the killing of Polonius ensures Ophelia’s destruction which creates more pity for Hamlet seeing as he loved Ophelia and did not intentionally harm Polonius. He is able to evade all of Claudius’ plans, but in a sense he also kills Gertrude by telling her the truth of his father’s death, creating even more pity for Hamlet. Hamlet is sure that gaining revenge for his father’s murder will only end in death, so he questions what happens after death in his famous soliloquy, “To be, or not to be, that is the question” (III.i.57). Here, Hamlet questions whether or not he should continue to suffer in life, or to leap into the unknown of death. He has felt so much pain and suffering that he is not sure if he wants to stay alive. All of these events combined produce a very tragic character who is conflicted and is not quite sure what to do. His inaction shows that he cannot come to a firm conclusion about his future, causing him to wait before taking his revenge against Claudius. These actions and inner turmoil therefore create an emotional stimuli within the audience (the effect of an archetype) which causes the audience to feel pity for Hamlet and therefore feel that he is in fact a tragic hero, searching simply for revenge but finding much more along the
In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Hamlet, a studious young man and Prince of Denmark, struggles to face the death of his father and the task to kill his father’s murderer, Claudius. He was once known as a charming, smart young man before his father’s death. However, Hamlet experiences depression and anger at the world, causing him to look outwardly on society but failing to look inwardly on himself. The death of his father and the task for vengeance leads him to question whether or not he should follow through in killing Claudius. He becomes a man of thought rather than a man of action. In addition, the delay of King Claudius’ murder leads the readers to believe that he wishes not to kill him; he
In the play Hamlet, there are three very important soliloquies given by Hamlet, first Too Too Sullied Flesh, second O, What a Rogue and Peasant Slave, and third To be or Not To be. All three speeches discuss one main theme of death, with sub themes of revenge, parent-child relationship, and loyalty. Hamlet always seems to be at a conflict with himself, he has an inability to act on his emotions. He knows what he wants to do, thinks about it and his conscience eventually convinces him to not complete the action. This is a somewhat cycle, as the frustration of this is a driving force as to why Hamlet wants to take his own life, but his conscience is convincing him not too. Along with suicide, Hamlet thinks of, but cannot seem to act on, committing to Ophelia, whom he loves, or murdering King Claudius to avenge for his father’s death.
The archetype was created to allow the character dynamic growth or static continuity, while allowing the plot diagram to follow its order with room for character dynamics to fluctuate. Defining the archetype as a very typical example of the person, for example: the princess, the king and the tragic hero. Defining the archetype as a very typical example of the person, for example: the princess, the king and the tragic hero. The archetype was created to allow the character dynamic growth or static continuity , while allowing the plot diagram to follow its order with room for character dynamics to fluctuate.
Carl Jung’s theories on human psychology create a foundation for a better understanding of the archetypes portrayed in Hamlet. Archetypes, a part of the collective unconscious part of the mind are models of human behavior that survived throughout history as they hold true. The archetypal literary criticism claims that archetypes determine the form and function of literature works. The context is molded by cultural and psychological myths. The archetypes are embedded within us: shadow, anima, and self.
Hamlet, who is surprisingly the main character in the play "Hamlet", is an interesting character. "Hamlet" is a play about a man whose father is killed, and eventually finds out who his father's murderer is. He tries the entire play to figure out what to do and how to get revenge on this man. Hamlet, however, made many major mistakes which ultimately lead to his untimely death at the end of the play. Hamlet had a lot of inner trials inside of himself.
In William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, it talks about a suicidal man who is driven to insanity by events that are occurring in his life. Tragedy plays a big role in this play because of the many deaths. The audience is introduced to Hamlet a young man whose father, the king, was murdered by his uncle Claudius, who then married his mother Gertrude and became king. Hamlet is a tragedy not only because of the deaths in the play, but also because of Hamlet's insane mind. Hamlet is surrounded by evil and madness.
Hamlet: The Ultimate Tragic Hero? A tragedy is defined as, “A branch of drama that treats in a serious and dignified style the sorrowful or terrible events encountered or caused by a heroic individual” (Sewall). Hamlet, Prince of Denmark captures the definition of a tragedy through its events of a young prince discovering the truth of his father’s death and later searching for revenge for the actual murderous act. The tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, by William Shakespeare, epitomizes the archetype of the tragic hero in the character of Hamlet through displays of nobility, reversal of fortune, recognition, tragic flaw that contributes to his own down fall, and finally a catharsis in the audience ("The Characteristics of an ‘Archetypal’
William Shakespeare has changed the way that many people have viewed plays and literature throughout his life and is still carrying that legacy to this day. This is most prominent in his famous tragedy, Hamlet, which is still analyzed for its success as a renowned classic. The story is about a prince named Hamlet who meets his Father’s ghost and learns of their murder by his uncle. The story continues by depicting Hamlet’s revenge and his falling into madness. Hamlet illustrates masterful uses of literary devices in the use of euphemisms, imagery, and similes to create an interesting tragedy that changed the outlook on literature as a whole. Shakespeare has indisputable skill in mastery over literary devices that shape themselves into an heart wrenching masterpiece.
It can be argued that, Hamlet, is one of the greatest tragedy stories written by William Shakespeare during his lifetime. The play provides different conflicts between a variety of personalities all in the pursuit of power leading to their interpretation of moral justice in Denmark. The play encompasses the themes of death and corruption throughout the story. Hamlet, the son of King Hamlet and rightful heir to the throne, has puzzling elements through his personality of the protagonist. In the play, Shakespeare develops the character of Hamlet with the contemplation of death numerous times, along with the corruption going on in Denmark.
The character of Hamlet has been an object of extraordinary investigation and abstract examination. Various critics have endeavored to scrutinize the internal workings of Hamlet's mentality all throughout the duration of Shakespeare's play, endeavoring to find why his character remains on a very hesitant level on various occasions and fundamentally reluctant all throughout the scenes of Shakespeare’s play. Various speculations have been voiced on the subject, and numerous conclusions have been determined, although in order to comprehend Hamlet and his activities it is important to plunge into the mindset of his character. Carl Jung's theories on human psychology and mentalities, specifically, his theories of archetypes, can be utilized to comprehend
In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare writes about a character who is pitied and shown no compassion for throughout the entire play, hardly giving him reason to be a tragic hero. Hamlet was written as the kind of person who never does anything good to be seen as a hero. He always stops himself before he commits the crime and comes up with an excuse before he goes on. He’s been through alot with the death of his father and the quick marriage of his uncle and mother. There is never a moment where Hamlet is truly seen as being heroic, just either crazy or depressed.
Hamlet, a classic tragic poem written by the inspirational and influential William Shakespeare, tells the tale of a Danish prince thirsting for revenge against the man who killed his father. During the play, the titular character undergoes multiple trials, primarily due to his quest for vengeance. The play highlights a number of themes, including mortality, religion, family, and deceit. By the end of the work, the question remains on whether or not Hamlet truly accomplished his task, since many people, some innocent, were killed in the process. The main reason Hamlet was not able to carry out his goal was due to his three fatal flaws.
The “To be or not to be” soliloquy functions within the play as an explanation for Hamlet’s hesitation to directly and immediately kill avenge his father by the hands of his uncle Claudius due to the complexity of morality. Hamlet attempts to reason out whether the unknown beyond of death is any easier to bear than life as he has a hard time going through with some of the decisions he makes. The underlying character trait shown is Hamlet's indecisiveness and his own frustration at his own weaknesses. Hamlet seems less introspective about his failure to kill Claudius than his failure to take his own life. Hamlet really is depressed because of this and thinks about killing himself as a means to end his "sea of troubles."
Subsequent to the soliloquies chosen, Hamlet develops contradictory views that are significantly influenced by static factors; such as, religion. In numerous Shakespearean plays, there are references to Christianity, and the King James Bible. The setting of Hamlet takes place during king james bible, thus the characters follow christian ideals that dictate whether they go to heaven, hell, a purgatory or eternal damnation. The old Hamlet’s visitation as a supernatural entity and society’s beliefs regarding life after death create a framework built upon religion and the afterlife. This conceives an ambience that made Hamlet more conducive to misguidance, as he constantly gainsaid his desire for revenge. Additionally, Hamlet is mindful of his failure to act, how society perceives him, and the spirit’s motives. This subtle sense of self-awareness is another static factor that contributed to Hamlet going astray. In the second soliloquy, although Hamlet had previous suspicions regarding his uncle, his confliction about the intentions of his father’s spirit are raised into question. He planned to manipulate the artistry of the play to probe his uncle’s conscience, however, this further delayed Hamlet’s intentions. Hamlet makes the comment that the “conscience does make cowards of us all,” (3.1, 91, pg. 127) as his religion is an element within his life that prevents him from killing Claudius. Hamlet feels self-actualized from following the basic religious principles of living.
Hamlet is the essence of a tragic hero. This is someone who, “...is fated... to doom and destruction or at least to great suffering. But the hero struggles mightily against this fate and this cosmic conflict wins our admiration.