Hamlet as a Tragic Hero

As we k this instant, there are different types of tragedies Aristotle spoke about a certain type which involves what was once called Peripeteia, Hamartia and Anagnorisis. He said a catastrophe is calibreized by a tragic hero or heroine who experiences a vary or reversal in fortune (peripeteia) which is ca dropd by a personal flaw or mistake (hamartia). The downfall of the hero in a tragedy should non be, however, caused by an external force such as a higher power, whether in the form of gods, fate or even society it should be the result of an actionor pretermit of actioncarried out by the hero.Finally, the hero must achieve a kind of revelation or mention (anagnorisis) about destiny or the will of the gods, what Aristotle called a change from ignorance to awareness of a bond of love or hate. These are all characteristics that make an prototype Greek tragedy. However, our purpose is to analyze William Shakespeares small town, a Renaissance tragedy therefore, the question at hand is, could Hamlet, prince of Denmark, possibly be called and defined as a tragic hero?Our first instinct is to say no, but once we start questioning ourselves and really exploring the character and all that he goes done throughout the look, our answers may change. In Hamlet the three defining moments in Greek tragedy mentioned above, if truly present, are intertwined and closely linked together. We will set about to translate those key aspects present in Aristotles description into a completely different type of tragedy such as ?Hamlet and take heed how they would portray themselves in Shakespeares words.Afterwards, we will analyze this English writers work in terms of the imagery found in the die hard at hand. We must begin at the core of the play the apparition of the ghost. Before the ghost of the former king of Denmark, Hamlet senior, makes his appearance, all we know is that Hamlets father has passed away, that his uncle has taken the throne and has married his late br others wife. Once we hear the ghosts statement the plot of the play is set in motion Hamlet goes from ignorance to knowledgethat is, if we choose to believe that there actually is a ghost and that the ghost speaks the truth.The spirit tells the prince of Denmark that he was slay and by none other than his own brother we could take this as the princes moment of recognition, when, in a way, his whole destiny changes. He now has a new purpose in life, to avenge his fathers death. The bond of love and affection he felt for his uncle is now completely deformed and turned into pure hatred, anger and a thirst for revenge. The next step in our analysis is our tragic heros change in fortune. As we know, Hamlets plan was to get back at his uncle, and in Act III, expectation III he has the perfect opportunity when he walks in on Claudius praying, My fault is past.But O, what form of prayer Can serve my turn? Forgive me my foul murder? That cannot be, since I am still throwd Of those effec ts for which I did the murder My crown, mine own ambition and my queen. May one be pardond and retain the offence? Hamlet, however, hesitates and decides not to kill Claudius mend in prayer because he would go to heaven, thus his desire for vengeance would not be satisfied. To take him in the purging of his soul, When he is fit and seasond for passage? No. Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent.What Hamlet was not aware of was that Claudius was not petition for forgiveness because, as he says, the reasons for which he committed the murder, his ambition and his desire for the crown and the queen, still possess him, therefore he does not regret what he did. My words fly up, my thoughts remain below. Words without thoughts never to heaven go. From this point forward everything just goes downhill. Hamlet missed his one shot all because of his lack of action. Here is where we introduce the final piece of our analysis.Hamlets tragic flaw could be his indecisiveness on how to procee d and carry out his plans or maybe his procrastination whatever it is, he made a conscious mistake which made him completely responsible for later events, his death, Laertes, his mothers and Ophelias. The prince eventually brought about his own downfall. Hamlet, as a tragedy, certainly differs from the Greek mold, but it is safe to say that not entirely. I believe Shakespeares character could be considered as a sort of tragic hero if we choose to associate events the way we have throughout this paper. Of course, there is no way to chequer whether or ot Hamlet truly is a tragic hero such as Aristotle meant to depict them, it is all subjective. In my opinion, the idea is not too miscarry or farfetched I actually think it is a valid way of analyzing this most interesting character. Our other purpose was to analyze the imagery, and most specifically the nature imagery, found in the play. In Hamlet, Shakespeare seems to rely on nature (plants, weather, animals, etc. ) a lot to express what the characters are feeling. When it comes to analyzing specifically how he thought of the state and the people of Denmark, one word is key fumes.The weed is defined as A plant considered undesirable, unattractive, or troublesome, especially one ripening where it is not wanted, as in a tend. During the time of late King Hamlets rule, Denmark was considered, as prince Hamlet calls it in Act I Scene II, an unweeded garden however, once Claudius murders his brother the king and takes the crown, his sin, greed and corruption bring decay to the kingdom. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark states Marcellus in Act I, Scene IV. The weed is the symbol of death and poison in Denmark. Claudius poisoned Hamlets father and is now poisoning everybody else with his deceit.Later on in Act III, Scene IV, while talking to his mother Hamlet says, Whiles rank corruption, mining all within, Infects unseen. Confess yourself to heaven, Repent whats past, avoid what is to come, And do not spread the compost on the weeds, To make them ranker. He is telling her to open her eyes and realize how her new king is infecting their country he then asks her not to keep helping him in doing sonot to spread the compost on the weeds anymore. We can say, without a doubt, that throughout the whole play Shakespeare refers to the state of Denmark and its people as if they were a garden.Understanding the nature imagery in Hamlet is essential to understanding the true meaning behind the play. Denmark used to be a beautiful, healthy garden until its gardener was poisoned when there was suddenly a new gardener the earth and the plants started dying and nobody did anything to fix it. The subtle way in which Shakespeare is able to use metaphor and simile over and over again in his works without it getting tedious or discouraging is probably one of the reasons why he is considered the greatest writer in the English language.