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The tragedy of Hamlet does not lie in the flaw of the hero; the tragedy lies in the nature of the work which is exposed to the hero's contemplation, and the resulting responsibility to the world in which he finds himself. Hamlet is not a man who cannot kill; he is a sensitive man who has a moral outlook onto life. Hamlet towers above other plays of its kind through the nobility of its hero, his superior power of insight and consideration upon his particular situation and his ability to bear the moral anguish that moral responsibility bears.
Superiority is of course debatable due to personal preference to reaction or intelligence.
To categorise Hamlet as one who delays the action - almost cowardly - is an incorrect understanding of his unusual character. Hamlet's turmoil and indecision are precisely the things which distinguish him from the smooth, sharp plotter Claudius and from the coarse, rash Laertes, as well as from all other common Elizabethan avengers.
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By delaying his act of revenge, Hamlet is not reckless or imprudent like Laertes, and neither does he stoop to the moral level of Claudius, his opponent. Concerning Hamlet's reaction to his situation, it is deliberated that Hamlet should have murdered Claudius while he was at prayer.
Surely murdering a defenceless man would be demoralizing; especially at prayer. He would have descended to the moral level of Claudius and the act of vengeance would not have satisfied the audience. This is what makes Hamlet superior. Hamlet will not be ruthless like Claudius; he will use his own intelligence to make his vengeance - not countering his father's murder with "deep plots.
" Catching Claudius at the moment when his guilt has been made clear to everyone, consequently, Hamlet becomes an executioner, not an assassin. Hamlet is a thinker; yet this statement needs elaboration.
Some critics regard this aspect of Hamlet as his flaw: he thinks too much so he is not a man of this world, and this brings about his downfall - he is unable to justify everything he encounters. Disagreeing with such a view, I would like to argue that the very fact that Hamlet is not a man of this world places him on a pedestal; the world in which he finds himself is corrupt; the situation in court is a charade. No man will ever be able to justify the situations Hamlet encounters. Hamlet illustrates the existential concept that only when man thinks and imposes meaning onto life does life become worth something.
As Hamlet points out, "there is nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so. " Later on he discusses the emptiness of a life when man avoids imposing his own attitude on to it: "What is a man, If his chief good and market of his time Be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more. Sure He that made us with such large discourse, Looking before and after, gave us not That capability of godlike reason To rust in us unused. " Hamlet's imagery is remarkable. Hamlet is a very visual person; his speech includes observations of things that happen in the everyday world: for example, Denmark is a prison.
In a way he is a realist, nevertheless his speech always achieves the desired effect. The sheer magnitude of his ability to manipulate images and language awakens a comparison between himself and other Shakespeare characters such as Othello and Lear who use fantastical imagery and 'flowery' language; however it also distinguishes himself from these men as Hamlet prefers to keep his language within the scope of reality; yet, his images are always effective. He is a man gifted with greater powers of observation than others.
The more pessimistic approach of course is that Hamlet uses cheap puns and harsh words to degrade other characters in the play. He uses his ability to create such ambiguous messages to unmask men of their outer appearance, in an endeavour to reveal their true corrupt nature underneath the exterior fai?? ade. Nevertheless, Hamlet needs images for his 'antic disposition': he would betray himself if he used open and direct language. Hence, he must speak ambiguously and hide his meaning under images, puns, and parables. This can also be seen as hypocrisy, as he despises the false appearances in court:
"one may smile, and smile, and still be a villain" Hamlet's loss of faith in humanity is rooted from the unexpected behaviour from his mother. Now that his only remaining relative (and especially as she is his mother) turns to deceit and corruption, it results in him despising the human race for its falsity; it is almost as if humanity has fallen in the form of his mother: "What a piece of work is a man, how infinite in faculties, how noble in reason, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god: the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals!
And yet to me what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me - nor woman neither" Hamlet seems to be comparing man (situated in the hierarchy between angels and beasts) with animals, degrading them as they appear to exercise their beastly characteristics - their godly parts are repressed. I believe that the sole fact that he is aware of this elevates him above the world in which he lives. He is aware that whatever happens in the world is momentary; that the environment in which man is absorbed is transient; as highlighted by A P Rossiter:
"Everything is at once great and petty for him: great in respect to the absorption or emotion of the moment, petty in relation to the recognition that the moment is transient. Hence he too is 'saved' from Heaven and Hell, because nothing can bring forth and absorb his whole self. " Although Hamlet is but a man himself - and is also prone to beastly characteristics - he is aware of this happening in the world which immediately places him a level above the rest. Because of this suspicion of humanity - especially women - Hamlet endeavours to discover if Ophelia is all she appears to be. She seems to be the image of innocence and devotion.
Yet, like his mother she is a woman. Hamlet is uncertain regarding the true nature of Ophelia, and his cry - "Get thee to a nunnery" - reflects the anguish of this uncertainty. If Ophelia is what she seems, then this ugly world is no place for her. But if not, then a nunnery, in its other sense of brothel, is appropriate to her. Hamlet is behaving superior in these examples, almost kingly or even godly, yet because he is so mistaken, he falls heavily in our esteem for him. He is so badly off the mark concerning Ophelia's character that she turns mad as a result of frustration due to his accusations.
We see an element of hastiness in Hamlet reflecting Laertes' vicious nature that we do not admire. It is ironic that when Hamlet acts on impulse, he is foolish and destructive. Those that wish Hamlet to 'act,' can see it is not a simple option for him, and thus we wait for his mind to resolve. In my view, a superior hero would be an outsider and so is Hamlet. After the appearance of the ghost, Hamlet puts an antic disposition on and alienates his genuine self from the court. The only exception, of course, is Horatio, who can be regarded as the comparable average man unshook by falsities.
Hamlet's alienation or psychological exile is illustrated by the antic disposition, estranging the self from an incomprehensible world. His decision to do this seems to make him superior to those who go along with this corrupt environment, however this can also be seen as a scape-goat, avoiding his act of vengeance. The tragedy ends with the collapse of our idealistic trust in human freedom and humanity. Thus we are relieved that Hamlet could rectify the previous situation in court and bring about a resolve. For this he is a hero.
The hero in a tragedy must in some sense be superior. (2020, Jun 02). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/hero-tragedy-must-sense-superior-2453-new-essay
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