William Shakespeare’s Hamlet - Tragic Hero

One could almost assume Shakespeare was in the construction business rather than an author. The way he embodies his unfolding schemes across the lines of a well-platformed page has a captivating structure that keeps audiences drawn for years to his many plays, sonnets, or poems. William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, is a tragic tale of revenge, demise, failures and perpetual insanity. Hamlet is a presentation of a tragic failure because of the way he manifests fatal flaws that lead to his remorseful broken heart, mortifying reprisal for his father’s death, and his unfortunate decease.

Timing can be a vital contributor when it comes to love. Ophelia, a young noblewomen, and potential wife to Prince Hamlet, learns just how detrimental timing can can be to those in love. “How should I your true love know from another one? By his cockle hat and staff, And his sandal shoon.” (V. IV. 23-26) Ophelia grows deranged over Hamlet not conveying his love for her, but manifesting rejection for her.

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Her madness spirals into a suicide, that leads Hamlet’s true emotions to arise. Hamlet displays insanity after the death of Ophelia. It is not until Act V that the love Hamlet has for Ophelia are conspicuous. “ I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum. What wilt thou do for her?” (V.I. 255-257) There is madness in love; Hamlet is unable to express his adoration for Ophelia, yet after he becomes aware of her suicide, he is filled with sorrow.

The despair is never ending in the book of Hamlet. When Hamlet’s father, King of Denmark, dies, Hamlet returns home immediately in search of evidence of the foul play behind his father’s death. His father’s ghost is quick to give word that Claudius is the murderer. 'The serpent that did sting thy father's life now wears his crown' (Act I Scene V), that clarifies Claudius was, in fact, guilty for the murder of King Hamlet. Hamlet’s rage causes him to swear vengeance upon his father’s death. 'Haste me to know't, that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to my revenge.' (Act I Scene V) It is Hamlet’s vocation to prove Claudius is guilty and give him a taste of his own medicine, if it wasn’t for his excessive religious morals and beliefs.

After Shakespeare’s third soliloquy, the famous 'To be or not to be…' (Act III, Scene 1) presents Hamlet’s most dawdling flaw. He releases his own weakness to not be able to act upon his wishes and thoughts. Hamlet contemplates his own incompetence, as he processes death, figuring that many would choose life over death, simply due to the inability to know life after death. Laertes knows of Hamlet’s deep depression and uses this to his advantage to seek revenge on his father’s death. Hamlet, on the other hand, has murder on his plate as well. He duels Laertes in a sword fight not knowing of the poisonous sword Laertes possess. Hamlet keeps in mind philosophical acceptance of fate nonetheless. “There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come” (Act V, Scene ii). Shakespeare manages to structure irony upon their sparring; in the end, they both die.

Hamlet could have taken multiple paths throughout the course of the story, however, his own doubtfulness stops him from doing so. Hamlet’s dismay contributes to the very hesitant behavior to his father’s revenge because of the multiple internal conflicts and identity traits Hamlet has. From the very beginning of the play, Hamlet is in a state where he can’t validate life occurring around him. Additionally, Hamlet’s own doubts of his own aspirations and the fact he over analyzes everything in the world around him leaves Hamlet to his own reserved grave. Hamlet’s unfortunate life, was not to be.