Hamlet Tragism Essay, Research Paper

In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare the main hero Hamlet is a tragic

character. The tragism of the situation is going through the whole poem and even

every phrase is fulfilled with the tragedy. Prince Hamlet has a meeting with the

dead ghost of his father King Hamlet. King Hamlet’s ghost reveals to his son,

his murder by his brother Claudius. Hamlet is informed by his father that he

needs to be avenged by the death of his brother Claudius. By this time Claudius

has already ascended the throne, and married Hamlet’s mother Queen Gertrude.

Hamlet decides to take a passive approach to avenge his father. Hamlet first

decides to act abnormal which does not accomplish much besides warning his uncle

that he might know he killed his father. Later in the play a troop of actors

come to act out a play, and Hamlet has them reenact the murder of is father in

front of his uncle Claudius. The actors murder scene also make Hamlet question

himself about the fact that he has done nothing yet to avenge his father. Hamlet

says " But am I Pigeon-livered and lack gall / To make oppression bitter,

or ere this / I should ha’ fatted all the region kites / With this slave’s

offal. Bloody, bawdy villain! ( Act II scene 2 page 84 line 577- 580 ). During

the play Hamlet watches is uncle Claudius to see his reaction when the actors

perform the murder scene. Hamlet plan works his uncle throws a fit and runs out

the room, where Hamlet goes after him. When Hamlet catches up to his uncle his

uncle is kneeling down praying, and Hamlet pulls out his sword and gets ready to

kill him. But all the sudden Hamlet changes his mind because if he kills his

uncle while he’s praying he will go to heaven, and Hamlet wants him to go to

hell. So hamlet postpones the execution of his uncle. The next confrontation

does not happen till the end of the book when Hamlet escapes from his uncle’s

ill murder attempt on his life. Hamlet later sword fences with Laertes. All the

sudden Hamlet’s mother Queen Gertrude drinks a poison glass intended for Hamlet.

When Hamlet is not looking Laertes stabs him with a poison sword then Hamlet

takes hold of the poisoned sword, and stabs Laertes with it. As this happens

Queen Gertrude dies from the poison drink. As Laertes lays down dying he reveals

to Hamlet that his uncle King Claudius was behind it all, the poisoned sword and

drink that has just killed his mother. Hamlet then in a fit of rage runs his

uncle through with the poison sword. Hamlet has now finally revenged his father

through much time then after his task is completed he finally collapses from the

poison on the sword. Polonius is murdered by Hamlet when Polonius his discovered

listening to Hamlet, and his mother’s Queen Gertrude conversation . Hamlet

unknowing of who the person behind the tapestry is, kills Polonius from where he

was spying. When news of his fathers death reaches Polonius’s son Laertes, he

comes back with an entourage to seek revenge for his fathers death. In this

conversation Laertes believes Hamlets uncle King Claudius is responsible for his

fathers death. " How came he dead? I’ll not be juggled with. / To hell,

allegiance! Vows, to the blackest devil! / Conscience and grace, to the

profoundest pit! / I dare damnation. To this point I stand, / That both the

worlds I give to negligence, / Let come what comes, only I’ll be revenged / Most

thoroughly for my father. ( Act IV scene 5 page 134 line 133-139 ) Laertes takes

a more aggressive stand point than Hamlet Laertes is ready to kill the king

right away thinking that he murdered his father. But king Claudius tells Laertes

that Hamlet is the one who killed his father. King Claudius also finds out that

Hamlet has escape the trap that he setup to get him murdered. So King Claudius

sets up another plan with Laertes. This plan calls for Hamlet and Laertes to

have a mock sword fight, but Laertes will be using a real poisoned sword.

Laertes agrees with this, ready to claim Hamlets life for his father’s vile

murder. When the sword fight begins Hamlet is winning, but Laertes gets

frustrated and stabs Hamlet when he is not looking with the poisoned sword.

After Laertes stabs Hamlet, Hamlet then turns around and manages to take the

sword from Laertes and stabs Laertes with it. Although Laertes dies first he

accomplishes his purpose because Hamlet will die shortly from the poison on the

sword. In this play Hamlet by William Shakespeare the character of Hamlet Is the

tragic one. Hamlet with his passive and scheming approach manages to kill his

father’s murder his uncle Claudius.

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