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HAMLET BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

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Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Hamlet by William Shakespeare is one of the greatest and well-loved tragedies in world literature . It has been performed many times in numerous stages all over the world , and has always been included in the list of required readings for both high school and college students This classic tale of revenge had captivated millions of readers and audiences world wide . The lead character Hamlet is driven by revenge of the death of his father , but there is flaw inherent

in him that hinders him from doing what he has to do . The tragic flaw of Hamlet and the concept of revenge in the play are the main focus of this essay

In every tragedy that Shakespeare has ever written , there is a what is referred to as a tragic flaw ' that which causes the demise of the protagonist . In Hamlet , the title character 's flaw is his reflective nature (Overview 2 . Hamlet is inherently contemplative , so much so that it causes delay in his plans for revenge . For instance , he was supposed to have killed Claudius when he saw the latter in prayer Because he thought killing a man in prayer would bring him to heaven , he did not proceed . He already had the chance , but he did not take it . As a result , other people who were not supposed to be killed also lost their lives . Instead , Hamlet killed Polonius , thinking that he was Claudius . Because of Polonius ' death , Ophelia also died . Laertes sought to avenge the death of his father and sister , and died in the process . Even Queen Gertrude , Hamlet 's mother , was not spared from death as she drank from the poisoned cup that was meant for Hamlet . The objective of Hamlet was to kill Claudius , but his moment of hesitation caused the death of other people . Had he not hesitated , he would have had his revenge , he would not have been killed and all the others would have lived

The tragedy revolves around one central theme , and that theme is revenge . Hamlet 's father was the king of Denmark , and when the play begins he was dead for almost two months (Shakespeare 991 . The play begins with the appearance of the ghost to the watchmen . The ghost was said to have resembled the former King however , when the ghost spoke it did confirm that he was the King 's spirit . The ghost then s Hamlet to avenge his death by killing Claudius , he who stole his throne and took his wife as his

The tragedy in the play originates from the ghost demanding Hamlet to avenge his death (Overview 1 . Given that Hamlet is contemplative and often prone to indecisiveness , the objective of revenge becomes problematic . Tragedy becomes inevitable given that the behavior of the revenger in this case . As was discussed above , Hamlet 's reflective nature reveals the tendency to postpone action based on judgment . The reflective nature of the protagonist works against his...

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