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Hamlets madness

p Hamlet 's Insanity

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The essential component to any tragedy , Greek or Shakespearean , is a protagonist with a fatal flaw . In Greek tragedy this is called hamartia . This Latin term translates directly into the word flaw but is usually used to describe an excess of a personality trait - virtue or vice . The protagonist 's fatal flaw pushes the the plot and action of the tragedy forward . It is this tragic flaw , which leads to the eventual downfall of the

character , his circumstances , and the denouement of the drama . In examining the bulk of the literature 's protagonists , no other character embodies the essential role of the flawed protagonist like Hamlet . Without the flaw there would be no drama , and no irony and it would end with quick death and frustration Hamlet 's fatal flaw is idealism which leads to indecision . Hamlet is not mentally ill , he is simply struggling with his realization that the world is not as it appears to be

Hamlet , the Prince of Denmark , is a bright young man with many talents He is an academic , a witty orator , and a flawless actor . Certainly , he has the potential to do anything he wants which may have included , in the future , being the King of Denmark . His aptitude for all things calls into question why there is a great delay between Hamlet 's decision to avenge his father 's murder and the actual revenge . It is Hamlet 's idealism which leads to indecision and the reevaluation of his choice to kill Claudius . Hamlet is not experiencing insanity and he is in perfect mental health - the embodiment of everything a good Elizabethan should be

Hamlet actions should not attributed to mental illness but the purity of his soul . He believes fully that men were born good and were meant to do good things . His strong belief system contrasts strikingly with the reality and corruption of the world when he returns home . He comments on the state of Denmark and more specifically his father 's house 'Tis an unweeded garden that grows to seed Things rank and gross in nature possess it merely (Act I , sc ii . He is disgusted not just by his home community but the evil which existed in his family Upon the realization that the world was cruel he describes life as a prison (Act II sc ii . He finds it difficult to resolve his illusions of what his world was with the reality of the situation . It is idealism which allows him to conceal his bitterness while his internal will pressures him to avenge his father 's death

Hamlet attempts to use logic , a typical idealist characteristic , to determine what course of action he must take . Hamlet struggles with idea that he may be a coward for his inaction . At this point in the play Hamlet does not understand that it is his 'goodness ' that is delaying his revenge . Despite his nightly supernatural chat with the ghost...

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