Hamlet Shakespeare Tragic Hero
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In Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, the main character is a classic
example of a Shakespearean tragic hero. Hamlet is considered to be a
tragic hero because he has a tragic flaw that in the end, is the cause of
his downfall. The play is an example of a Shakespearean tragic play
because it has all of the characteristics of the tragic play. As defined
by Aristotle, a tragic play has a beginning, middle, and end; unity of time
and place; a tragic hero; and the concept of catharsis.
One of the main reasons this play is considered a tragic play is
because the main character is a tragic hero. Hamlet's tragic flaw is he
spends too much time thinking and not enough time acting. This is the
opposite of Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, in which the tragic hero spends
too much time acting, and not enough time thinking. Hamlet dwells too much
on whether or not to act on something, and by the time he decides to act,
it is too late. When Hamlet finally decides to kill Claudius, he sees him
praying and decides to wait longer. The next time he gets a chance to kill
Claudius he takes it, but by then it was too late...