Hamlet and His Characteristics
Akshay Koshy ENG3U1-01
Mr. Filiputti
January, 16, 2012 Hamlet- The classic Tragic Hero
“A hero is a man who does what he can.”
Romain Rolland
What is a tragic hero? Are tragic heroes considered to have better qualities, and yet suffer from the many shortcomings of life? I believe that a classic tragic hero is a person that has many excellent qualities for a hero, and yet dies due to the mistakes that he makes. As Romain said, “A hero is a man who does what he can” and Hamlet is a perfect example on how he had to give up everything to commit to his revenge. This is why I believe Hamlet is the perfect classic tragic hero, because although he did not do anything that was wrong, he still suffered and died because of his characteristics. This is why I believe that the seven soliloquies of Hamlet, show the progression of his characteristics, and show the multiple qualities of a hero, thus making him a perfect example of a classic tragic hero.
The first soliloquy in Hamlet (Act I, Scene II), talks about the suffering that Hamlet is going through as he realizes that his father is dead and his mother has married his uncle.
“But two months dead! — nay, not so much, not two:
So excellent a king; that was, to this,
Hyperion to a satyr;” (I. II. 137-140)
Hamlet doesn’t get why his mother married so fast and gets extremely mad about that. He wonders if she even loved his father and this causes his to think about suicide, but back in the Elizabethan era, suicide was looked down upon, which is seen in Act I, Scene II, Line 132-133.
“…His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! O God!
How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable
Seem to me all the uses of this world!”
This is the only reason why Hamlet can’t kill himself. Hamlet felt that he was the only one that thought that this marriage was an unnatural and starts to dislikes Claudius. Back in the day, women were not allowed to marry after their husbands died, so when Gertrude marries Claudius, Hamlet feels
Mr. Filiputti
January, 16, 2012 Hamlet- The classic Tragic Hero
“A hero is a man who does what he can.”
Romain Rolland
What is a tragic hero? Are tragic heroes considered to have better qualities, and yet suffer from the many shortcomings of life? I believe that a classic tragic hero is a person that has many excellent qualities for a hero, and yet dies due to the mistakes that he makes. As Romain said, “A hero is a man who does what he can” and Hamlet is a perfect example on how he had to give up everything to commit to his revenge. This is why I believe Hamlet is the perfect classic tragic hero, because although he did not do anything that was wrong, he still suffered and died because of his characteristics. This is why I believe that the seven soliloquies of Hamlet, show the progression of his characteristics, and show the multiple qualities of a hero, thus making him a perfect example of a classic tragic hero.
The first soliloquy in Hamlet (Act I, Scene II), talks about the suffering that Hamlet is going through as he realizes that his father is dead and his mother has married his uncle.
“But two months dead! — nay, not so much, not two:
So excellent a king; that was, to this,
Hyperion to a satyr;” (I. II. 137-140)
Hamlet doesn’t get why his mother married so fast and gets extremely mad about that. He wonders if she even loved his father and this causes his to think about suicide, but back in the Elizabethan era, suicide was looked down upon, which is seen in Act I, Scene II, Line 132-133.
“…His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! O God!
How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable
Seem to me all the uses of this world!”
This is the only reason why Hamlet can’t kill himself. Hamlet felt that he was the only one that thought that this marriage was an unnatural and starts to dislikes Claudius. Back in the day, women were not allowed to marry after their husbands died, so when Gertrude marries Claudius, Hamlet feels
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