Hamlet, the primary character in Shakespeare’s most well-known play, has been the focus of a great deal of conversation throughout the course of the years. Why is Hamlet frequently referred to as a tragic hero in literary criticism? Many individuals believe that Hamlet’s most serious shortcoming is that he is unable to make up his mind. Hamlet spends the majority of the play considering his options, which ultimately results in his downfall and death. Hamlet’s fatal defect is that he tends to overanalyse situations, and as a result, he frequently makes the incorrect decision. Because of the tragic end to his story, Hamlet is considered to be one of Shakespeare’s most famous characters. If there is something that you can get done right now, don’t put it off till tomorrow since time is money. When there are delays, a lot of potentially negative things might happen to a company.
One excellent illustration of this can be found in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. Hamlet is a man who is strong, brave, loyal, and intelligent; but the guilt he feels is too much for him to bear. A tragic fault occurs when the hero loses their life due to one of their own shortcomings. Hamlet’s fate is sealed because he chose to take no action following the murder of his father, his mother’s marriage to Claudius, and Bernardo’s ascension to the throne of Denmark. His deadly defect was only waiting to be revealed. Hamlet is unable to respond quickly enough, which ultimately leads to his demise. Hamlet’s tragic shortcomings are what make the play such an interesting piece to examine. His decision to pause and have second thoughts about himself ultimately led to his demise. If Hamlet had acted sooner on what he believed and felt, he might have been able to extend his life. The fatal oversight that Hamlet made demonstrates how waiting can have disastrous consequences. The worst decision Hamlet ever made was to do nothing (Shakespeare, William. (1603). There is no evidence that Hamlet attempted to end his life, deal with the guilt of killing his mother, put on a difficult play, or kill Claudius while he was praying. These are all possibilities, but none of these possibilities have been proven. When given the opportunity to take action, Hamlet consistently passes it up. Hamlet’s terrible end occurs as a direct result of his inaction throughout the play.
Hamlet’s delay can be traced back in large part to the complicated relationship he has with his mother. Hamlet’s rage at her betrayal is so great that he cannot bring himself to execute Claudius when the opportunity arises. Hamlet’s worst flaw is that he won’t do anything to improve his situation, which just makes his suffering worse. Hamlet’s indecision, timidity, and desire for retribution all contribute to his lack of action in the play. Hamlet’s fatal weakness, in the end, brings down not only himself but also those around him. The notion that “women are fragile” is supported by Hamlet’s use of the statement “Frailty is a woman’s name,” which emphasizes the inherent frailty of females. It is shown to the reader that it is her actions that cause Hamlet to have contempt for women in general (Act 1, Scene 2, Line 146). (146th line of Act One Scene Two). In the opening act of the play, Claudius and Gertrude argue about whether or not Hamlet is sad (Wilson, Jeffrey R. (2019). They counsel him to come to terms with the loss of his father and to move on with his life. Despite the fact that Hamlet ought to make it clear that he disapproves of their marriage, he does not. As Hamlet’s rage escalates in response to Gertrude and Horatio’s attempts to calm him down, Gertrude realizes that Hamlet’s heart belongs to Ophelia. This is the basis for her explanation of Hamlet’s behaviour (Shakespeare, William. (1603).
When Hamlet utters the line, “I think the lady argues too much,” he comes to the realization that his mother has set a trap for him (Act 3, Scene 2, Line 290). (Line 290 of Act Three, Scene Two) Hamlet is Gertrude’s entire world, and she wants nothing but happiness and success for him. Hamlet does not believe that he is capable of killing him on his own since he does not want to turn out like Claudius (Wilson, Jeffrey R. (2019). Hamlet’s fundamental defect is that he is unable to put his sentiments and thoughts into action, which is what ultimately leads to his downfall. Hamlet meets his end as a direct consequence of his own passivity. Hamlet might have easily killed Claudius while he was praying, but instead he waited until later that night, when Claudius would have been asleep and so more vulnerable to being killed. Hamlet’s actions provided his adversaries additional time to plot the assassination of the king while Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were still alive. Hamlet’s fatal flaw was ultimately the cause of his own demise, as a result of this.
The pursuit of justice lies at the centre of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. This concept was initially brought up when the spirit of King Hamlet suggested to Prince Hamlet that he seek vengeance for the death of his father. Killing King Claudius is therefore not immoral, and it is obvious who the play’s protagonist and antagonist are. Because of the development of Laertes’ character throughout the course of the play, the concept of moral justice becomes significantly more nuanced and affects the decisions made by every character. As a result of Prince Hamlet’s difficulties in performing his duties, we are able to see how challenging it is to administer moral justice in situations involving only one party. Prince Hamlet wants to get revenge for the death of his father, but he continues getting into problems because he is unable to comprehend the concept of moral fairness.
The first thing that has to be done in order to determine whether or not Hamlet’s conclusion was morally reasonable is to define moral justice. The principle that “an eye for an eye” should be followed was codified in Hammurabi’s law. Therefore, everyone who commits a crime should be subject to the same punishment, as this is what the law mandates and what the majority of people believe to be the morally appropriate course of action. The audience is able to comprehend why Prince Hamlet wants to kill Claudius after the spirit of King Hamlet declares that Claudius was the one who killed him. Because Hamlet was bitter toward King Claudius and dissatisfied with how swiftly Queen Gertrude remarried after the death of her spouse, he was more likely to believe the ghost’s desire to kill him (Wilson, Jeffrey R. (2019). Hamlet also didn’t appreciate how fast Gertrude found a new husband. Therefore, Hamlet is in a predicament in which he is at a loss as to what to do. In the beginning of the play, Hamlet is under the impression that the ghost is a real being. However, later on in his soliloquy, he reveals that the devil is attempting to convince him to commit a dreadful crime so that he might be sent to hell. It is possible that the devil is to blame, given that the devil is capable of making a good impression of himself. Even though none of the characters who died in the play were either the wrongdoers or the righties, Hamlet’s moral justice states that everyone who has done evil will pay for it. This is despite the fact that none of the characters who died in the play were either the wrongdoers or the righted.
It is difficult to pinpoint the moment when Hamlet’s justifiable desire to avenge the death of his father transforms into a desire to exact revenge on King Claudius. My father was murdered by an evildoer, and as the only son he had, it was my responsibility to send the murderer to heaven.” In Act 3 Scene 3, Hamlet says, “A wicked guy kills my father and me, his only son.” In Act 3 Scene 3, Hamlet says, “A nasty guy murders my father and me.” This has nothing to do with exacting revenge; rather, it is about pay and labour “. Hamlet makes it quite apparent throughout the play that what he is seeking is not revenge (Wilson, Jeffrey R. (2019). He suggests that complying with the requests of the spirit is nothing more than a means for him to achieve his goal, which is to exact revenge.
To conclude this discussion, I’ll provide my thoughts on the moral justice displayed in Hamlet from the perspective of the audience. They wouldn’t know what was going on if they weren’t aware of what was going on in the first place. On the other side, one may argue that not every character was given the same amount of attention. It was very evident that ethical justice had been served when the evil king was removed from power and replaced by Fortinbras, an accomplished warrior and deserving heir to the throne.
Work Cited
Smith, Richard H. “Envy and the sense of injustice.” The psychology of jealousy and envy (1991): 79-99.
Hamlet, Elliot. “Over-Accomodation in Higher Education: An ADA Sanctioned Injustice Exposed.” Cardozo Pub. L. Pol’y & Ethics J. 12 (2013): 491.
Wilson, Jeffrey R. “Horatio as Author: Storytelling and Stoic Tragedy in Hamlet.” Hamlet and Emotions. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2019. 201-211.
Shakespeare, William. (1603). The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Retrieved from: https://www.folgerdigitaltexts.org/html/Ham.html#line-1.1.0
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