Tragic Hero of Hamlet

Persuasive Essay # 112780

Drama and Theater > English
Literature > English
Shakespeare > Hamlet

An argument that Hamlet's indecisiveness characterizes him as a hero.

963 words () | 6 sources | MLA | 2007 Canada

Paper Summary:

The paper posits that, although Hamlet's inability to act rapidly makes many consider him as being of a weak nature, in reality, he displays the qualities of a hero. The paper analyzes Hamlet's cause to delay, the type of revenge he is seeking and his actions and attempts to prove that Hamlet is indeed a powerful hero.

From the Paper:

"With the revelation of his father's murderer, Hamlet is pushed into a world of revenge. He must avenge King Claudius, the one accused of killing his father. In addition, Hamlet must kill in a justified way in order to refrain from being immoral. His indecisiveness proves to be what delays his actions in the sense that he seems unable to act and is therefore viewed as weak. However, one may argue whether this indecisiveness truly confirms Hamlet to be a weak avenger. In analyzing Hamlet's cause to delay, the type of revenge he is seeking, and his actions in act 3, scene 3, one can rightly say that Hamlet is far from a weak avenger and that of a powerful hero."

Sample of Sources Used:

Bealy, Betty. Introduction. Hamlet. By William Shakespeare. Toronto: Longmans. 1963. xxi- xlv.
Foakes, R.A. "Character and Speech in 'Hamlet'." Stratford Upon Avon Studies 5 (1963): 148-149.
Gordon, Edward. Introduction to Tragedy. New Jersey: Hayden. 1973.
Hazlitt, William. "Characters of Shakespeare's Plays: Hamlet." Hamlet. Ed. Cyrus Hoy. New York: Norton, 1992. 165.
Jorgensen, Paul A. William Shakespeare: The Tragedies. Boston: Twayne. 1985.