...The Tragedy of Hamlet A tragedy can be defined as a literary work in which the main character or characters suffer extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavourable circumstances. William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet is a well known play that falls under the genre of a tragedy because it’s very dramatic, contains numerous murders and has an overall suspenseful atmosphere throughout the play. Hamlet follows the elements of a classic Shakespearean tragedy such as the tragic hero, a tragic flaw, and a tragic story. Hamlet is the quintessential tragic hero, he begins with good intentions but by the end he does not survive to see the full outcome of his actions. Hamlet possesses positive traits and demonstrates those traits throughout the play but Hamlet was incapable of defeating his own greatest flaw, his inability to take action which led to the demise of not only himself, but many around him. The third element is the tragic story, which leads up to and results in the death of the hero, the suffering that usually befalls the hero is unusual and disastrous. Hamlet follows all elements of a classic Shakespearean tragedy with Hamlet as the tragic hero, his tragic flaw, and the tragic story that results in death. Tragic heroes often begin at a high position of nobility, as Hamlet is the prince of Denmark; he has a lofty position to fall from. When he is first introduced in Act 1 Scene 2, He is a young prince who...
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...the play we are re-assured that sometimes we are just not mentally prepared to face challenges put before us. This is a sort of weakness we have as humans, but at the same time demonstrates that we have great emotional range. Shakespeare also notes on the worst qualities of us with pinpoint accuracy, all used in the most dramatic of ways possible. We use greed, and lust as motives to create deception upon others for our own benefit. Sometimes even love itself is corrupted and used as motive for evil purposes. We are selfish and nobody is going to knock some sense into us to make us appreciate what we have ourselves that the other person does not. Even the most seemingly strong and evil minded have fragile sections to them. In "The Tragedy of Hamlet" and in real life, do all these bad parts of our being pay off? Is it ever justified? Well, perhaps in the play it did for a while but not in the end, though in real life I guess the answer would be;...
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...Orezina Sonoiki With “Revenger’s Tragedy” being set in Italy, it is almost inevitable that the book will not revolve partly around corruption amongst many other themes. Middleton starts this play on a strong note as corruption starts to flow right from the beginning of the text. Vindice a character filled with anger and bitterness opens the play holding the skull of his fiancée who the Duke poisoned upon her refusal to sleep with him. His hatred of the Duke is shown as he describes him saying: “Duke, royal lecher; go, grey-haired adultery.” Vindice talks about lustfulness, which is a form of corruption. His anger and harsh tone towards the Duke is expected as he feels hurt and he even goes as far as to call the Duke myself, adultery. Vindice is also angry about the discrimination his father faced before his death. Middleton uses his character as an immediate way to reflect the unjust treatment during that period and how corruption was almost seen as the norm. It equally shows how power drunk kings got. Lustfulness is a form of corruption present in the play. The first time we come across lust is when Vindice pours out his feelings towards the Duke. He first of all refers to the Duke as committing adultery as quoted earlier on. He also refers to Spurio, the illegimate son of the Duke as “thou his bastard,” which identifies him as being born of wedlock. This reflects the Duke’s lustfulness even further. Hippolito is another character who draws attention to the acceptance...
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...Tragic: Hamlet or Agamemnon In my opinion, the play Hamlet is more tragic than Agamemnon. They are both tragedies as they both fulfill Aristotle’s definition of tragedy as they both depict the downfall of a basically good person through some fatal error or misjudgment, which produces suffering and insight on the part of the protagonist and arousing pity and fear on the part of the audience. They also have all the elements of Greek tragedy such as hubris, catharsis, peripeteia, anagnorisis, and hamartia (“Ancient Greek Tragedy”). The most important reason that Hamlet is more tragic, in my opinion, is because the protagonist, Hamlet, is an integral part of the play and his character is much more developed. In Agamemnon , the protagonist, Agamemnon, is a secondary character to his wife who, in my opinion is the main character. Hamlet is a tragic hero, as is Agamemnon, following Aristotle’s criteria for the elements of a tragic hero. For example, they both evoke the audience’s pity and fear, have a major flaw of character and are destined to fall in some way (“Tragedy in Drama”). However, because Hamlet is the main character, we see, hear and understand more of his character. When Hamlet delivers his many dramatic soliloquies about mortality, betrayal, and the futility of life, he shows us his tortured world and the anguish, grief, and uncertainty which eventually takes over his life, leading to his death (“Hamlet Tone”). As the reader, I felt so much sympathy for Hamlet and this...
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...December 16, 2010 ENC1102 Final Exam Part IV Hamlet is considered a classic example of a tragedy. The primary reason it is considered a tragedy is because he dies in the end and is unable to see the full outcome of his actions. However, the reason for his death was his tragic flaw of error in judgment. According to Aristotle a tragic hero must have certain characteristics that make him a tragic hero. For example the definition of a tragic hero is, “A character of noble stature and has greatness. They must occupy a high status position but must also embody nobility and virtue as part of his innate character.” (Litonline) This is exactly the type of person that hamlet portrays to be. Another characteristic of a tragic hero that Hamlet has is his downfall that is his own fault. This is a result of his free choice, which in fact was triggered by some error of judgment or some character flaw that contributed to his lack of perfection. Although Hamlet is depicted as being predominantly great, it is clearly evident at the end that he is not perfect. Although his fall is considered tragic because it resulted in death, his fall is not pure loss. Since there was some increase in awareness, gain in self-knowledge, and discovery on his part, his reason for doing what he did was not a waste of time because it had meaning that other people were able to learn from his errors. Although Hamlet arouses solemn emotion because of his death, tragedy is not meant to leave its audience in a state...
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...Who was William Shakespeare? Shakespeare is William Shakespeare, one of the English-speaking world's greatest playwrights and poets, who possessed a great knowledge of human nature and transformed the English theatre. Yet many facts of his life remain a mystery. Some have been acquired from painstaking looks at the records of the time, so that this summary is based on generally agreed facts. It has been said that we only know three things about Shakespeare: that he was born, married and died. He was baptised on April 26, 1564; we do not know his birth date, but many scholars believe it was April 23, 1564. His father was John Shakespeare (who was a glover and leather merchant) and his mother Mary Arden (who was a landed local heiress). John had a remarkable run of success as a merchant, alderman, and high bailiff of Stratford, during William's early childhood. His fortunes declined, however, in the late 1570s. William lived for most of his early life in Stratford-upon-Avon. We do not know exactly when he went to London but he is said to have arrived in 1592. There is great conjecture about Shakespeare's childhood years, especially regarding his education. It is surmised by scholars that Shakespeare attended the free grammar school in Stratford, which at the time had a reputation to rival that of Eton. While there are no records extant to prove this claim, Shakespeare's knowledge of Latin and Classical Greek would tend to support this theory. In addition, Shakespeare's...
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...In comparing the play of Hamlet to the play of Agamemnon, I believe the story of hamlet to be superiorly tragic. They are both tragedies as they both fulfill Aristotle’s definition of tragedy. Each play depict the downfall of decent if flawed person, through some fatal error or misjudgment, leading to the protagonist death, and arousing pity on the part of the audience. The tragic nature of Hamlet is superior to Agamemnon in three key ways, hamlets status as the primary character compared to Agamemnon’s as mere secondary character. Hamlets siliques reveal his emotions while little is revealed of Agamemnon’s thoughts. Finally The most important reason that Hamlet is more tragic, in my opinion, is because the protagonist, Hamlet, is an integral part of the play and his character is much more developed. In Agamemnon, the protagonist, Agamemnon, is a secondary character to his wife who, in my opinion is the main character. Hamlet is a tragic hero, as is Agamemnon, following Aristotle’s criteria for the elements of a tragic hero. For example, they both evoke the audience’s pity and fear, have a major flaw of character and are destined to fall in some way (“Tragedy in Drama”). However, because Hamlet is the main character, we see, hear and understand more of his character. When Hamlet delivers his many dramatic soliloquies about mortality, betrayal, and the futility of life, he shows us his tortured world and the anguish, grief, and uncertainty which eventually takes over his life...
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..." Poetry Criticism. Ed. Michelle Lee. Vol. 100. Detroit: Gale, Cengage Learning, 2010. 191-360. Literature Criticism Online. Gale. Liberty University. 23 February 2012 <http://galenet.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/servlet/LitCrit/vic_liberty/FJ1585650004> Gale Document Number: FJ1585650004 Goldhill, Simon. "The audience of Athenian tragedy." The Cambridge Companion to Greek Tragedy. Ed. P. E. Easterling. Cambridge University Press, 1997. Cambridge Collections Online. Cambridge University Press. 23 February 2012 DOI:10.1017/CCOL0521412455.003 Hall, Edith. "The sociology of Athenian tragedy." The Cambridge Companion to Greek Tragedy. Ed. P. E. Easterling. Cambridge University Press, 1997. Cambridge Collections Online. Cambridge University Press. 23 February 2012 DOI:10.1017/CCOL0521412455.005 Alexander, Nigel. "Critical Disagreement about Oedipus and Hamlet." Shakespeare Survey Volume 20: Shakespearean and Other Tragedy. Ed. Kenneth Muir. Cambridge University Press, 1967. Cambridge Collections Online. Cambridge University Press. 23 February 2012 DOI:10.1017/CCOL0521069009.004 Buxton, Richard. "Tragedy and Greek Myth." The Cambridge Companion to Greek Mythology. Ed. Roger D. Woodard. Cambridge University Press, 2008. Cambridge Collections Online. Cambridge University Press. 23 February 2012 DOI:10.1017/CCOL9780521845205.005 Wiles, David. "Aristotle’s Poetics and ancient dramatic theory." The Cambridge Companion to Greek and Roman Theatre. Eds. Marianne...
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...era and the theatres were always crowded during a play. Shakespeare wrote mainly tragedies by the end of the 16th century, including Hamlet, Othello and Macbeth. Aristotle's definition of a tragedy is that a tragedy is an imitation (mimesis) of an action that is morally admirable. Aristotle is a philosopher who wrote about poetry, poetry being epic, drama, and lyric for Aristotle, in his work “Poetics”. He said in his work that a tragedy should be composed by an introduction, a middle part and an ending. According to Aristotle the fable (mythos) is more important than the characters in the play. It is so because the purpose with the tragedy, according to Aristotle, is to make the audience feel pity (eleos) and fear (fobos) and as a result achieve an emotional cleansing(Catharsis). In order to bring those feelings to the audience the tragedy must be complex. The tragedy must involve a peripeteia, meaning that a great person experiences a turning point, a reversal of fortune. This turning point must be caused by a mistake, the tragic hero's mistake (hamartia). This reversal of fortune cannot be prevented but it is an unforeseen result of the mistake the tragic hero makes. The tragic hero must during the play achieve a revelation(anagnorisis) that means that the hero will go from not knowing to knowing, and that could be about anything. All these elements are what makes a tragedy a good tragedy according to Aristotle. In 1963 Gustav Freytag, a...
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...meant royalty. He is 'universal,' meaning that everyone everywhere can relate to the kinds of problems or sufferings or emotions that the hero experiences. He has a 'tragic flaw' - this could be a personality trait (like greed, lust, ambition, jealousy, etc.), OR an error in judgement (a bad decision). This 'tragic flaw' leads to his downfall - usually ruins his career, reputation, power, etc. He is enlightened at the end of the story, meaning he realizes where he went wrong, he is humble, and he accepts the consequences . A tragic hero is a character in a work of fiction (often the protagonist) who commits an action or makes a mistake which eventually leads to his or her defeat. The idea of the tragic hero was created in ancient Greek tragedy and defined by Aristotle (and others). Usually, this includes the realization of the error (anagnorisis), which results in catharsis or epiphany. Aristotelian tragic hero Characteristics Aristotle once said that "A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall." An Aristotelian tragic hero must have four characteristics: Nobility (of a noble birth) or wisdom (by virtue of birth). Hamartia (translated as flaw, mistake, or error, not an Elizabethan tragic flaw). A reversal of fortune(peripetia) brought about because of the hero's Hamartia. The discovery or recognition that the reversal was brought about by the hero's own actions (anagnorisis). Other common traits Some other common traits characteristic...
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...Edmond Mak Professor Bradley ENGL-103-192 27 April 2011 Aristotle’s Theory of Tragedy When one thinks of Aristotle’s theory of tragedy, some works that might come to mind include Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, or the many works written by Shakespeare such as Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, or Macbeth. A common feature that all of these works share is that they were all written around and/or before the sixteenth century. One might be surprised, however, to discover that stories are still being written in today’s societies that follow the elements of Aristotelian theory. One story written in relatively recent history is that of "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. which in many aspects, can be considered a Aristotelian tragedy. Aristotle described a tragedy as a story that consisted of a tragic hero and a plot that would generate fear and pity in its audience. In this story, fourteen-year-old Harrison Bergeron valiantly attempts to break free from an equality-based society, but is quickly denied by the authoritative force of the government. The most important element in Aristotelian tragedy is the plot of a story. Aristotle states in Poetics that a story must consist of a beginning, middle, and end (Aristotle, 7). "Harrison Bergeron" fits this description very well because the beginning, middle, and end can be clearly identified while reading the story. The story opens by giving a description of what the society people live in is like. "THE YEAR WAS 2081, and everybody...
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...tragic poetry, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, has its roots in the same soil as Oedipus Rex. But the changed treatment of same material reveals the whole difference in the mental life of these two widely separated epochs of civilization: the secular advance of repression in the emotional life of mankind. In the Oedipus the child’s wishful fantasy that underlies it is brought into the open and realized as it would be in a dream. In Hamlet it remains repressed; and—just as in the case of a neurosis—we only learn of its existence from its inhibiting consequences. Strangely enough, the overwhelming effect produced by the more modern tragedy has turned out to be compatible with the fact that people have remained completely in the dark as to the hero’s character. The play is built up on Hamlet’s hesitations over fulfilling the task of revenge that is assigned to him; but its text offers no reasons or motives for these hesitations and an immense variety of attempts at interpreting them have failed to produce a result. According to the view which was originated by Goethe and is still the prevailing one today, Hamlet represents the type of man whose power of direct action is paralyzed by an excessive development of his intellect. (He is “sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought.”) According to another view, the dramatist has tried to portray a pathologically irresolute character which might be classed as neurasthenic. The plot of the drama shows us, however, that Hamlet is far from being represented...
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...Drama and the Elizabethan world view By: Magnus Hjorth Jørgensen 3.M The Great Chain of Being: During Shakespeare’s time “the great chain of being” dominated people’s perception of the world and how things was connected. Back then Christians thought that every single living thing and object had a specific rank after its importance. God was of course the most important character represented in “the great chain of being” as he is the creator of the world and Christianity is a monotheistic religion in which there only is one God. After God comes angels and then Humans. Wild animals are after humans, followed by domestic animals. Plants are next, followed by minerals and stones. Within each of these categories are things listen and categorised even further. Under Humans you have the king on top, as the king is considered appointed by God and therefore is closer to God than other humans. After the king you have other royalties, followed by priests and nobles, and then comes commoners. Under animals you also have a hierarchy within as a subcategory. The lion is the animal ranked the highest, and the worm the lowest. Under plants the oak tree is considered the most important one. Under this period of time in history, if there was to occur a disturbance, in which for example a commoner would obtain a higher rank or perhaps there was a bad king at the time, people believed that nature would try to sort things out and restore peace and calmness from the chaos. People thought that...
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...was more tragic – Hamlet or Agamemnon? Be sure to explain your opinion clearly and support it with direct references to both plays and to the elements of tragedy that you have learned so farWhich play, in your opinion, was more tragic – Hamlet or Agamemnon? Be sure to explain your opinion clearly and support it with direct references to both plays and to the elements of tragedy that you have learned so farWhich play, in your opinion, was more tragic – Hamlet or Agamemnon? Be sure to explain your opinion clearly and support it with direct references to both plays and to the elements of tragedy that you have learned so farWhich play, in your opinion, was more tragic – Hamlet or Agamemnon? Be sure to explain your opinion clearly and support it with direct references to both plays and to the elements of tragedy that you have learned so farWhich play, in your opinion, was more tragic – Hamlet or Agamemnon? Be sure to explain your opinion clearly and support it with direct references to both plays and to the elements of tragedy that you have learned so farWhich play, in your opinion, was more tragic – Hamlet or Agamemnon? Be sure to explain your opinion clearly and support it with direct references to both plays and to the elements of tragedy that you have learned so farWhich play, in your opinion, was more tragic – Hamlet or Agamemnon? Be sure to explain your opinion clearly and support it with direct references to both plays and to the elements of tragedy that you have learned...
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...The Tragedy of Hamlet In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a great example of what a tragedy really is can be found. Throughout the play we see struggles, betrayals and many deaths. Hamlet definitely fits the genre of a tragedy in various ways. The play gives its audience a heart touching experience that makes the audience feel empathy for the characters. In order to have a true tragedy, there must be a tragic hero, along with a tragic flaw, and a catharsis. Below, one can learn what a tragedy is and how Hamlet fits this genre. In order to call Hamlet a tragedy one must know the meaning of tragedy. The Oxford English dictionary defines a tragedy as a serious play with an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character. Every tragedy should have a tragic hero. The tragic hero is often the protagonist in a play. The great philosopher Aristotle defines a tragic hero as a man of noble stature who is admired by society but flawed. The flaw in the hero is a key component to the play. It is often what makes or breaks the character. Many times the flaw in the character is what causes the turmoil. It is safe to say that every tragedy has a tragic hero and every tragic hero has a flaw. The imperfection in the character enables the audience to see eye to eye with the character. The audience is able to see that everybody has their imperfections. Just as our flaws can sometimes lead us into trouble, we can see how the protagonist has to face the same issues. ...
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