Hamlet
"To be or not to be, that is the question."
- Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Quick Summary
Hamlet is a Shakespearean tragedy that follows the main character,
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark as he tries to avenge the death of his father.
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Hamlet's father, King Hamlet, was killed by his own brother, Claudius.
Claudius (Hamlet's uncle) takes Hamlet's rightful spot as king and marries Hamlet's mother (Queen Gertrude).
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Hamlet meets his father's ghost and is told he must avenge him.
Hamlet comes up with a way to prove Claudius' guilt before Hamlet plans on killing him. However Hamlet's indecisiveness gives Claudius enough time to kill Hamlet instead.
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Why is hamlet Considered a
Tragic Hero?
According to Aristotle, Hamlet does indeed meet the criteria for a tragic hero. Being the Prince of Denmark means he has high social status and is noble by birth. He is wealthy and have people who love him (mainly Ophelia and Gertrude).
He has a tragic flaw that brings about his destruction, which many people argue is his inability to act. He experiences a reversal of fate when Claudius realizes that Hamlet knows about his father's murder. The anagnorisis of Hamlet is when Hamlet realizes that Claudius is guilty and now it is Hamlet's purpose to kill him, respecting his father's wish. Hamlet's nemesis is obviously Claudius as the play is essentially a battle of bad schemes between them. Hamlet's hubris is shown when he feels no remorse for killing Polonius. This leads to him accepting the duel with Laertes, eventually leading to his death. The catharsis also occurs during the duel because the audience knows it isn't a fair duel and Hamlet does not deserve to die especially when he himself plays fair. They sympathize with him at that moment.
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Despite having the qualities of a tragic hero, many people disagree on whether Hamlet is actually a "hero". He is a noble (noun), but is he actually noble (adj.)? He "acts" like a mad person but we have no idea if he is actually insane.
Everyone has different opinions so feel free to contact us and tell us what you think.
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Royal Family
In a place far far away,
Lived a royal family about to be sent into disarray,
By a sudden act of malicious intent,
Forcing the son to choose between forgiveness or consequent,
To be or not to be,
The consequences of his actions (or inaction) he couldn’t see,
Betrayed by his father (or rather, uncle) for the last time,
The son chooses to get his hands full of grime,
But too late it is, for the royal family,
As the yarn of fate gets snipped, comes calamity.
This classical piece can be related to Hamlet’s state of mind and decision making throughout the play. In the play Hamlet, he is in a confused state of mind because his father was killed and his uncle is about to marry his mother. In the title of the song, “Impromptu” means done without being planned, organized, or rehearsed. This term is suitable to Hamlet’s broken mind and disorganized course of action. The song goes through a transition from an uneasiness (minor key) to more comfortable (major key) feeling. In this section, it describes Hamlet when he decides to act upon his best friends’ betrayal without thinking too hard about it. I would relate his state of mind as efficient and confident. As the song’s main theme comes back, Hamlet once again experiences difficulty executing his plans but manages to complete his task and leaves Denmark in peace.
Chopin Fantaisie Impromptu, Op. 66
relation to hamlet