Going by the guidelines of a tragic hero i would say that Hamlet was indeed a tragic hero, because first of all his flaw was indecision, and perhaps selfishness. His destiny was to kill Claudis as his father's ghost fortold. However, his inability to kill his father, and his selfishness led to his own death, through the king setting Hamlet up because he found out that hamlet knew about Claudius killing his father.
However in my own personal opinion, a hero is someone who does something for the good of others not of himself. And until perhaps the very end when Hamlet had no other choice did he do something for his people.(Giving Fortinbras the throne).
I think that Hamlet WAS a hero. He is constantly being put down by his uncle, his mother, his friends, and soon enough his manipulated girl friend. Hamlet had done nothing wrong and the world shunned him from his throne and his right to mourn over the death of his father. Since Hamelet was completely alienated from the throne, I see him as a hero. It is difficult to stay sane when the world rejects you, but Hamlet is able to mostly do so, and still achieving his goal of killing Claudius.
i beleive that Hamlet was not a hero. I can not think of one act that he does that is heroic other than the fact the he is in the family of the throne. He has no powers, he thinks about himself and shows only selfishness and his flaw was that his father died. a very hey point of being a tragic hero is one that is a leader and in my own personal opinion I see that Hamlet is a follower.
I do not think hero would be one of Hamlets characteristics. A hero is someone who does something extraordinary for someone else. What Hamlet did I believe was for himself just as much or more than for his father. Hamlet caused a lot of corruption and hurt a lot of people. I do however think Hamlet is loyal. Hamlet was loyal to his words, that he would evenge his uncle, leave his mother alone, and stood up for what he believed in.
There is a fine line between a hero and an ordinary person, and this fault manifests itself in the final stages of scene five in which Hamlet asserts himself as all-mighty, portraying a sense of epic hero, but we must not disregard the rest of the entire play. I am one to see that as a human being Hamlet indeed follows the trademark tragic hero qualities, although a hero is someone whom asserts oneself to the greater good of mankind, and it is evident that within this particular play that the selfish nature of all characters finds itself lying solely in the eyes of the beholder. Hamlet's revenge is for the greater good of himself, not for any other entity, but we must realize that the qualifications for a tragic hero is delineated by someone going mad, seeking revenge and destroying their own personal energy.
I don't think that "hero" is the right word to describe Hamlet. I think Hamlet's actions were not heroic in anyway when there are innocent lives that are being lost trying to kill Claudius. But I do think he would be considered a "tragic hero" because although he was trying to do the right thing by avenging his fathers death, he lost his own life and the lives of the people he cared about. Also another characteristic that would make him a tragic hero is his selfishness because he was trying to make himself and the ghost of his father happy but he ended up hurting everyone else around him, not just Claudius.
Although it has been pointed out that Hamlet could be considered a tragic hero because of his flaws and events that occured throughout the play, I do not think that Hamlet was a hero.
In my opinion, a hero is someone who does good and helps other people. Heros are not selfish, but rather look for ways to improve the lives of others. A hero should be someone who can be looked up to and admired by other people. Other people might even aspire to be like their hero.
That being said, Hamlet is not a character that I nor many other people(I could guess)would want to look up to. It is blatently obvious throughout the play that Hamlet isn't trying to improve anyone's life but his own. And why would someone admire him? He appears to be nuts, and he kills numerous people throghout the course of the play. Clearly, I do not believe that Hamlet could be considered a hero.
Yes Hamlet was a hero. Throughout the play it did seem as though he was trying to escape something rather than face his fears, but in the end he ended up dying for his cause which is something only a true hero would do. In the world today many people appear to be hiding, or escaping their fears, but when one of them ends up dying for what they believed they are thought of as a hero. So why would Hamlet be any different?
I don't think that Hamlet was a hero, but he was just a normal person either. He avenged his ftaher's murder, without harming his mother, which is what the Ghost wanted him to do.As fro the bit about madness, I haven never thought that Hamlet was truly mad throughout the entire play. I think he used the mindset of someone who was insane to get ideas about how to kill Claudius; Hamlet showed he could easily move between both stages. So no Hamlet was not a hero, but he was a prominent figure in his society.
I would say that Hamlet is partially a hero but mostly a normal guy. Hamlet is a hero because he avenges his father and honors his father's last wish. He remains loyal to his family to the point of death and respects him enough to believe him and take action against Claudius. However, his motives do not remain pure. Hamlet is very selfish and irrational, and while I don't believe he ever truly went insane, he behaves recklessly and illogically. Even if he had, he still didn't kill Claudius by his own plans. It happened through a series of deaths that were accidents from CLAUDIUS' plans. If he was a hero he would have taken action before others were taken down. Also, he treats Ophelia selfishly. Ultimately, he remains self-interested throughout the play.
Yes Hamlet was a hero. His flaw was not being able to make a choice. His destiny in the story was to kill Claudis. His downfall was not being able to kill Claudius and being betrayed by the rest of his family.
I agree with kim with the guidlines of a tragic hero and that fitting Hamlet but personally I think that Hamlet is not a hero because he really did no good through out the play. A hero should make decisions that help others and he only made decisions based on what he wanted and what was best for him. In my opinion he wasnt a hero but rather a selfish leader who did as he pleased at others expenses.
Some aspects of Hamlet are heroic. The fact that he is so driven to defeat Claudius for his Citizens proves that he cares about them. Heroes try to protect innocent bystanders from evil doers. That aspect about him is heroic. The only problem with his heroism is that he uses others to obtain his goal.
His madness did keep him from actually killing Claudius straight away but if he would've just killed Claudius in the beginning then to the outsiders his motives would've been questionable.
well its hard to say, he never really did any heroic deeds, he didnt save a life,(he actually caused the end of Ophilia) he killed 3 people and was very selfish. so in all i would say he is not a hero.
I do not think that Hamlet was really a hero. To me, a hero does not put his personal goals before others, they seek justice, but their eyes to become clouded with visions of revenge and manipulation. I think the only time Hamlet comes close being a hero is when he is about to die. He exchanges forgiveness with Laertes, finally kills his uncle (justice) and tells Horacio that his story must be told in order for the public to know what the truth of everything was.
I think Hamlet truley was a hero. In the end he fights for what he thinks is right and ends up getting revenge for his father's murder. He also followed many of the guidelines of being a hero. However he didn't follow the rules of the church after he kills Claudius and sins. The reader however comes out feeling sorry for Hamlet and then we are happy when he has an epic death.
I believe that Hamlet fits the criteria of a tragic hero. His tragic flaw, selfishness caused his downfall. He was willing to do anything to get back at his uncle, regardless of how it would affect those around him.
However, the question asked if he was a "hero". I do not think that he fits my definition of a hero--someone who does something to help others without thinking of himself. Hamlet does not fit this at all due to his selfish nature.
I think Hamlet follows the tragic hero lines pretty well. A tragic hero is defined with a character that has a flaw that leads to his downfall. For an example Hamlets flaw is selfishness and his downfall is his tragic death. Hamlet in the end finally saw his flaw before his death making peace with it. All these things are examples of the classic tragic hero.
I dont think Hamlet is a true hero, I think it would be hard to argue him as so. He could be a tragic hero, but there are arguments against that as well as he is not loyal nor is he a real leader of men. He has multiple flaws, and though he did die, it wasnt clear if he repented his actions, a must for a tragic hero.
21 comments:
Going by the guidelines of a tragic hero i would say that Hamlet was indeed a tragic hero, because first of all his flaw was indecision, and perhaps selfishness. His destiny was to kill Claudis as his father's ghost fortold. However, his inability to kill his father, and his selfishness led to his own death, through the king setting Hamlet up because he found out that hamlet knew about Claudius killing his father.
However in my own personal opinion, a hero is someone who does something for the good of others not of himself. And until perhaps the very end when Hamlet had no other choice did he do something for his people.(Giving Fortinbras the throne).
I think that Hamlet WAS a hero. He is constantly being put down by his uncle, his mother, his friends, and soon enough his manipulated girl friend. Hamlet had done nothing wrong and the world shunned him from his throne and his right to mourn over the death of his father. Since Hamelet was completely alienated from the throne, I see him as a hero. It is difficult to stay sane when the world rejects you, but Hamlet is able to mostly do so, and still achieving his goal of killing Claudius.
i beleive that Hamlet was not a hero. I can not think of one act that he does that is heroic other than the fact the he is in the family of the throne. He has no powers, he thinks about himself and shows only selfishness and his flaw was that his father died. a very hey point of being a tragic hero is one that is a leader and in my own personal opinion I see that Hamlet is a follower.
I do not think hero would be one of Hamlets characteristics. A hero is someone who does something extraordinary for someone else. What Hamlet did I believe was for himself just as much or more than for his father. Hamlet caused a lot of corruption and hurt a lot of people. I do however think Hamlet is loyal. Hamlet was loyal to his words, that he would evenge his uncle, leave his mother alone, and stood up for what he believed in.
There is a fine line between a hero and an ordinary person, and this fault manifests itself in the final stages of scene five in which Hamlet asserts himself as all-mighty, portraying a sense of epic hero, but we must not disregard the rest of the entire play. I am one to see that as a human being Hamlet indeed follows the trademark tragic hero qualities, although a hero is someone whom asserts oneself to the greater good of mankind, and it is evident that within this particular play that the selfish nature of all characters finds itself lying solely in the eyes of the beholder. Hamlet's revenge is for the greater good of himself, not for any other entity, but we must realize that the qualifications for a tragic hero is delineated by someone going mad, seeking revenge and destroying their own personal energy.
I don't think that "hero" is the right word to describe Hamlet. I think Hamlet's actions were not heroic in anyway when there are innocent lives that are being lost trying to kill Claudius. But I do think he would be considered a "tragic hero" because although he was trying to do the right thing by avenging his fathers death, he lost his own life and the lives of the people he cared about. Also another characteristic that would make him a tragic hero is his selfishness because he was trying to make himself and the ghost of his father happy but he ended up hurting everyone else around him, not just Claudius.
Although it has been pointed out that Hamlet could be considered a tragic hero because of his flaws and events that occured throughout the play, I do not think that Hamlet was a hero.
In my opinion, a hero is someone who does good and helps other people. Heros are not selfish, but rather look for ways to improve the lives of others. A hero should be someone who can be looked up to and admired by other people. Other people might even aspire to be like their hero.
That being said, Hamlet is not a character that I nor many other people(I could guess)would want to look up to. It is blatently obvious throughout the play that Hamlet isn't trying to improve anyone's life but his own. And why would someone admire him? He appears to be nuts, and he kills numerous people throghout the course of the play.
Clearly, I do not believe that Hamlet could be considered a hero.
Yes Hamlet was a hero. Throughout the play it did seem as though he was trying to escape something rather than face his fears, but in the end he ended up dying for his cause which is something only a true hero would do. In the world today many people appear to be hiding, or escaping their fears, but when one of them ends up dying for what they believed they are thought of as a hero. So why would Hamlet be any different?
I don't think that Hamlet was a hero, but he was just a normal person either. He avenged his ftaher's murder, without harming his mother, which is what the Ghost wanted him to do.As fro the bit about madness, I haven never thought that Hamlet was truly mad throughout the entire play. I think he used the mindset of someone who was insane to get ideas about how to kill Claudius; Hamlet showed he could easily move between both stages. So no Hamlet was not a hero, but he was a prominent figure in his society.
I would say that Hamlet is partially a hero but mostly a normal guy.
Hamlet is a hero because he avenges his father and honors his father's last wish. He remains loyal to his family to the point of death and respects him enough to believe him and take action against Claudius.
However, his motives do not remain pure. Hamlet is very selfish and irrational, and while I don't believe he ever truly went insane, he behaves recklessly and illogically. Even if he had, he still didn't kill Claudius by his own plans. It happened through a series of deaths that were accidents from CLAUDIUS' plans. If he was a hero he would have taken action before others were taken down. Also, he treats Ophelia selfishly.
Ultimately, he remains self-interested throughout the play.
Yes Hamlet was a hero. His flaw was not being able to make a choice. His destiny in the story was to kill Claudis. His downfall was not being able to kill Claudius and being betrayed by the rest of his family.
I agree with kim with the guidlines of a tragic hero and that fitting Hamlet but personally I think that Hamlet is not a hero because he really did no good through out the play. A hero should make decisions that help others and he only made decisions based on what he wanted and what was best for him. In my opinion he wasnt a hero but rather a selfish leader who did as he pleased at others expenses.
Some aspects of Hamlet are heroic. The fact that he is so driven to defeat Claudius for his Citizens proves that he cares about them. Heroes try to protect innocent bystanders from evil doers. That aspect about him is heroic. The only problem with his heroism is that he uses others to obtain his goal.
His madness did keep him from actually killing Claudius straight away but if he would've just killed Claudius in the beginning then to the outsiders his motives would've been questionable.
well its hard to say, he never really did any heroic deeds, he didnt save a life,(he actually caused the end of Ophilia) he killed 3 people and was very selfish. so in all i would say he is not a hero.
I do not think that Hamlet was really a hero. To me, a hero does not put his personal goals before others, they seek justice, but their eyes to become clouded with visions of revenge and manipulation. I think the only time Hamlet comes close being a hero is when he is about to die. He exchanges forgiveness with Laertes, finally kills his uncle (justice) and tells Horacio that his story must be told in order for the public to know what the truth of everything was.
I think Hamlet truley was a hero. In the end he fights for what he thinks is right and ends up getting revenge for his father's murder. He also followed many of the guidelines of being a hero. However he didn't follow the rules of the church after he kills Claudius and sins. The reader however comes out feeling sorry for Hamlet and then we are happy when he has an epic death.
I believe that Hamlet fits the criteria of a tragic hero. His tragic flaw, selfishness caused his downfall. He was willing to do anything to get back at his uncle, regardless of how it would affect those around him.
However, the question asked if he was a "hero". I do not think that he fits my definition of a hero--someone who does something to help others without thinking of himself. Hamlet does not fit this at all due to his selfish nature.
I think Hamlet follows the tragic hero lines pretty well. A tragic hero is defined with a character that has a flaw that leads to his downfall. For an example Hamlets flaw is selfishness and his downfall is his tragic death. Hamlet in the end finally saw his flaw before his death making peace with it. All these things are examples of the classic tragic hero.
I dont think Hamlet is a true hero, I think it would be hard to argue him as so. He could be a tragic hero, but there are arguments against that as well as he is not loyal nor is he a real leader of men. He has multiple flaws, and though he did die, it wasnt clear if he repented his actions, a must for a tragic hero.
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