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Hamlet Tragedy Analysis

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Hamlet, despite being an introspective look at grief as well as a cautionary tale of the human condition, is first and foremost a tragedy. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, by William Shakespeare, is a play written in the early 17th century that follows the Senecan formula: a playwriting method originating in Rome which accentuates points of revenge, honor, the supernatural, suicide, and blood. This formula is evident throughout the play but is fully realized in the character of Hamlet. He is a tragic hero, bound to revenge, goaded by the ghost of his father, who with each decision moves closer to his inevitable death. Hamlet has many observable traits. He is intelligent, emotional, temperamental, and bold but his tragic flaw is that of overthinking. Though Hamlet is driven by instinct to right the wrong done to his father, he does not act as such. He carefully calculates all of his advances against his antagonists and spends a considerable amount of time explaining to the audience what complications certain issues present. “O all you host of heaven! O earth! What else? And shall I couple hell? Oh, fie! Hold, hold, my heart, And you, my sinews, grow not instant old, But bear me stiffly up. Remember thee! Ay, thou poor ghost, whiles memory holds a seat In this distracted globe. Remember thee! Yea, from the table of my memory I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records, All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past That youth and observation copied there, And thy commandment all alone shall live Within the book and volume of my brain, Unmixed with baser matter. Yes, by heaven! O most pernicious woman! O villain, villain, smiling, damnèd villain! My tables!—Meet it is I set it down That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain. At least I’m sure it may be so in Denmark. (writes) So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word. It is “Adieu, adieu. Remember me.” I have sworn ’t.” (I.v.94-1130) In Hamlet’s long soliloquy he belabors the idea of fate and its unfairness. After stewing over his villainous uncle and mother, he finally commits himself to vengeance by the ghost’s suggestion. This action in particular is the one that sets him on the path to his death. Hamlet’s tendency to overthink can most notably be

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