According to Aristotle’s Poetics, “Tragedy is an imitation not
only of a complete action, but of events inspiring fear or pity” (Aristotle).
In The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of
Denmark, the plot involves relatives and close friends: Claudius has
murdered his brother, King Hamlet; Prince Hamlet kills the father of the woman
he loves; Ophelia goes mad and falls into the stream, killing herself; Claudius
accidentally poisons the woman he loves, Hamlet’s mother Gertrude; and Ophelia’s
brother kills Hamlet. The intimacy of these relationships heightens the
audience’s pity for Hamlet, and the fact that Hamlet falls from royalty makes
his descent that much more poignant.
Hamlet wants to be absolutely
certain that the ghost’s allegation is true before exacting revenge upon
Claudius. Once Claudius’ reaction to the play supports the ghost’s allegation, Hamlet
is driven to seek revenge and justice. He has an opportunity to kill Claudius
immediately after the play, but decides that killing Polonius during prayer
would send him straight to heaven. Hamlet is doing his best to effectively
manage the uncertainties in his life, to find justice where there may be none,
to consider the actions he may take. He ponders the meaning of death and what
comes after. He is likable, if somewhat gloomy, but is at times consumed by the
emotion of it and unable to act rashly. He is someone that audiences can
identify with: we have all done this.
An argument might be made that Hamlet’s
tragic flaw is that he believed in ghosts. If he had not believed the ghost of
King Claudius, he would never have sought revenge for the murder of his father;
however, this argument would not have directly led to the tragic events of this
play. Another argument might be that his indecisiveness is his flaw; unfortunately,
this is supported because the series of tragic events do not unfold when he is
being indecisive.
It is an act of rashness in an
otherwise thinking man that is Hamlet’s hamartia. When Hamlet speaks to his
mother in her room, he is angry that she does not see the situation his way and
frightens her with his passion. When Gertrude calls out in fear, Hamlet rashly kills
the man he hears behind the tapestry, only to learn that it is not Claudius. Hamlet’s
action sets in motion events that lead to the deaths of seven more people
including himself. In a sense it also leads to the death of Denmark itself, as
the only royal left standing at the end is the Prince of Norway who happens
onto the scene at the same time as the British ambassadors.
Catharsis comes when Fortinbras
happens upon all the dead bodies in the palace, is briefly informed of what has
happened, and says “Bear Hamlet like a soldier to the stage, for he was likely,
had he been put on, to have proved most royal; and for his passage, the
soldier’s music and the rite of war speak loudly for him” (Shakespeare 287).
After all of the tragic events, the audience is allowed release from the
emotions they have been building up through the play: Hamlet is treated as a
hero by Fortinbras.
Works Cited
Aristotle. Poetics. Trans. S. H. Butcher. Project Gutenberg. Web. 13 March 2014.
Shakespeare,
William. Hamlet. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Simon
& Schuster. Paperback, 2012. Print.
