Hamlet As An Anti Hero example essay topic

Stories of yesterday have defied time in the essence that they are eternal. From as early as the tenth century, English authors have found ample ways of sharing their stories with the world. These timeless stories usually involve a threat of some kind with a character who defeats this threat. That character is often called a hero.

The epic poem Beowulf and Shakespeare's tragedy of Hamlet are just two of these eternal stories. These two stories have a character that is often referred to as a hero. Beowulf and Hamlet, although written at very different times, describe what the concept of a hero is, how the hero is viewed by society, and how heroes can differ depending on their personality. The concept of a hero in is a man with unusual strength. This strength is both physical and mental. A hero is thought of as a fearless leader.

Heroes are brave, self-less, powerful men who will stop at nothing to rid the world of evil (Tucker). A hero cannot be afraid of death he must face it head-on. Beowulf and Hamlet are both considered heroes of their time, though for different reasons. The society that Beowulf represents is one of great turmoil.

It is a male-dominated society based on warfare. During the time the epic was written, men were expected to be honorable and brave. For a warrior, the purpose in life was to die in battle. Those who did not die would gain honor and glory. People believed that their lives were predetermined. There were some who were meant to die and some who were meant to prosper.

For these people fame was the highest honor. "I had a fixed purpose when I put to sea. / As I sat in the boat with my band of men, / I meant to perform to the uttermost / what your people wanted or perish in the attempt, / in the fiend's clutches. And I shall fulfill that purpose, / prove myself with a proud deed / or meet my death here in the mead-hall" (Heaney, 18).

The society that Hamlet represents is quite different from that of Beowulf. Hamlet is living during the time of the Renaissance in England. The society is experiencing a rebirth of ideas. Education is valued highly and the concept of humanism is being explored. Humanism is "human centered" thought.

Man is thought of as innately good. The major "war" was between the Catholic Church and the Protestants. Men did not battle daily; there was time for reflection and leisure. The people of the time were not looking for someone to "save" them.

They were looking for a strong leader to assure them peace and safety. At this time a hero could be someone of superior mental strength. "Let me be cruel, not unnatural. / I will speak daggers to her, but use none" (Miller). Hamlet has decided to use his mind rather than his might, to defeat his uncle.

The personality of the hero in a story can be reflected in his actions. Beowulf was a fierce warrior who was trained to fight. This is why he feels no fear when challenging the monsters. He is not consumed by the fear of death, but rather relishes in the fact that he could die in the most honorable fashion.

Beowulf uses his bare hands to defeat evil. He believes it would be braver if he were to fight without any weapons. Beowulf completely disregards his own safety for the safety of others. He pursues the danger until he is able to conquer it. Beowulf is a man of action.

He understands that something needs to be done quickly and he does it. Beowulf sees a threat and demolishes it. Beowulf is arrogant in the sense that he does not respect death. He does not think death will get him. This air of confidence could be just the thing that gets Beowulf killed. Hamlet on the other hand is a man of inaction.

Had Hamlet been an instinctual character, like Beowulf, he would have immediately run and committed murder (Andrews). Hamlet displays psychology under extreme stress (Tucker). Hamlet did show some heroic characteristics. He demonstrated a lack of fear when he spoke with a ghost. He also acted boldly by plunging the sword into the stranger behind the curtains.

Hamlet spends most of his time pondering what to do. He loses the motive of revenge because he is consumed with hatred for his mother. Hamlet is led by his mind, not his heart. He has opportunities to kill Claudius but his conscience gets the better of him. "At times he allowed himself to fearlessly speak back to Claudius, while others feared to do so because of his powerful political position" (Andrews).

He makes plans to avenge his father's murder, but little is followed through until the last act of the play. Hamlet finally comes out of his shell of fear and contemplation to kill both King Claudius and his mother. Some scholars would even refer to Hamlet as an Anti-Hero. Hamlet shows many signs of weakness and immaturity. He refuses to accept the fact that his mother has remarried and that his all-powerful father is dead. He suffers from the Oedipus complex, he envisions his father to be the best thing in the world.

Hamlet is not overtly angry with Claudius. His anger is for his mother alone. Hamlet is definitely not self-less. The person he is mostly concerned for is himself. He wonders why his father was taken from him, not why his father was murdered. He does not seem too concerned with the fact that his father's soul has to dwell in purgatory.

He cannot fathom why it has to be him who suffers so greatly and not someone else. Another characteristic of an anti-hero is the fact that Hamlet draws sympathy, as well as admiration from the reader (Tucker). A typical hero would not require sympathy. The fact that Hamlet's life is not directly in jeopardy attributes to his "hero" status. In addition, his major fault is the desire to avenge his father's death, an act considered completely honorable by the reader. However, Hamlet's negative attributes including his rudeness towards others, and a violent nature when he kills Polonium with no remorse, causes a reclassification from the classic hero, to the more appropriate label of anti-hero (Andrews).

The authors of both works accurately depict the concept of a hero during that time, how each society views its heroes, and how the personality of the hero is revealed in the actions or inaction's taken. Heroes of today are people who put others first, who are not afraid to risk their lives for the greater good of man. Heroes are born everyday; those who exude honor and valor are those who will be remembered in the future. The concept of a hero changes slightly with every generation, but one-thing remains, the willingness to never give up.