Hamlet's Flaws example essay topic

In William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, the main character undergoes a great deal of anguish when he finds out that his uncle murdered his father. As a result, Hamlet than promises the ghost of his father that he will avenge him by murdering his uncle. This is where the audience is introduced into Hamlet's tragic flaws. Hamlet has three major flaws, which include his procrastination, his madness, and his lack of balance. These three flaws invoke different reactions from the audience. Hamlet's first flaw is his procrastination.

Once he finds out that his uncle murdered his father, he makes a vow to his father's ghost that he will avenge his death. However, Hamlet has a difficult time doing this treasonous act. He constantly puts off what needs to be done by telling himself the time is not right. "Now might I do it pat, now he is praying; And now I'll do't: and so he goes to heaven: And so am I revenged.

That would be scann'd:" (3.3. 74-76) He nevertheless finds a good excuse to wait for better timing. The audience admires Hamlet for wanting to avenge his father's death. They commiserate with him for losing his father and they sympathize with him about his mother's remarriage to his father's killer. When Hamlet is having a difficult time finding the right moment to end Claudius' life, the audience sees Hamlet as a caring person who really does not want to end someone's life, even if it is for revenge.

This makes him the hero. Hamlet's second flaw would be his madness. At first pretending to be mad was Hamlet's tool for seeking revenge. By casting off human nature (like he promised his father's ghost he would do), Hamlet also got rid of his sanity. After pretending for so long to be mad, signs of madness did show even when he wasn't pretending.

Hamlet took the madness further than necessary no matter to whom he was talking. "i'faith; of the chameleon's dish: I eat the air, promise-crammed; you cannot feed capons so". (3.2. 92- 93) Even his family noticed the madness. "It shall be so; Madness in great ones must not unwatch'd go". (3.1. 189-190) Perhaps Hamlet truly did go crazy. At this point in the play the audience is realizing that Hamlet is starting to lose control of reality. By his actions, the audience can see that our hero may not win the battle.

He is not the usual Hamlet who was always two steps ahead of Claudius. They are still cheering Hamlet on, even though things are not looking great in his favour. Hamlet's passion got the best of his reason at times. His balance was off. This is his third flaw. He was not rational in his thinking (this could have been the madness) and his actions would often overpower his thoughts.

For an example, when Polonius was hiding behind the arras and Hamlet thought he heard the king, instead of using reason and checking to be sure, his passion took over and he killed Polonius unintentionally. Hamlet really was not sure what was going on. When his mother asked why he killed Polonius, Hamlet replied, "Nay, I know not:" (3.4. 28) Another time when Hamlet went into action before thinking was when Claudius prepared the duel between Hamlet and Laertes, and the odds were in Hamlet's favour. Hamlet should have realized that something was drastically wrong. Instead of reasoning why his uncle would want Hamlet to win (after he already found out that his uncle tried to have him killed in England), Hamlet's passion accepted the duel.

He should have been suspicious of his uncle's motives. Now the audience understands that Hamlet is not going to win the war. Hamlet's flaws are too strong. Not only that, Hamlet has almost given up. "If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all: since no man has aught of what he leaves, what is't to leave betimes? Let be". (5.2.

211-216) The audience knows that the play will end tragically. Here the audience feels great sadness because the hero is to die. All these flaws lead to Hamlet's tragic end, death. If Hamlet didn't procrastinate, Claudius would have been killed right away. If Hamlet had not gone mad, he would not have been suspected of wanting to kill Claudius.

If Hamlet hadn't lost his reason, he would not have killed Polonius and then he would not have been thought to be dangerous. However, if Hamlet did not have these flaws, the play would have ended in act one!