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Hamlet 2 (Click to select text)
The tragedy in literature is defined by Gage Canadian Dictionary as a serious play having, usually, a central character and an unhappy or disastrous ending. Also, in many tragedies the hero experiences great mental suffering and, finally meets his death. Great literature usually defines this term throughout its course by clarifying and illustrating its meaning. One of such classic examples is Hamlet by William Shakespeare, where characters such as Polonius and Claudius have freedom to choose their fate and where death of innocent becomes a frequent event. Although many people lose their lives as a result of their own wrongdoing, for example Hamlet, there are a few others whose death is a result of bad luck and misfortune, for instance Polonius’ daughter, Ophelia. . She, like others in the play, was manipulated by Claudius for his own purposes. In Act II, Scene 2, Claudius and Polonius use Ophelea to determine the cause of Hamlet’s madness. Polonius: At such a time I’ll lose my daughter to him: Be you and I behind an arras then; Mark the encounter: if he love her not And be not form his reason fall’n thereon, Let me be no assistant for a state, But keep a farm and carters And in Act II, scene 1, Ophelia tells Polonius how Hamlet has scared her, making Polonius believe that Hamlet has gone insane. Thus the death of Ophelia is a tragedy because she did nothing deserving of her horrible death, besides allowing herself to be used by others. One of the most important elements of tragedy, according to Gage Canadian Dictionary, is a number of opportunities a character has to escape his or her fate. The sad part is that in the tragedy, hero’s death could be easily avoided by making the right choices, it’s not simply controlled by his fortune or destiny. Polonius had many chances to escape his fate but he acted deceitfully throughout the play trying to show his loyalty to the king and the queen by spying on Hamlet. Polonius: my lord, he’s going to his mother’s closet; Behind the arras I’ll convey myself, To hear the process; I’ll warrant she’ll tax him home I’ll call upon you erie you go to bed, And tell you what I know. He could have chosen not to follow king’s wishes and thus to avoid his own death. Also, while being the king’s advisor Polonius’ duty is to obey king’s desires and it’s his stupidity and devotion to the task that eventually kill him in Act III, scene 4. Hence Polonius’ fate can be viewed as a tragedy. Not every play in which a hero dies is considered a tragedy. To classify a play a tragedy, according to Gage Canadian Dictionary, a hero must have many good traits as well a flaws which eventually lead to his downfall. Hamlet is a perfect example of a character possessing these qualities. He is capable of faking the insanity thus showing his intellectual side; he is also loyal to his father, which is the reason he was furious with his mother and Claudius. On the other hand, Hamlet, also, possesses negative qualities such as ….puk…puk…puk….which is shown in Act III, scene 1, where Hamlet tells Ophelia that he doesn’t love her and asks her to go to a nunnery. Hamlet: you should not have believed me; for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it; I loved you not. Ophelia: I was the more deceived. Hamlet: get thee to a nunnery; why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a classic example of a literary work where death of innocent becomes a frequent event and characters have freedom to choose their fate. The tragedy is characterized by The Comact Bedford Introductioon to Literature as a story that presents courageous individuals who confront powerful with a dignity in face of failure, defeat, and even death. Therefore this play perfectly supports the definition of tragedy. A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow and where the death of innocent characters such as Polonius, Ophelia, and Gertrude becomes a frequent event in such play as Hamlet by William Shakespeare is generally defined as tragedy. Hamlet had many possibilities to escape his fate but he stuck with his plan to revenge his father’s death. At the same time he had a couple of opportunities to kill Claudius, but he did not take advantage of them. Hamlet: Now might I do it pat, now he is praying; And now I’ll do’t And so ‘a goes to heaven; And so am I reveng’d. That wuld be scann’d; (Act III, scene 3 - 73) And the last, he chose not to make the murder of his father open to the whole kingdom and to keep it as secret between Horation and himself. Thus, becoming one of the greatest tragic characters in literature. The tragedy of drama Hamlet is in death of people surrounding him, main characters, harmless bystanders, and not of Hamlet or Claudius. Their deaths were not the result of their bad judgement but to some extent of their innocent involvement with the main character. One of such individuals is Polonius. Even though he acts deceitfully, his main goal is to help the king and the queen to discover the source of Hamlet’s insanity. Also, as a father to Ophelia, in Act I Scene 4 and then throughout the play, he tries to protect her from getting involved with royalty and specifically prince Hamlet. While being the king's advisor, Polonius’ duty is to obey the king’s desires and it is his stupidity and devotion to the task that eventually kill him, (Act III, scene 4) thus, adding another dramatic segment to the play. The death of Laertes, also, becomes tragic after he tries to revenge his father’s murder. As a brother to Ophelia and son to Polonius, he never intended anything more then to protect his family and to keeps his own dignity by killing Hamlet. His actions where based only on the need of them, while others used him for their selfish needs. For example Claudius, used him as a weapon to murder Hamlet and to bring end to his accusations. This makes Laertes’ death another tragedy in the play Hamlet While her only goal in the whole play was to bring peace and happiness to Denmark and to her own family, Hamlet tried everything he could to bring her down as a person in front of the whole kingdom. Queen: Come hether, my dear Hamlet, sit by me. Hamlet: No, good mother, here’s metal more attractive. (Act III, scene 2 - 91) On the other hand Gertrude wasn’t a really intelligent woman, which is described in Act I Scene 2, when she gets married right after Hamlet senior’s demise. Although Gertrude’s death would not be a great catastrophe, the circumstances of her murder as an innocent bystander form a tragic component of the play.
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