Tragic Flaw of Hamlet
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Tragic Flaw of Hamlet
A tragic flaw is the excess of a particular weakness that affects how a character act and how he thinks, and eventually leads to his downfall. In Ў°HamletЎ± by William Shakespeare, the young prince is not able confront Claudius because the he has not been able to conquer himself in his internal conflict. This recalls the clichЁ¦, Ў°OneЎЇs greatest enemy is no other than oneself.Ў± HamletЎЇs angst becomes most evident when procrastinating. Procrastination is the inaction that leads to HamletЎЇs downfall and behind the inaction there were three main flaws: being idealistic, being fatalistic, and being over analytical.
To begin with, HamletЎЇs idealism stops him from avenging the murder of his father, when he has the opportunity to kill his uncle when he is praying. Ў°Am I then revenged to take him in the purging of his soul, when he is fit and seasoned for his passage? No. Up sword, and know thou a more horrid hent.Ў± (Act. 3 Scene 3 line 89~91) Hamlet wants an ideal revenge, which his opponent will suffer damnation in hell. Since Claudius is praying, Hamlet canЎЇt bear to kill him because he believes ClaudiusЎЇs soul will be purified and go to heaven, so Hamlet decides to kill Claudius at a more appropriate moment. The time Claudius is praying is the only time in the play that he is unguarded, which means Hamlet has let go of the best chance to kill Claudius for the sake of waiting for the perfect moment. Therefore, HamletЎЇs idealism causes him to procrastinate.
Aside from his idealism, HamletЎЇs fatalism also leads him to his downfall. Hamlet shows signs of being fatalistic by stating that he Ў°cannot choose his own origin.Ў± (Act 1 scene 4 line 29) According to Hamlet in the same quote, a man is not Ў°guiltyЎ± of having a Ў°vicious mole of natureЎ± or natural flaw he is born with because he cannot choose where he came from. (Ac1 scene 4 line 27 ~ 28) Furthermore, Hamlet comments that most people would Ў°rather bear those ills we have than fly to others that we know not of.Ў± (Act 3 scene 1 89~90) Since he would rather suffers under to torment of Ў°fateЎ± that he believes in, he gives no action to change. As a result, he commits nothing. Moreover, before his dual with Laertes, Horatio asks Hamlet if he want to stop the dual, warning that the king might have set up a scheme for him. Nevertheless, Hamlet replies, Ў°ThereЎЇs a special providence in the fall of a sparrow.Ў± (Act 5 Scene 2 line 210~211) Since Hamlet believes in predestination, he walks into ClaudiusЎЇs trap even if he knows it because he believes that if he is destined to die