The scene that best captivates Hamlet’s arrogance as his hamartia is when he confronts Gertrude and unknowingly murders Polonius. This scene marks the beginning of Hamlet's tragic downfall. Some could say he acted out of fear, or that his state of mind was unclear; but it is evident upon further analysis that he acted out of his own hubristic nature.
To begin, Hamlet’s arrogance is demonstrated by rudely lashing out at his mother, blaming her for marrying Claudius and begging her to leave him. His rude demeanor toward his mother is controlled by his strong hatred towards Claudius- his father's killer. Hamlet tells his mother,
[Aside] Nay, but to live
In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed,
Stewed in corruption, honeying and making love
Over the nasty, sty- (Shakespeare, 3.4. 92-94)
His insults towards his mother are geared towards Claudius and his negative bias towards him. Despite the fact that his mother is not guilty of his father's murder, he carelessly releases his anger upon her- portraying his sense of superiority over his mother. Ultimately, the act of confronting Gertrude displays Hamlet’s arrogant nature which leads to his eventual demise.
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His one goal of avenging his father causes him to lose his rationale, as his only thought is to murder his father's killer, Claudius. This mindset clouds his vision and he murders Polinus whom he mistakes for Claudius behind the curtain. Furthermore, Hamlet shows no sympathy or regret for his mistake and instead says, “Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell. I took thee for thy better.” (Shakespeare, 3.4. 32-33). It is evident that Hamlet is unaffected by this and feels no remorse for his aberration- instead blaming Polonius for interfering. Thus, his tragic flaw causes him to commit a heinous
And because of this Hamlet and his mother’s relationship was destroyed due to hamlet not telling her what was going on and why he had been so cold with her. Which caused their trust in each other to decrease significantly. Hamlet could have confronted Gertrude and talked to her about what Claudius did and tried to show her that what she did was wrong, however, he does not do that until it is far too late. “A bloody deed-almost as bad, good mother, as kill and king and marry with his brother. ”(3.4.
To begin, the Queen’s remarriage is a driving force in Hamlet’s rage and stems from his grief. Hamlet’s frantic and nonsensical exclamation such as she “makes marriage vows as false as dicers oath” (Hamlet 3.4.46-47) and she lives “in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, stew’d in corruption” (3.4. 94-95). Hamlet harps on the immorality of his mother and it is probably the strongest reason he has to despise Claudius as he is unsure he really killed his father until the scene before this. He hates Claudius for replacing his father. This fractures his and his mother’s relationship.
Hamlet believes that he has the authority to pass judgment and condemnation upon those around him, including his mother. Hamlet's pride obscures the situation's complexity, which stops him from comprehending the ramifications of his words and actions. He criticizes Gertrude for alleged moral breaches, claiming superiority and righteousness. This arrogance strains their relationship and worsens the problems within the play, causing a terrible chain of events to unfold. Hamlet's arrogance is a fatal characteristic contributing to his demise.
150-153), whom he holds accountable for his father's murder. Claudius's presence in their lives serves as a constant reminder of this betrayal, escalating Hamlet's feelings of hostility toward his mother. Hamlet's resentment towards Gertrude for marrying Claudius fuels his desire for vengeance and causes him to act impulsively and recklessly, further pushing him towards his inevitable destruction. Ultimately, Hamlet's inability to forgive his mother for marrying Claudius and let go of his hostility, contributes to his tragic fate leading
Also, Hamlet displays his anguish at the Queen for dishonouring his dead father since “Almost as bad, good mother, as killing a king and marrying his brother” (Shakespeare, pg. 121). In this statement, Hamlet expresses how, through the marriage to her husband’s murderer, Gertrude is a symbol of dishonor and damaging her relationship with the prince. Hamlet is disgusted by Gertrude’s actions and recognizes her not as his mother but the queen and wife of Claudius, the murderer. The respect revered by children to their mother is not evident between Hamlet and Gertrude. In Gertrude’s death scene, Hamlet screams to his mother “Wretched Queen, adieu!”
The essence of a tragic hero lies in their possession of a flaw that leads to their own downfall, despite evoking sympathy from the audience. Hamlet, the eponymous character in a Shakespearean tragedy, faces deep emotional turmoil and internal struggles, garnering the audience's solicitude. However, driven by a desire for revenge, he succumbs to his arrogant hamartia, resulting in unintended consequences and the demise of himself and those around him. Hamlet's arrogance is most evident in Act III Scene IV when he confronts his mother, Gertrude, and inadvertently kills Polonius. He criticizes and lectures Gertrude on her choices, particularly her marriage to Claudius, his uncle and his father's brother.
What made it even worse was his mom, Gertrude, ended up marrying Claudius shortly after King Hamlet's death. After the king is murdered, Hamlet saw his father’s “ghost” which told him that Claudius was in fact the one that killed him and that he wanted Hamlet to seek revenge for him by killing Claudius, but not to punish his mother for remarrying. The ghost said to Hamlet, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. Murder most foul, as in the best it is, / But this most foul, strange, and unnatural” and Hamlet replied, “Haste me to know 't, that I, with wings as swift / As
The main character of William Shakespeare’s tragedy is actually a confused person that’s stuck between two choices. Some may argue that he feels guilty for his father’s death and so it’s his duty to avenge it. While others may disagree and conclude that he is just a maniac who is both violent and dangerous. Hamlet passes through the lane of hesitancy, where he hesitates to kill King Claudius. As a matter of fact, the main conflict of Hamlet is that he feels both the need to solve the crime and punish the responsible.
Hamlet no longer wanted to live in this life despair and pain. Another illustration of his indecisiveness is during the play when he had a clear chance to avenge his father by killing Claudius but choose not to do so, because he thought that Claudius was repenting for his
Hamlet, also, could not get over the death of his father. He found out when his father’s ghost came back that his brother, and Hamlet’s uncle, murdered him. He then was willing to do anything possible to get revenge on Claudius, his uncle. Both of
Gertrude’s betrayal of her son was caused by Claudius, as he comforted her after her husband’s unfortunate demise, and later married her, this was betrayal to Hamlet because he had a very high opinion of his father and thought very little of his uncle, Hamlet said “-married with my uncle, / My father’s brother, but no more like my father / Then I to Hercules; within a month” [I, ii, 151-153] showing that he believes that his mother betrayed him and his father’s memory by marrying his uncle, it also
Throughout the conversation and various parts of the play, Hamlet expresses his disgust for his mother 's actions. He insults her by comparing his father to Hyperion and Claudius to a satyr. He tells Gertrude not to sin by sleeping with him and tells her she is nothing but lustful for marrying a man like Claudius when he says, “That blurs the grace and blush of modesty,/ Calls virtue hypocrite, takes off the rose/ From the fair forehead of an innocent love/ And sets a blister there, makes marriage vows/
He is grieving the death of his father. Meanwhile, Claudius was likely voted king by the court. Hamlet is very cruel to his mother, Gertrude. This is an effect of Hamlet not having the time to grieve his father, instead he comes back to Denmark only to see his uncle marry his mother. This is causing him to be upset thus his cruelty towards his
In act one Gertrude marries her dead husband 's brother Claudius, Hamlet is not very happy that his mother did this. Hamlet feels very betrayed by his own mother because she remarried so quickly. He feels as if this is an unforgivable
When Hamlet’s father returns to Denmark as a ghost, he tells Hamlet that Claudius murdered him. Hamlet listens closely, and when his father tells him to take revenge for his death he says “Haste me to know ’t, that I, with wings as swift, as meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to my revenge.” This shows Hamlet is eager to take revenge for his father’s death. He becomes obsessed, trying to avenge his father’s death. This causes him to inadvertently kill Polonius, an innocent victim.