Hamlet Essay -- essays research papers

The phrase "there is a hero to every story" has been heard of by almost all. But can this be true if the hero doesn't survive through the story? It all depends on the definition of hero. A person can still be classified as a hero even if they do not live to see the good that they have done or accomplished in their lifetime. This type of hero is a tragic hero. A tragic hero is a good and admirable man of high position who falls to destruction as a result of some great error he commits or some flaw in his character. This meaning can be broken down into three parts. The first is that the person must be in some way distinguished as an honorable person of high stature. The next feature they must possess is some sort of fault or flaw in their character that is often referred to as a tragic flaw. The third quality is the destruction of character due to this tragic flaw, which usually means death. These three characteristics join together to create the framework for a tragic hero. The Character Hamlet, from William Shakespeare's novel Hamlet fits the mold of a tragic hero perfectly as he meets all three of the requirements. The first characteristic, a good and admirable man of high position, is easily covered by Hamlet. He was definitely an honorable person as he was looked up upon by all of the people of Denmark as their prince and next to rule (I.ii.113). This is not the only reason for him to be admirable. His mother found security in him ...