Tragedy and the Common Man in Hamlet

Katelyn Stoll Professor Hall English 102 11 November 2009 Tragedy and the greenness Man in Hamlet Arthur Miller nones that, The tragic feeling is elicited in us when we are in the presence of a caliber who is ready to fix down his life, if need be, to secure one topichis sense of personal dignity (1). This characteristic seen in most tragedies is definitely evident in the character of Prince Hamlet in Shakespeares run for Hamlet. The moment that Hamlet learns from the ghost that Claudius has committed regicide, his goal becomes clear he has to avenge the expiry of his father by murdering his uncle.Hamlet could not hurt idly by while the assassin of his saintly father had an fight with his mother Gertrude and lied to the people of Denmark. However, Hamlets tragic error prevents him from taking action quickly. During the course of the play, the prince notes that he has yet to perform some(prenominal) action against his uncle Claudius, and he wonders why this is. The charac ter of Hamlet is prone to abstract thought and wide soliloquies, not action this, in my opinion, is his tragic stain. The apparition of the recent Hamlet informs his son that Claudius, the current king of Denmark, poisoned him.Upon hearing the news, Hamlet is raging and swears to take revenge against his usurping uncle. Almost immediately he is ready to lay down his life to correct what has been done, and he now has a willingness to possess all he has into the contest, the battle to secure his rightful place in his world (3). It is at this moment in the play that Hamlet takes on the role of the familiar tragic ace and acts accordingly. He was displaced from the life that he knew and loved and was not awarded with his rightful position in society.Hamlet should be the king of Denmark if what the ghost told him is true not only is Hamlet not the king of Denmark, but also his mental health is constantly being birdcalled into question. He is losing ranks in society awfully quick ly, and part of Arthur Millers definition of the tragic hero is that the hero strives to evaluate himself justly. His tragic daub does not allow him to find his personal dignity, however, and Hamlet becomes frustrated all over time because of this. He either takes too much time thought everything through, or he reacts impulsively and violently when the situation does not call for it.This is seen when Hamlet accidentally stabs Polonius to death, thinking him to be a spy. His tragic blur is not knowing when or how to act aggressively, and it really costs him in the end. According to Miller, For, if it is true to say that in essence the tragic hero is intent upon claiming his whole due as a personality, and if this struggle moldiness be total and without reservation, then it automatically demonstrates the indestructible will of do main to achieve his humanity (4).He argues that the tragic play has a cluster more to offer the spectator than just a sad or unfortunate ending. Shake speares play, Hamlet concludes with the deaths of Gertrude, Laertes, Hamlet and Claudius. The point of this play, however, is not that quadruple people died, but that Hamlet was finally able to avenge the death of his father. Although this was not a perfect victory for Hamlet, he was able to lay down his goals, and this demonstrates the will of man (even the common man) to secure his sense of personal dignity. The wedge for freedom is the quality in tragedy which exalts (3). The conclusion of Hamlet is twain a wonderful and depressing one. In one sense, Hamlet is not a tragic hero, because he was able to overcome his tragic flaw and slay Claudius. In another more realistic sense, however, he suddenly fits the description of the tragic hero because he does not live long enough to see the benefits of his actions. Hamlet is never able to evaluate himself justly, and that was his main objective. In the tragic view the need of man to wholly confirm himself is the only fixed star, a nd whatever it is that hedges his nature and lowers it is ripe for attack and tryout (3). Hamlet perfectly adheres to the definition of the tragic hero of Arthur Miller, because of his need to regain his personal dignity, his tragic flaw preventing him for achieving this, and a tragic ending in which his goals are never realized. Works Cited Tragedy and the Common Man by Arthur Miller. Home Page of TheLiteraryLink, Dr. Janice Patten. Web. 02 Dec. 2009. .