Hamlet is far from a perfect character. His depression and melancholy, however understandable,cause him to misunderstand Ophelia and The Queen. he kills polonius by mistake, but he also sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths with clear calculation. Hamlet's insistence that even that part should be faced with courage, good humor and understanding which distinguishes him from the other characters and makes him Tragic Hero.

1. Name: solanki jayshree
Class : M.A.
Sem : 1
Topic : Hamlet as Tragic Hero
Paper No: 1
Paper name: The Renaissance
Literature
Submitted to: Smt S.B. Gardy M.K.Bhavnagar
University

2. HAMLET AS TRAGIC HERO

3.  Hamlet ,prince of Denmark.
Heir presumptive to the Denis throne ,is depression – sricken
and plunged into miserable by the recent death of his father
and the
“ o’erhasty” remarriage of his mother to her late husband's
brother ,who has succeeded to the throne.

4.  Hamlet’s sweetheart Ophelia and his former
schoolfellow Rosencrantz and Guildenstern attempt to
discover from him the secret of his “antic behavior”.
Before actually initiating his revenge , Hamlet wants to
be sure
it will hit the guilty person.
To this end, he arranges for a company of travelling
players to present a drama in the castle that will depict the
murder of his father as the ghost has described it.

5.  When the king sees the crime reenacted , he cries out
and rushes from the assembly. This action Hamlet takes to
be positive proof of his uncle’s guilt, and from this moment
he awaits only the right chance to kill him.
After the play Hamlet visits his mother’s apartment,
where he mistakes polonius for the king and kills him.

6.  The killing of Polonius drives Ophelia mad and also
convinces the king that Hamlet is dangerous and should be
gotten out of the way.
He therefore sends Hamlet to England,accompaines by
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, apparently to collect honor,
but in reality to be murdered.
However,Hamlet eludes this trap by substituting the
names of his one-time schoolfellows.

7.  He reaches Denmark in time for the funeral of
ophelia,who has it appears that downed herself.
Laertes , her brother ,has returned from Paris vowing
revenge on
Hamlet for the death of his father.
The king helps Laertes by arranging a fencing match
between the two young men and seeing to it that Laertes’s
weapon is naked and poisoned.

8.  Laertes wounds Hamlet, the rapiers change hands ,and
Hamlet wounds Laertes; the Queen drinks
the poisoned wine, and Laertes
concusses his part in the treachery to Hamlet, who then
stabs the king to death.
All the principals are thus dead, and young Fortinbras of
Norway becomes king of Denmark.
Tragedy ends with a funeral, which also celebrates a
victory.