Hamlet's Tragic Flaw Analysis

Register to read the introduction… This flaw of his ever evident in the story and causes many of the tragedies. The first time that Hamlet does not act is immediately after his father's ghost reveals to him that he was murdered and that Hamlet should avenge his death. If Hamlet had killed Claudius right away, the tragedies in the story which followed would probably never have happened. Another moment in which Hamlet's flaw is evident is when he had ample opportunity to kill Claudius while Claudius was praying but passed up the opportunity. Hamlet, as he does other times, makes excuses for not acting on this chance to kill his father's murderer. "A villain kills my father, and, for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to Heaven," is Hamlet's reason for not killing Claudius at this point.(3.3.77) This tragic flaw of Hamlet's ultimately leads to his death and the final catastrophe of the …show more content…
The final tragedy of Hamlet is caused by a fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes. Laertes, who is mad with rage against Hamlet for killing his father, poisons his sword with a swift acting agent so that the slightest scratch will fell Hamlet. Claudius, who is helping Laertes, knows that Hamlet's death will also be good for himself, and makes sure Hamlet's drink is poisoned so that Hamlet will most certainly be dead by the end of the match. These treacherous acts, though effective, also end in the deaths of those who employed them. When the story draws to an end almost every one of the main characters is dead. Hamlet, Laertes, Gertrude, and Claudius are all slain by the end of the story. In the end Horatio is the only person left to tell the story of Hamlet and why these events transpired. "If thou didst ever hold me in they heart absent thee from felicity a while, and in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain to tell my story," Hamlet begs of Horatio before he dies.(5.2.344) The tragic elements of Hamlet are evident in the deaths of his loved ones, his tragic flaw, and the final catastrophe ending the story. Hamlet is an incredible drama, tying together romance, revenge, incest, and action. This story has continued to live on through the ages and has made multiple appearances in movies. Shakespeare was truly a master of story-telling and his tales have been forever immortalized as he always