Hamlet: The Element of a Tragedy

Hamlet: The Element of a Tragedy

In 350 B.C.E., a great philosopher, wrote out what he thought was the definition of a tragedy. As translated by S.H. Butcher, Aristotle wrote; "Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish its katharsis of such emotions. . . . Every Tragedy, therefore, must have six parts, which parts determine its quality--namely, Plot, Characters, Thought, Diction, Spectacle, Melody. (http://www.cnr.edu/home/bmcmanus/poetics.html)" Later in history, William Shakespeare wrote tragedies that epitomized Aristotle's outline of a tragedy. Shakespeare's Hamlet is one such tragedy.

The first part, the plot is the most important of all the pieces, according to Aristotle. Aristotle said that the plot wasn't nessesarily the story itself, but the way the story was presented, the "arrangement of incidents". (http://www.cnr.edu/home/bmcmanus/poetics.html) The typical explanation of plot is in the form of "Freytag's Pyramid". Basically, the pyramid has a beginning, or the incentive; then it goes into the rising action; then on to the climax; then the denouement or falling action; and finally the resolution. The plot in Hamlet is arranged so that the ending is tragic, each person in the play playing a pivotal role in one another's demise. Hamlet begins with the death of Hamlet's father and the marriage of Gertrude, his mother to Cladius, his uncle. The plot rises as Hamlet decides that his uncle had killed his father to become king. Hamlet begins to act insane, causing his love, Ophelia to comit suicide. The play finally reaches the climax when Hamlet finally succeeds in killing Claudius, and ends with the death of Hamlet and the restoration of order.

The second most important part of a tragedy is Character. Characters actually play a secondary role to the plot in the "perfect" tragedy. The actions of the characters make them responsible for their fate, not a higher power. There should be a protagonist and a tragic hero. Tragic heroes are also exceptional beings; Hamlet was very intellectual, giving him a brilliant mind and a quick wit. The tragic hero is the main character of the play and has cetain characteristics. One main trait is that the tragic hero has a tragic flaw. In Hamlet's case his flaw was his brilliant mind, the tendency to dwell on things and procrastinate. Procrastination caused Hamlet's downfall because out of the many opportunities he had to kill his uncle, he waited until he was fatally wounded before killing Claudius. He also had the unhealthy problem of obsessing over killing Claudius. He wanted to make sure the time was right. In Shakespearean tragedies, the hero doesn't necessarily have to be "good", though they generally are, but they are never small or contemptible. The heroes illustrate a sense of waste, for example, in the end of Hamlet, most people feel like his death was unncessesary; that if he had only killed his uncle sooner, Hamlet, his mother, and others would not have died.

Aristotle was brief with his third point, Thought. Thought is how the characters should reveal themselves in their speeches. Shakespeare used very rich descriptions and words with his characters. In his famous "to be, or not to be" soliloquy, Hamlet is wrestling the idea of killing his uncle, not about suicide like most people think.

"To be or not to be, that is the question

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them? To die, to sleep--

No more; and by a sleep to say we end