The Most Tragic Element of Hamlet

Shakespearean tragedies are five act plays that revolve around the downfall of a heroic figure whose death affects the welfare of the empire. The hero’s sudden reversal of fate and tragic flaw leads to his downfall. The protagonist struggles with external and internal conflicts as he undergoes abnormal physiological conditions. Shakespeare incorporates supernatural beings, such as ghosts or witches, in order to add to the excitement of the plot. He increases interest in his plays through the use of contrast. For instance, before a tragic scene, he incorporates comic relief in order to balance out the audience’s emotions. Shakespeare also includes characters that provide contrast to the protagonist. http://kilby.sac.on.ca/faculty/KRAMON/English/Grade%2010%20Files/Macbeth%20Files/Characteristics%20of%20a%20Shakespearean%20tragedy.htm

What separates Hamlet from other tragedies is his delay in taking action to avenge his own father’s murder. He says he wants to “know a thou a more horrid hent” (3.3.93). Hamlet reasons that he should find a better moment to murder Claudius and should not murder him as he prays because he is concerned he will send his soul to heaven. This contrasts Laertes’s willingness to “cut [Hamlet’s] throat in church” (4.7.144) in order to avenge his fathers death. The fact that Shakespeare has Laertes and Fortinbras’s characters active in their steps towards revenge unlike Hamlet, agrees with Shakespeare’s style of including characters that provide contrast to the protagonist. In addition, like every tragedy hero, Hamlet's flaw works against him; he excecively thinks things through, which delays his revenge. 

In my opinion, I consider Hamlet's death the most tragic aspect of the play. I feel sympathetic for Hamlet because he is betrayed by all of his friends and relatives except Horatio. In my perspective, because he has an innocent personality, he is hesitant and afraid to take revenge. Even after he completes his deed, he dies and is not rewarded by getting what he deserves, the crown to the thrown.