When students do not do their homework, they are denying the benefits that the practice allows them to get. Sometimes they will complain about the volume of the homework or the difficulty and they would not attempt it. However, if the students choose not to do their homework, the student will most likely receive a lower mark than he or she would have received compared to when the student completes his or her homework. His or her inability to do the homework is ultimately the cause of their own downfall.
Everyone has flaws that lead to undesirable outcomes. This applies to literature, especially to Shakespeare’s tragic heroes. Shakespeare’s protagonists in all of his works cause their own downfall in one way or another and Hamlet, in every sense, is no exception. Just as students choose to not do their homework, Hamlet avoids killing Claudius on many occasions. Hamlet is one of the most notable Shakespearian heroes whose flaws lead to his own downfall.
One of Hamlet’s most dominant flaws is that he over analyzes most situations that he is put in. Hamlet wants to avenge his father’s death but procrastinates murdering Claudius on multiple occasions. From act one to act three, Hamlet avoids killing Claudius based on traditional knowledge about ghosts in that time period. The ghost that appears to Hamlet could be there for one of two reasons: The apparition could either be a demon whose sole purpose is to wreak havoc or the ghost of someone who has died who has unfinished business. Prior to Hamlet discovering the true nature of the ghost, he has many opportunities to kill Claudius. However, due to the nature of his convoluted schemes, he fails to do so. Although he feels the need to confirm the true nature of the ghost, during the Elizibethan era that Hamlet took place, it would not have been out of the question if he immediately goes to kill Claudius after receiving the news that he had murdered Old Hamlet. It would have been tradition to exact revenge on someone who has killed a family member. However, Hamlet chooses to ensure that the ghost is not a demon. Hamlet uses the play, The Murder of Gonzago, as a tactic to confirm whether the ghost is a demon or a ghost with unfinished business. He shows this when he states,
The spirit that I have seen/ T’assume a pleasing shape, … Abuses me to damn me.
I’ll have grounds/ More relative than this. The play’s the thing/ Wherein I’ll catch
the conscience of the king. (2.2.585-592)
After the play concludes, Hamlet confirms that the ghost is truly his father who has come back for unfinished business. Hamlet tells Horatio,
“I’ll take the ghost’s word for a thousand pound. / Didst perceive” (3.2.275-276).
Then Horatio replies,
“I did very well note him” (3.2.279).
After this revelation, Hamlet continues to postpone the murder of Claudius. Hamlet has a chance to murder Claudius during his confession but Hamlet forgoes this opportunity because he believes that Claudius is confessing his sins, and in Catholosism, people who confess their sins, with the intention of forgiveness, go to Heaven. Hamlet knows that if he kills Claudius now, Claudius will go to Heaven. So he questions,
“To take him in the purging of his soul,/ When he is fit and season’d for passage?/ No” (3.3.85-87).
Hamlet is overthinking the consequences of killing Claudius instead of going through with his revenge. He does not want Claudius to go to Heaven so he plans to wait until Claudius is committing a sin so he could kill him then and cause Claudius to go to Hell. Hamlet explains,
“When he is drunk, asleep, or in his rage,/ … that his soul may be as damn’d and black/ As Hell, whereto it goes” (3.3.89,94-95).
However, after Hamlet exits, the audience finds out that Claudius had not hoped to be forgiven because he does not want to give up his spoils. If Hamlet had chosen to kill Claudius at that point, he would not have gone through the motions that led to his own downfall and Claudius would have gone to Hell. Hamlet causes his own downfall by dwelling on every situation in depth rather than acting.
Another trait that led to Hamlet’s downfall is his impulsiveness. The first occurrence of this trait is when he kills Polonius thinking he is Claudius which, in turn, will be one of the driving forces for Laertes’ revenge. The second is how Hamlet causes Ophelia’s madness by treating her like a pawn in his plans. Hamlet putting on an “antic disposition” distresses Ophelia further. In addition, he causes Ophelia grief by murdering her father which then leads her to become crazy. Polonius’ death and Ophelia’s madness are ultimately what causes Laertes to exact revenge on Hamlet. Laertes swears against Hamlet by declaring,
“To hell, allegiance! Vows to the blackest devil!/ Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit!/ I dare damnation. To this point I stand, That both the worlds I give to negligence,/ Let come what comes. (4.5.130-135)
When Hamlet impulsively causes the two most important people to Laertes to die, he is only sealing his eventual fate. Another instance in the play where Hamlet’s impulsiveness led to his downfall is when he interrupts the The Murder of Gonzago. While the players are acting out The Murder of Gonzago, Hamlet impulsively gets out of his chair and joins the play. The audience believes that this is a part of the play: However, Claudius is aware to the fact that Hamlet knows that he killed Old Hamlet. Although Claudius was always wary of Hamlet, he is now certain that he should send Hamlet to England to have him killed. This is proven when Claudius proclaims,
I like him not, nor stands it safe with us/ To let his madness range. … your commission will forthwith dispatch, / And he to England along with you./ The terms of our estate may not endure/ Hazard so near us as doth hourly grow. (3.2.1-6)
Also, when the King of Denmark states,
“The present death of Hamlet. Do it, England;/ For like the hectic in my blood he rages, / And thou must cure me” (4.3.65-68),
the audience becomes aware that he plans to have Hamlet killed. If Hamlet had not jumped in and joined the players during the part where Claudius poured poison in Old Hamlet’s ear, Hamlet would not have aroused suspicion and would have been able to methodically plan his next move. This shows that when Hamlet acts impulsively he is causing his downfall to be inevitable.
Through his own faults, Hamlet is responsible for his downfall. He overthinks most situations; this in turn causes him to continually postpone Claudius’ death: Nevertheless, Hamlet acts impulsively when the situation is least optimal for him to do so. This impulsive nature causes the people around him to become more wary of him. His spontaneous actions ultimately puts more attention to his schemes and his overthinking gives his enemies more time to plot against him. As students have to accept the consequences that come with not doing their homework, Hamlet must face the consequences of postponing Claudius’ eventual death.
Work Cited
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Roma Gill. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.
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