Characteristics of Shakespearean tragedy in ‘Hamlet’

Characteristics of  Shakespearean tragedy in   ‘Hamlet’

Written by            : Dipti Vaghela  D

Enrollment No    :  14101030

Paper                      : 01

Sem                          : 01

Submitted To       : Department Of  English

                                      Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji

                                      Bhavnagar University

Preface: 

            We Know very  well that every nation has its own history as same the country of England also has its own history. We can find number of ages in the history of England for ex, the age of Chaucer, the age of Elizabeth, the age of Milton, the age of pope , etc . but the Elizabethan age is greater one and that’s why it known as “ The Golden Era”

            There were number of writers became so popular like , Marlowe, Thomas kyd, Thomas Lodge, John Lyly, Shakespeare was born on the 23 April, 1564, at Stratford-on-Avon. Shakespeare married with the Anne Hathaway when he was 19 years old , he had three children .he left his native town to seek his fortune in london.  At that time the drama was so popular through the work of the university wits. Shakespeare soon turned to the stage, an became first an actor and then playwright.

             So let’s know Shakespeare as a Dramatist.   

Shakespeare  as a Dramatist:

He  was a great Writer of  the age of Elizabeth. His works divided into two parts, Prose and verse.

            In his verse he wrote 154 Sonnets while in prose he wrote 37 plays. His plays divided into three types tragedy, Comedy and Historical . He wrote four great tragedy. We can also find Greek  tragedy before Shakespearean tragedy but he  wrote different types of tragedy and that’s why his tragedy  known as Shakespearean  Tragedy  . So let’s  know  different things between both the tragedy.

Greek Tragedy and Shakespearean Tragedy:

            Greek  Tragedy performed as  part of a religious so the stories were already known  to the audience like a church Christmas play. Shakespearean tragedy performed for the entertainment so the stories were usually new and element of suspense  present. In Greek tragedy some parts were not perform on the stage like murders, fight but they tell the audience that what happened .In Shakespearean  tragedy all things performed on the stage like death , fight, etc.

            In Greek tragedy , logic over rules emotions while in Shakespearean tragedy emotions over rules logic. In Greek Tragedy Chorus present  on the stage as a commentators while in Shakespearean  tragedy chorus only introduce the scene or the play .In Greek Tragedy we can find Simple plot while in Shakespearean tragedy Complex plot and Some time subplot also like “ King Lear”.

Shakespearean Tragedy

             Shakespeare  gave us a beautiful form of tragedy . He wrote tragedy with his own  conception of tragedy . Tragedy means play which tells suffering of hero or heroine’s . we can see tragic end and also most powerful  of death and suffering. Shakespearean  tragedy is more popular because  it touches humans heart, mind and soul . his tragedy in the struggle of good and evil. He gifted great tragedies to the English literature such as “Othello” , “ Hamlet”, “ King Lear” , “ Macbeth” . “ Hamlet”  is a greatest work of Shakespeare.

            So let’s know it in detail.

Hamlet –A  Revenge Play

            ‘Hamlet’ is a play concerned with son’s revenge for the murder of his father. It is story regarding murder, sudden violence. There   are five acts in the play, climax in third act.  Prince Hamlet is a main character of this play, he is like a puzzle. There are some major characters like Claudius, King Hamlet, Polonius, etc. there are two female characters like Gertrude and Ophelia. Themes of this play are the impossibility of certainty, The Complexity of action, The Mystery of death, the nation as a diseased body. 

           

In this play we can also find the culture of Elizabeth era .In several ways the play is puzzling, and disquieting, as is none of the others.  Of all the play it is the longest and is possibly the one on which Shakespeare spent most pain; and yet he has left in it superfluous and inconsistent scenes  which even hasty revision should have noticed .

So let’s know the characteristic of Shakespearean tragedy in play Hamlet .

Characteristics of Shakespearean Tragedy in ‘ Hamlet’

The Conflict of Good and Evil:

As  we  know  good and evil are always in contrast or centered upon the individual. Goodness always originates from god and is connected to him, while evil originates from the opposite being, Satan. The road of goodness is connected to heaven while the evil road is connected to hell. Some people who do evil things often end up in jail and unhappy . this is the general belief of people so we can also find it in the play of ‘Hamlet’.

We can see that this thing apply in the play of ‘ Hamlet ’ . There are many character in this play Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius, Leartes, Ophelia, Horatio , but all the character commit some wrong or evil thing but horatio can’t do any evil thing and that’s why he  is not die at the end of the play.

True  to Life

            As  we know that  anyone born on the earth  so they must die , it is true to life. In Shakespearean tragedy  we can see this characteristic true to life. We know very well that everything are incomplete regarding us . NO one is perfect and perhaps that’s why every one die, In his tragedy main character or protagonist who stand in hight and anytime he fall down, so that is true to life.

In Hamlet we can see that when prince Hamlet  try to kill his uncle but at that time he pray to God and at that moment Hamlet think that if he kill him at that time so he will go in the heaven. He think this type of thing because he is a student of philosophy so it is  true to life .In the end of the play he died because he also committed  some evil thing so it is true to life.

The Tragic Hero :

In Shakespearean tragedy the tragic heroes are all conspicuous who, stand in a high degree . They all are either king, prince or great  military generals indispensable for the state. In Shakespearean tragedy the main protagonist or hero either king, or prince or great person yet he suffer a lot and fall down at the end of the play.

            In ‘ Hamlet ’ the main protagonist  is the student of philosophy . he know all the things, but after murder of his father he try to kill his father who is the murderer of king Hamlet. From this idea his personality fall down from the height of earthly greatness to the dust .

            Thus , tragic hero is a important characteristic   of the tragedy . so let’s know one other characteristic ‘ the tragic flaw’.

The Tragic Flaw

            The Tragic hero is not only a person of high degree, he has an exceptional nature. All heroes are driven in some one direction by some peculiar interest,  object, passion or habit of mind. The tragic hero falls from greatness owing to his fault or flaw in his character. His character issues in action or action issues out of his character. In Shakespearean tragedy the character is destiny in each of his tragedies the hero is presented in the grip of some total flaw in leads him to his total doom.

            In ‘ Hamlet we can see that the main character Hamlet can’t take decision quickly. His poses vacillating nature ,when his uncle pray to god at that time he has chance to kill him and he think that his uncle go into the heaven if he kill him at that  time.  If  Hamlet  kill  his uncle  at  that  time  so tragedy  not  possible, but this is the  main point  that he meets tragedy because his  weakness  of delay  and this  is a   tragic flaw in him.

            Thus, tragic flaw  is important  characteristic  in all  types of tragedy . so know other characteristics.

The Tragic Waste

            The tragic  hero has particular  flaw   spells his doom but otherwise he is genius , great warrior, an exceptionally honest and virtuous person . Shakespearean tragedy  leaves behind  a very strong impression of waste . In  tragedy  the evil does not triumph  closely; it is expelled but at the cost of much that good and wholly admirable.

            In the play ‘ Hamlet ’ we can see that the fight of between Prince Hamlet and Claudius two other characters died,  Rosencrantz and Guildenstern . not only these two character died  but there are some other characters  who  also  died  that is tragic waste.

Character and Destiny

            Shakespearean  Tragedy is Concerned with  the fate of person of “ high degree” like kings or princes . he does not concentrate  on the lives of ordinary person not does he recall  the suffering  of  the layman .

            In the medieval conception of the tragedy , fate played an important role he believed  in the principle., “Character and Destiny ”

Three Complicating  Factors

            Some abnormal condition of mind :

            Shakespeare represent the abnormal condition of mind  in his all tragedies. He creates that types of situation in which character can’t  take an decision  properly.

            In the play we  find abnormal  condition of mind , when  he try to kill his uncle but at that time  he pray to god and that time he can’t take decision  in his mind.

The Supernatural,  ghost  and   witches:

            Shakespeare  use supernatural agents such as ghost in his tragedies . and always he use  supernatural  agents which  are  placed in closest relation

            In the play ‘ Hamlet’ ghost mould the  character of the hero to some extent and prepare  him for his tragedy.

The Role of Chance:

            We can find in role of chance in  Shakespearean  tragedies. Chance  or accident  plays  it’s  own vital role. Several chance incidents happen in Shakespearean tragedies  which instead of averting  the tragedies .

The Conflict and  struggle

            There is always a  conflict  and  struggle  in Shakespearean tragedy. The conflict take two  forms. Firstly , there is the hero with the external  circumstances ; and secondly, the conflict is within the soul of the  hero or the  heroine.

“ In tragic life, God wot

No villains need be, passions  spin the plot”

Catharsis

            Catharsis  means purification , our body and soul feel relaxes after  it catharsis   . In ‘ Hamlet’  many time we feel catharsis. At the end of the play feel pity to Prince Hamlet and  his friend.

The Melodramatic  Element

            Melodramatic element, it related  with melodrama. in  melodrama  we  can find royal  characters , blood-shad, or killing  of people . but we can’t find nobility in the characters that’s why we can’t pity for that characters.

No Poetic  Justice

            Poetic justice means, at the end of the play evil  people died and good people live that is poetic justice in our mind. Our Indian  plays are  always  happy ending but in Shakespearean tragedies we can’t  find poetic justice at the end .

Serenity at the end

             We can find Serenity it means  every characters die and that’s why there is only peace or calm . in his all tragedies , number of characters died with protagonist and they leave only serenity.

To Wind Up…

            So these  are characteristics of  Shakespearean  tragedies. It teach us good thing by  tragedy. We can see all the  characters  are present  true to life . as we know that no one is perfect , everything is imperfect .  everyone has their  own minus points and plus point so  the characters of  Shakespearean  tragedy present it , and it is the reality of life.