Hamlet, the titular character of William Shakespeare's play "Hamlet," is often considered one

of the most complex and intriguing tragic heroes in literature. He possesses the qualities
and experiences that define a tragic hero, including his noble birth, his tragic flaw, balanced-
character, catharsis, pity and fear, and the conflict which surrounds his character. Through
his journey, Hamlet grapples with themes of revenge, madness, and existentialism, making
him a compelling and memorable character.

1. Noble Birth:
Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark, born into a position of power and privilege. The Ghost of
his Father tells him,
"... Thou noble youth,
The serpent that did sting thy father's life
Now wears his crown."
If his father is a king then he is a prince. His status as a prince gives him a sense of
responsibility and duty.
Laertes explanation to Ophelia that how great Hamlet status is that she cannot marry him
and he says,
" His greatness weighed,
His will is not his own,
For he himself is subject to his birth..."
From this statement it's evident that he is a noble man.
He violates every law of Denmark by commiting murders which give us the hint of his high-
key importance in Denmark. Violation of law is allowed to those who are not 'base of stock'.

2. Tragic Flaw - Indecisiveness:

Hamlet's tragic flaw is his indecisiveness, which prevents him from taking immediate action
against his father's murderer, Claudius. He does not kill Claudius while he has an
opportunity to do so because according to him,
"... And now i will do it
And so he goes to heaven..."
He wants him to be killed at a stage where there would be no way to heaven but to hell. This
indecisive action becomes, later, the cause of the death of several other characters.
Hamlet reflects on his inability to act swiftly because of the burden of his intellectual-
conscience, which is the fate of every good-educated person. He says,
" Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution is sickled over with the pale cast of thought..." He
always contemplates and ruminates for better ideas at serendipitous moments which leads
him towards his own downfall.

3) Balanced character:
Hamlet is a balanced character. He fulfills the concept of ' Balanced Character ' of Aristotle.
He hates his uncle extremely and from the beginning of the play he makes preparation to
kill but in the same way, although with some flaws, he loves Ophelia extremely. At her death
he says,
" I love Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers
couldn't, with all their quantity of love,
Make my sum..." Here he is showcasing his love for Ophelia abd repenting on his previous
behaviour towards her; which shows that he is a redeemable and good character.
Further he says,
" Give me that man,
that is not passion's slave,
And I will wear him in my heart's core..."
Here is philosophizing about his inner-self that he is able to love those who are bot the
slaves of passions and emotions.

He is a bad character because of his deceptive nature towards others. He says,

" I am but mad north-north-west.
When the wind is southerly, I know a
Hawk from a handsaw."
Here ge admits to feigning madness and this illustrates that how deceptive he is in nature.
His obsession with revenge is also one his bad qualities. He observes,
" O, from this forth,
My thoughts be bloody or be
Nothing worth!"
In this line Hamlet expresses his fixation on revenge and his willingness to sacrifice
everything for it. He neglects his relationships and responsibilities.

3) Conflict:
The character of Hamlet is marked by internal conflicts that contribute to his complex
nature.
Hamlet expresses his skepticism toward appearances and his desire for truth and
authenticity in the lines, when her mother asks him about his grief then he says, "Seems,
madam? Nay, it is. I know not 'seems.'" Here he is questioning the motives and sincerity of
those around him, including his mother Gertrude and his uncle Claudius. This conflict
between surface appearances and underlying truth fuels Hamlet's skepticism and
contributes to his internal turmoil.
4) Pity and fear:
"Pity" and "fear" are two key emotions that Aristotle identified as integral to the experience
of tragedy. In "Hamlet," there are several instances where the audience experiences feelings
of pity and fear.

Hamlet feels suicidal after the death of his father and the treachery of his mother and uncle.
He says,
" O, that this too too solid flesh would melt,
Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!"
In this soliloquy, Hamlet expresses his deep anguish and desire for release from his
emotional pain. The audience pities him as they witness his internal struggles and the
weight of his grief over his father's death.

When Ophelia meets him in Act 3 and hears his emotional outpourings there she says, " O,
what a noble mind is here overthrown! " Here one feels fear for the consequences of the
existential angst. He thinks too much and it leads him towards insanity. There's suicidal fear
in his mind and the same with readers and audiences.
5) Catharsis:
The death of Hamlet arouses death-feeling in those who read and give it their audience and
it also gives the readers purgation of emotions and feelings, when he says at his
deathbed,
" O, I die, Horatio;
The potent poison over-crows my spirit..." He is dying here literally but we feel very deep-
seated sympathy for his downfall and his going into the cradle of eternal sleep.
Before closing his eyes he says, " ...The rest is silence. ( Dies )." Death gives him relief and the
readers too feel a kind of relaxation after the withdrawal of the soul from the tortured body
of their protagonist.

In the end, we can say that the character of Hamlet as portrayed in the play and as
advocated by the aforesaid qualities can be regarded as a tragic hero. Hamlet is not known
for his bravery and goodness, he is such a hero who wanted to do something right but in the
process, he keeps on making mistakes one after another. His ambitions and
accomplishments are coordinated by defeats and misdeeds. Hamlet is a character in which
virtue and evil coexist.

Ridhwan Mehsood