What Hamlet Loses and Gains in the Tragedy Essay

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The Tragic Loss of HamletShakespeare’s Hamlet is a tragic hero, who is overwhelmed by the circumstances of his father’s death and his mother’s new marriage. Hamlet is the prince of Denmark and is engaged to Ophelia, the daughter of Polonius, who serves as counsel to the new king, Hamlet’s uncle and now step-father, Claudius. Hamlet’s tragedy is really one of loss, as he experiences a great deal of it in the play: first, he loses his father; then he loses his mother to an “incestuous” marriage, as he calls it (1.2.162). Next, he loses Ophelia to her father, who orders her to break off relations with Hamlet. Then he loses his privacy, as the castle halls are haunted by spies—Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern. He loses his ability to act, even as the ghost of his father appears to urge the prince to take revenge for his killing. Finally he loses his reason, as he spirals into madness, at first play-acting as though he were crazy but then truly losing his mind and slaying Polonius unthinkingly in a fit of mad rage (3.4.32). After this, he loses his freedom, as the king sends him off to England where the plan is to have Hamlet executed. Hamlet uncovers the plot and maneuvers his way out of it with a little luck and cunning. It is also at this point that he begins to return to his true, noble self. But the damage has already been done. With her father dead and no one to tell her what to do, Ophelia loses her mind and drowns. Laertes, her brother, is fueled to take revenge against Hamlet by Claudius, and so Hamlet loses a friend. Upon his return, he discovers Ophelia’s death and Laertes’ rage, accepts a challenge to a duel, and then ends up losing everyone and everything, including his own life as the duel is fatally rigged. Before he dies, however, Hamlet stays the hand of Horatio, who seeks to follow Hamlet into death. Hamlet orders Horatio to live and tell his story. Thus, Hamlet’s death is our gain, as it provides proper catharsis for the audience, filling us with pity and fear. Indeed, Hamlet’s loss of so much is crucial to the delivery of catharsis so that our emotions can be purged by experiencing Hamlet’s tragic loss.Hamlet begins the play in possession of much: he is next in line for the crown; he has received an education at Wittenberg (although the allusion to Wittenberg is meaningful since it is here that the initial challenge against authority was made by Luther—it suggests that Hamlet is already unbalanced as a result of this training).

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He has a good friend in Horatio—but now he is mourning the loss of his father and the expediency with which his mother has remarried. He sees her marriage…

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…abandon mercy and it signifies a loss of grace in his soul.The losses continue to mount, as Hamlet is driven into a frenzied state later as he harangues his mother for marrying Claudius and then, in a fit of mad passion, kills Polonius. Then he stashes the body, and is sent away. But on the sea some sense is restored and he returns to Denmark in fuller possession of himself. In the final scene, he kills the king and thus avenges his father and mother (who is also poisoned) and self (poisoned by the tip of Laertes’ fencing sword). Laertes himself is killed by the same poison—but he and Hamlet exchange forgiveness with one another, indicating that Hamlet having lost everything is now in full possession of his own heart and mind once more and will do the right thing according to the Christian principles he retains deep down. These same principles are what compel him to stop Horatio from acting like the good Roman who wants to throw himself on his sword. Instead, Hamlet tells Horatio to suffer this life and relate the tale: “If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart, / Absent thee from felicity awhile / And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain / To tell my story” (5.2.381-384). And for this we have the tale, and our heart breaks as Horatio prays to the angels above to carry….....

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