3.1.2
Hamlet's Heroic Status
Hamlet's Heroic Status
Hamlet's Heroic Status
For his tragedy to succeed, Shakespeare had to provide his hero with a heroic status.
Respect for Hamlet
Respect for Hamlet
- Hamlet is respected by his subjects.
- Claudius speaks of “the great love” the public have for him.
- Ophelia sees him as the epitome of the renaissance man when she describes him as possessing, “The courtier’s, soldier’s, scholar’s eye, tongue, sword”.
Hamlet's range of skills
Hamlet's range of skills
- Ophelia’s praise for Hamlet’s mastery of different roles (“courtier… soldier… scholar”) also portrays him as a complex character with a dazzling array of skills and talents.
- He is an intellectual, a “scholar” who has just returned from the prestigious university of Wittenberg, but also a “soldier” who we later see demonstrating his skill with a sword: a man of thought and action.
Reactions to Hamlet's death
Reactions to Hamlet's death
- Ophelia may be biased, swayed by Hamlet’s romantic interest in her, but her judgement is echoed by other characters in the play, notably by Fortinbras’ judgement that, had he lived, he would “have proved most royal”.
- Hamlet’s death creates a tragic sense of waste that such a man is destined to never succeed to the throne.
1Introduction
2Plot Summary
2.1Act 1: Key Events & Ideas
2.2Act 2: Key Events & Ideas
2.3Act 3: Key Events & Ideas
2.4Act 4: Key Events & Ideas
2.5Act 5: Key Events & Ideas
3Character Profiles
3.1Hamlet
3.3Gertrude
3.4Ophelia
4Key Themes
4.1Regicide in Hamlet
4.2Madness in Hamlet
4.3Guilt & Punishment in Hamlet
4.4Settings in Hamlet
5Writing Techniques
6Context
6.1Social & Historical Context
6.2Literary Context
6.3Performance & Textual History
7Critical Debates
7.118-19th Century Responses to Hamlet
7.220th Century Responses to Hamlet
7.3Feminist Readings of Hamlet
7.4Marxist/Political Readings of Hamlet
Jump to other topics
1Introduction
2Plot Summary
2.1Act 1: Key Events & Ideas
2.2Act 2: Key Events & Ideas
2.3Act 3: Key Events & Ideas
2.4Act 4: Key Events & Ideas
2.5Act 5: Key Events & Ideas
3Character Profiles
3.1Hamlet
3.3Gertrude
3.4Ophelia
4Key Themes
4.1Regicide in Hamlet
4.2Madness in Hamlet
4.3Guilt & Punishment in Hamlet
4.4Settings in Hamlet
5Writing Techniques
6Context
6.1Social & Historical Context
6.2Literary Context
6.3Performance & Textual History
7Critical Debates
7.118-19th Century Responses to Hamlet
7.220th Century Responses to Hamlet
7.3Feminist Readings of Hamlet
7.4Marxist/Political Readings of Hamlet
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