In the play, “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare, the main character, Hamlet, had a tragic flaw which caused his downfall. I think that Hamlet’s tragic flaw is blind anger. His flaw is prominently displayed when he killed Polonius, when he killed King Claudius and when he has Rosencrantz and Guildenstern executed.
The first effect of Hamlet’s blind anger was when he killed Polonius. While he was talking with his mother, Hamlet noticed someone hiding behind a tapestry. His blind anger overtook him, and, thinking it was the king, he stabbed the person. It was, however, Polonius. Hamlet did not mean to kill Polonius, but he didn’t think before he he acted, which resulted in the death of an innocent man.
The second effect his anger had, was the King’s death. After he killed Laertes and watched his mother die, Hamlet found out that he would die too. Hamlet then learned that the King was behind the plot to kill him and is angered. In his rage, Hamlet stabbed the King with a poisoned sword. Although Hamlet had been meaning to kill the King throughout the play, his blind anger still overtook him.
The last effect that Hamlet’s anger had was when he ordered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to be executed. While on a boat to England, Hamlet stole the order that the king had given Rosencrantz. Upon reading it, he learned that he was to be beheaded when they reached England. In a last attempt to save his life he changed the King’s order, so it stated that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were to be executed instead. He did this because he had no other choice, but was angry that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern had sided with the King.
As a result, Hamlet’s blind anger eventually lead to his own downfall. Out of his anger, Hamlet killed Polonius, which landed him on a boat to England, and sent Laertes, Polonius’ son, to Denmark. While Hamlet was on the boat, he changed the King’s order, which wound up killing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and back in Denmark Laertes and King Claudius plotted to kill Hamlet.
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