They all have a claim to the title; however, the correct answer is Hamlet. Hamlet not only behaves villainously throughout his eponymous play, but has somehow persuaded generations of audiences and critics that he is actually its hero.
Hamlet comes across as both a hero and a villain throughout 'Hamlet' at different intervals. His loyalty, morality, honesty and popularity are certainly heroic traits however one can't deny his villainous ways in his dealings with Ophelia, his killing of Polonius and most importantly his delaying of killing Claudius.
Although Hamlet has the potential to be a tragic hero, his fellow characters in the play corrupt him and cause him to become evil, therefore rendering him unfit for the title of “tragic heroâ€.
During the course of the play, Shakespeare portrays Hamlet as the victim at first, but later becomes the villain when he murders his uncle to seek revenge for his father's death. Hamlet's Christian values kept him from seeking revenge all throughout the play until the very end.
The main protagonist Hamlet, the son of Old King Hamlet, is the hero because he is intelligent and courageous. In Act 3, scene 3 of the play, Hamlet is about to kill Claudius with his sword. This may seem as the whole goal for avenging his father's death, but the timing of Hamlet's actions is off.
Hamlet is most clearly the protagonist of the play, which follows him as he seeks revenge on the murderer of his father (the late King Hamlet). After learning that his father was poisoned by his father's own brother, Claudius --who has since assumed the throne and married his dead
Othello is the actual villain. Even though he initially lacks any malicious thoughts and ideas, he eventually gets to become a murderer due to emotionally untrustworthy and jealousy.
Many people say Hamlet is the greatest play of all time. Shakespeare does that through the soliloquy – the character alone on stage talking to himself, opening up his mind – and Hamlet just does that more than any other character. So there is that psychological complexity. That's one reason the play is revered.
Hamlet is becomes obsessed with the idea of killing Claudius, the unmerited force ruling his country. He also committed the moral sin of killing is own brother and taking his wife. Claudius also deprived Hamlet of his rightful kingship.
We don't know enough about Hamlet's childhood and adolescence to really be able to diagnose him accurately, but we do know that Hamlet is a psychopath in the timework of the play.
Hamlet's father wants Hamlet to exact revenge for his death. This curious behavior is simply foreshadowing the kind of behavior we can expect from Hamlet when he acts crazy puts on an "antic disposition." Hamlet is not referring to himself with this quote, but he is thinking that Claudius is a villain.
Many scholars see Iago as the most inherently evil of all Shakespeare's villains. He spends the course of the play relentlessly plotting Othello's downfall and his malicious scheming drives the storyline towards its tragic finale.
But the truth is everyone in Hamlet acts shamelessly and for us the moral of the play is the production of shame in its audience. Not too much, just enough. "Stay, Illusion!" Illusion is the only means to action.
In 1596, William Shakespeare's 11-year-old son Hamnet died. Four years later, Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, considered by many to be his greatest work. It is a popular idea that Shakespeare's characterization of Hamlet, or even his motivation in writing the play itself, was inspired by his son Hamnet's death.
A duel is arranged between Hamlet and Laertes. During the match, Claudius conspires with Laertes to kill Hamlet. They plan that Hamlet will die either on a poisoned rapier or with poisoned wine. The plans go awry when Gertrude unwittingly drinks from the poisoned cup and dies.
Hamlet was a weak character, which caused him to procrastinate. The dilemma within him resulted in the delay of murdering his father's murderer. He felt inadequate and incapable of taking quick decisions even when the situation demanded.
He was brave enough to act upon his knowledge of the truth. This also is a positive action. Although Hamlet is young, he behaves wisely by being patient until he is certain that Claudius has indeed murdered his father. He dies a brave young man after killing Claudius, thus getting his revenge.
Hamlet is therefore a symbol of the 'universal man. ' He does not reflect the common man's actions and deeds, but what the common man could possible do if given the chance. He represents the inner strengths of humanity, the virtues that they are capable of achieving.
Hamlet learns about the truth to his father's death and his uncle's deception that allowed him to become king. This realization causes Hamlet to experience hurt for his undeserving father and rage towards his despicable uncle who stole his father's queen, crown, and life.
Hamlet shows throughout the play that he is really in love with Ophelia. One piece of evidence showing that Hamlet really did love Ophelia is when he tells her, “I did love you†(Act 3 scene 1 line 126). Hamlet confesses that he truly loved her, but then goes back on his word and says he never loved.
The first and central occurrence of corruption in Hamlet is the murder of King Hamlet by Claudius and his subsequent usurpation of the Danish. He also marries Gertude, King Hamlet's former wife. From an Elizabethan perspective, such a marriage would have been considered adultery and incest.
