Hamlet as an anti hero Essay Example

willing to die to do what Is right.

The sympathy shown for Hamlet by the reader is a very good indication that Hamlet is in fact an Anti-hero and not a villain. There are several occasions in which Hamlet uses violence in the play without showing remorse.

This is a major character flaw that distinguishes Hamlet as an Anti- hero, not a hero. The first occurrence of such violence is when Hamlet stabs and kills spying Polonium, thinking that he is Claudia. After killing Polonium, he has no regrets and nonchalantly says, "Thou wretched, rash, Intruding fool, farewell! / I took thee for thy better.

Take thy fortune; / Thou fiend's to be too busy in some danger," (3.

4. 36-38). A hero would have not shaken off the murder of an Innocent human as easily as Hamlet did here, thereby further backing up the idea of hamlet being an Anti-hero. Another instance of Hamlet using violence, although indirectly, Is when he changes the orders on a letter from killing him, to killing the messengers, Reassurance and Guilelessness. Hamlet could have rewritten the name of anyone, but Instead he chose to have two of his former friends killed, again without guilt or remorse stating "They re not near my conscience.

Their defeat / Does by their own Insinuation grow," (52. 62-63). Hamlet does not take responsibility for his actions, and this happens to be another characteristic of anti-heroes. 3 caring for people other than himself. For example, in the second scene Hamlet acts arrogantly and behaves very poorly in front of Reassurance and Guilelessness, saying to them "That I can keep your counsel and not,

mine own. Beside, to be demanded of a sponge, what replication should be made by the son of a king? " (4.

2. 12-14).

With his insult Hamlet is basically telling them that they are the equivalent of sponges. Another example of Hamlets inherent rudeness is when he refuses to marry Aphelia and lists his own poor qualities: I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious, / with more offenses at my beck than I have thoughts to put / them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them / in...

. Go thy ways too nunnery. (3. 1.

131-136). This is not the way he should be treating someone who loves him, and is not how a hero would act. An anti-hero on the other hand, would do something like this.

I have come to the conclusion that Hamlet is an Anti-hero because although his intentions may be good, he is unnecessarily violent, ill mannered, selfish, and does not take responsibility for his actions.

Throughout the play, Hamlet kills many people and hurts several more, and where he should feel guilt and shame, there is instead denial and apathy. He even blames the people who he killed for their own deaths. Hamlet displays some of the attributes of a hero, but with all of his negative character and personality traits he cannot be considered a hero, only an Anti-hero.