Hamlet - A tragedy? Arguably the best piece of writing William Shakespeare ever produced, Hamlet is the classic example of tragedy. In all tragedies the hero suffers and usually dies in the end. Othello stabs himself, Romeo and Juliet commit suicide, Brutis falls on his sword and like them Hamlet dies by cutting himself with a poison-tipped sword. But this is not enough to consider a play a tragedy, and sometimes a hero doesn't even need to die. Not every play where a Hero dies is considered a tragedy. There are multiple elements needed to label a game. Probably the most important element is a certain amount of free will. In every tragedy the characters must show some. If every action is controlled by a hero's destiny, then the hero's death cannot be avoided, and in a tragedy the sad part is that this could happen. Hamlet's death could have been avoided many times. Hamlet had many opportunities to kill Claudius, but he did not take advantage of them. He also had the option of making his request public, but instead chose not to. A tragic hero doesn't need to be good. For example, MacBeth was evil, yet he was a tragic hero, because he had free will. Furthermore, he had only one flaw: pride. He had many positive traits such as courage, but his negative trait made him evil. Even a tragic hero doesn't have to die. While in all Shakespearean tragedies the hero dies, in others he may live but suffer "moral destruction". In Oedipus Rex, the proud but morally blind king gouges out his own eyes and must spend his remaining days as a blind, wandering beggar, guided every painful step by his daughter Antigone. One misconception about tragedies is that nothing good comes out of them, but in reality it's the opposite. In Romeo and Juliet, even though they both die, it ends the feud between Capulet and Montegue. Also, Romeo and Juliet can be together in heaven. In Hamlet, even if Hamlet dies, it's almost the best thing. How could he have pleasure for the rest of his life, with his parents and Ophelia dead? Furthermore, although Hamlet dies, he is able to kill Claudius and rid himself of the evil that rules the throne. Every tragic work must have a tragic hero. The tragic hero must possess many positive traits, as well as one flaw, which will ultimately lead to his downfall. A tragic hero must be courageous and noble. In Othello, Othello had one fatal flaw: he was too big. Othello was too brave, too noble and above all too proud to allow himself to be led back to Venice in chains. A tragic hero must not back down from his position. He must also have the free will to stand up for what he believes. Finally, the audience must feel some sympathy for the tragic hero. In MacBeth, although MacBeth commits many murders, one almost feels sorry for him and his fate. Hamlet is the perfect example of the tragic hero. Hamlet has all the qualities needed to be a tragic hero. He is brave and bold. An example of this is that when he went to England, he was taking a big risk. If his plan didn't work, he would be executed. He is also loyal. His loyalty to his father was the reason he was so angry at Claudius and his mother. Another characteristic was that he was intelligent. He managed to think of the idea of ​​pretending to be crazy, to get more information about Claudio. But Hamlet, like all other tragic heroes, had a flaw. He couldn't do anything, because he couldn't move forward. He was a grown adult, yet he still attended school in England, because he couldn't move on. Also, it took him a long time to stop grieving for his father, because he didn't want to go beyond that part.