antiheroism in hamlet
Antiheroism has always been an interesting aspect of a character that authors have chosen to illustrate. In literature, there has been countless antiheroic characters, from Randle McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Allie Fox in The Mosquito Coast, to others as famous as Robin Hood and ... By literary definition, an antihero is the "hero" of the play or novel, but has negative attributes which separate him or her from the classic hero such as Superman. Such negative aspects may include a violent nature, use of coarse language, or self serving interests which may inadvertently depict the protagonist as a hero since the result of serving those interests may be the betterment of society or an environment. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the protagonist, Hamlet, is depicted as an antihero. One main factor which gives Hamlet such a label is that he draws sympathy, as well as admiration, from the reader since Hamlet feels the pain of losing his father along with the burden and obstacles in avenging his murder. Act four places a special emphasis on Hamlet's intelligence. In scene two, Hamlet is very insolent and rude towards Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with such phrases as, That I can keep your counse
The fact that Hamlet's life is not indeed in jeopardy attributes to his "hero" status. In addition, his only fault is the desire to avenge his father's murder, an act considered completely honourable by the reader. However, Hamlet's negative attributes include his rudeness towards others, including the fair Ophelia, and a violent nature as shown when he kills Polonius, albeit accidently, and shows no remorse, causing a reclassification from the classic hero, to the more appropriate label of antihero. There are very strong philosophical references made by Hamlet in this act regarding life and death. Hamlet tells Claudius, Your worm is your only emperor for diet: we fat all creatures else to fat us, and we fat ourselves for maggots: your fat king and your lean beggar is but variable service, two dishes, but to one table: that's the end. (IV, iii, 21-26) This statement id a reference to the food chain, and in turn, a reflection on the meaning of life. It illustrates the equality of men in that whether one is born to be a king or a beggar, when one dies, we are all equal. Worms and maggots do not treat anybody differently once one is dead and buried. l and not, mine own. Beside, to be demanded of a sponge, what replicati
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 827
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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