and worries, and proudly so, for Hamlet is not like the other tragic

heroes of his period. He stands apart from other Shakespeare's heroes

in his today much discussed innocence. Is this supposed tragic hero

maybe an ideal hero - one without the tragic flaw, which has been a

part of the formula for the tragedy since the Golden age of Greece?; is

a question that has been the field for many literary critics' battles.

The main, and, most often, the only flaw that has been attributed to

Hamlet is his delay. This seems to constitute the central part in

Hamlet. Critics seem to cling to this detail, as if trying to save the

status of Hamlet as a typical Elizabethan tragedy of revenge. By the

definition of tragedy, there should exist a flaw in the character of

the main hero, who is a great personality that is engaged in a

struggle that ends catastrophically (Stratford, 90). If Hamlet had no

flaw, what kind of tragic hero is he? No doubt, Hamlet is a tragical

drama, for it has many characters "from the top" ending up losing their

lives. But the play wouldn't lose its tragic tone if Hamlet was a an

circumstances he bites his teeth and carries himself well (Stratford,

characters. But one should notice that "preceding" means "comes before

3. Hamlet. Stratford-Upon-Avon Study. London: Edward Arnold Ltd., 1963.

concerning reasons why Hamlet waited so long before killing Claudius.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1731
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)