Hamlet : Last Scene

Hamlet and Laertes in a Dual

Death, and revenge. People call it a tragedy. But is it really? Just because most characters died at the end, does that mean it yields a tragic end? After finishing the book, I have come to realize that Hamlet is not a tragic play, nor Hamlet himself is not a scapegoat of a conflict that derived from a generation before him. Am I sounding as if I am going agaisnt the widely held perspective? I guess I could, but here are some points that could validate my opinions.

• Death of Hamlet means the end of possible future revenge
• Denmark was being too "Bossy" - a destruction of an evil empire is NOT  a tragedy
• Horatio, the only one who seem to maintain a sense of sharp logic, survives the catastrophe
• Fortinbras, who also endeavered to enhance his authority, eventually obtained power

Viewing this play just a few degrees off the publicly held perspective, I got a completely different outcome. The death of Hamlet - "If thou didst ever hold me in thy hear / Absent thee from felicity awhile / And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain / To tell my story." ( V, ii, 381-383) means that the revenge has officially ended for eternity. Why? Because if Hamlet had survived the ordeal to live another day, there would have been another revenge for Claudius. Although Claudius was way off from being an ideal king, there must have been people who followed him, if none, his family. That would have yielded a more impactful tragedy. Consequently, without Hamlet's death, the cycle of revenge would have continued until everyone got eliminated.

Another equally significant character, Horatio, survives the catastrophe. In fact, his role was as big as that of Hamlet's, because he was a loyal mind-mentor, and also a very faithful friend. It just goes to show that logic wins over emotion in terms of dealing with situations. Even after the death of his good friend, Horatio remains logical and even shouts out, "Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest." (V, ii, 397-399)

Due to these reasons, I think Hamlet is not a tragic story afterall.

Dying Hamlet