is Hamlet a maximus (Russell Crowe0 Gladiator or jack nicholson one Flew over The Cuckoo's nest?

-- Christine A. Diaz (Leanjimbo@aol.com), November 15, 2002

Answers

My Oxford's a 1951 edition, but I hold by it, by and large. "hero: man of superhuman qualities favoured by the gods, demigod; illustrious warrior, (rhetorically) one who has fought for his country ...; man admired for achievements and noble qualities; chief man in poem, play, or story; ... . [from Latin, from greek heros]"

Well there, what do you think? I guess hero-making circumstances are required to create a hero: gods for parents, adversity, a war, some sort of forum for doing something which sticks out. Just getting out of bed and going to work every day doesn't count, I'm afraid.

But Hamlet is not Russell Crowe, or Jack Nicholson, or any character either one has played, or anybody else but himself. He is Hamlet, and Hamlet is himself.

-- catherine england (catherine_england@hotmail.com), November 16, 2002.

Hamlet is Hamlet, not Jack Nicholson or Mel Gibson or Jordan Jolly or Amy Holcomb or Kelly Hill or Riana Trahan or Zach Craig or Kali Ratcliff or Virginia Hamilton or Polonius or Ashley Wright or any body else. Hamlet is Hamlet and Hamlet is not a hero like superman. OK?

-- Lacie Ray Jolly (blame_it3@yahoo.com), November 20, 2002.

I do A level english and we are contributing coursework about comparing two different types of 'heros' Hamlet is one example linked to machiavelli (the prince) Hamlet was a very sneaky hero, he was not like the 'old style hero' like his father, who just used a sword in a fight. An example of how clever Hamlet is how he looked at his uncle Claudius' reaction of his play portraying real life events.

-- Jessica (sweetsixsixsix@lycos.co.uk), December 17, 2002.

NO hamlet is not a Hero, he didn't save a Cat from a tree, our rescue people from a burning fire...

-- Bear (ilikesoccer5230@hotmail.com), January 21, 2003.

Hamlet is a hero but isn't. He is a hero because gets rid of the flaws in the kingdom, that was created by Claudis. He is not a hero because many people died, hero's usually trys to prevent this.

-- Fuj (lilfujlilguj@hotmail.com), January 21, 2003.

Hamlet is not a hero in the customary scence of being self sacrificing or extremly brave.

-- George Apella (geopella2000@yahoo.com), April 24, 2003.

Hamlet's mre a hero than you gys think. If any of you have looked into Jungian psychology, or even simply the classic "Hero's Journey," you'd see how Hamlet although not the brazen hero, still acheived every level that he cassic hero follows, seperation from the known, decent into the unknwon, and the classic return home.

anyone doesn't understand that, and you're less intelligent than an inflaable porta-pottie

-- John Nichols (prophet7855@aol.com), May 02, 2003.

Hamlet is a villain. Because he is the main character in this story he could be taken as a tragic hero, who is flawed, but noble. Hamlet’s flaws trancend his protagonist tendencies. He is a solipsistic cad who drives Ophelia crazy, kills Polonius with no remorse, and is so consumed by his need for vengeance that he is directly and indirectly responsible for the demise of almost every main character in the play, himself included. Each of these acts is obviouly villainous, but the factors that seem to redeem him are just as indicting. Hamlet’s apparently honorable quest to dethrone Claudius in the name of his father, his narcissistic soliloquies each prove that Hamlet is the antagonist of this play.

When Hamlet is visited by the ghost of his father, he wonders breifly if this ghost was sent by the devil to lead him astray. Hamlet decides to verify the ghost’s statement, and when he learns that the ghost’s story is true he sets about arranging to kill Claudius, all doubts vanished. It doesn’t occur to Hamlet that even if the ghost was telling the truth about his fathers untimely demise it could still be wrong to murder Claudius. Hamlet latches onto the idea that everything he does is justified now that he has a mission. He shows no regrets when he learns that he has killed innocent Polonius. “Thou wretched, rash,foolish … I took thee for thy better.” (3.5.32-33) To Hamlet Polonius is a mere casualty of war.

Hamlet’s lengthy introspectives are self indulgent and ultimately self serving. What seems to be endless deliberation over what is right and what is wrong is actually Hamlet feeling sorry for himself very eloquently. In Hamlets most famous speech “To be or not to be” he ponders the point of living. He is in such despair that he contemplates suicide. His sensitivity of emotion does not extend to showing any sympathy toward Ophelia; his outright cruelty to her is one of two factors that drive her mad. In Hamlets first soliloquy he laments his situation, his father dead, his mother remarried. In his second soliloquy he curses his slow action. Next he wonders at the point of life, then more berating his indecision, and so on. Hamlet doesn’t stop thinking about himself long enough to think about others, and this is evident in each of his speeches. Even on the verge of death when Horatio moves to kill himself Hamlet tells him no. The reason is not because life is worth living, or that the death of Hamlet is not enough of a reason for Horatio to kill himself. Hamlet tells Horatio that he must live to tell the story of Hamlet, to clear Hamlet’s name. Hamlet is egotistical to his very end.

-- Ivy Johnson (where_in_the_world_is_ivy_j@hotmail.com), July 20, 2003.

Hamlet was a trajic hero, victim of circumstance. He had the nobility to avenge his fathers death, which in Elixabethan times would have been the appropriate thing to do. He takes his time in doing so because as much as he is a hero he is more so human. He doesn't have to harshness others might have in his situation, don't forget that he was very much a scholar, a thinker, he didn't just run around killing people, his ego and his emotions do get the better of him. He might be a bit lazy for a hero, instead of calling Claudius out on the several occasions he did have, like the play, he let it go. He is a human hero, struggling with himself constantly.

-- Kristin (missy_woo@hotmail.com), October 22, 2003.