Hamlet - The Real Tragedy

Hamlet - The "Real" Tragedy

In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the death of a character
becomes a frequent event. Although many people lose their lives as a
result of their own self-centered wrong-doing, there are others whose
death are a result of manipulation from the royalty. This is the case
of Polonius’ family. The real tragedy of Hamlet is not that of Hamlet
or his family but of Polonius’ family because their deaths were not
the consequence of sinful actions of their own but rather by their
innocent involvement in the schemes of Claudius and Hamlet.
The first character to die in Hamlet is Polonius. Although
Polonius often acts in a deceitful manner when dealing with Hamlet, it
is only because he is carrying out plans devised by the king or queen
to discover the nature of Hamlet’s madness. Being the king’s Lord
Chamberlain, it is his duty to obey the king and queen’s wishes and it
is this loyalty that eventually proves to be fatal for him. An example
of hoe Polonius’ innocent involvement with the royalty results in his
death can be found at the beginning of Act III, scene iv, when Hamlet
stabs him while he is hiding behind the arras in Gertude’s room. This
shows how Polonius, a man unaware of the true nature of the situation
he is in, is killed by a member of the royalty during the execution of
one of their schemes. This makes Polonius’ death a tragedy.
The next member of Polonius’ family to die is his daughter
Ophelia. Ophelia...

Hamlet - The Real Tragedy

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