Graded Assignment

Unit Test: Hamlet

In drama, a character's tragic flaw is the character trait that leads directly to his or her downfall in the work. Many critics and scholars argue that Hamlet's tragic flaw is his tendency toward inaction-his inability to act. Do you agree? Why or why not? Cite specific examples from the text to support your response

I definitely agree. Had Hamlet had acted promptly and and without hesitation as he had promised the ghost he would do, it is hard to imagine any of tragic outcomes later in the play would have occurred. His tendency to procrastinate is what led to the deaths of so many innocents such as Polonius, Laertes, Claudius, and his acquaintances from the University of Wittenberg: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. We can also say that he is also indirectly involved in the deaths of his love Ophelia (drowning) and of his mother Gertrude - mistakenly poised by Claudius. Ultimately, his procrastination may have led to his own tragic demise.