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Example research essay topic: Tragic Heroes Hamlet And The Great Gatsby - 1,448 words

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Tragic Heroes: Hamlet and the Great Gatsby Aristotle once defined a concept of tragic hero, which should be a character with a flaw in personality or judgment that will lead this character to some actions resulting into disaster. The tragic hero also must possess some sort of flaw due to pride or his character and the destruction of this character is due to this flaw. The tragic hero must have a final moment of potential self-awareness, be a man of godlike prowess, and his goodness must come to be honored as divinity in death. In the play, Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, Hamlet fits the concept of a tragic hero perfectly as he meets all of the requirements to be a tragic hero which are: a person of noble birth who occupies a powerful enough position to make choices which involve great numbers of people, decisions which can bring catastrophe to an entire kingdom. He also has to have a trait of goodness, but he cannot be perfect. One sees from the very beginning that Hamlet is a very complex and conflicted person, and that his tragedy has already begun.

Hamlets anger and grief primarily stemming from his mothers marriage to Claudius brings him to thoughts of suicide, which only subside because of it being a mortal and religious sin. Usually Hamlet analyzes all possible situations too carefully, which eventually causes him to procrastinate. This delay in the judgment allows Claudius to escape the revenge and to plot the overcome of Hamlet. The fact that Hamlet wants to take his own life demonstrates a weakness in his character. His decision not to kill himself because of religious beliefs shows that this weakness is balanced with some sense of morality. Such an obvious paradox is only one example of the inner conflict and turmoil that will eventually lead to Hamlets downfall.

One sees from the very beginning that Hamlet is a very complex and conflicted person, and that his tragedy has already begun. Hamlets anger and grief primarily stemming from his mothers marriage to Claudius brings him to thoughts of suicide, which only subside because of it being a mortal and religious sin. Usually Hamlet analyzes all possible situations too carefully, which eventually causes him to procrastinate. This delay in the judgment allows Claudius to escape the revenge and to plot the overcome of Hamlet.

The fact that Hamlet wants to take his own life demonstrates a weakness in his character. His decision not to kill himself because of religious beliefs shows that this weakness is balanced with some sense of morality. Such an obvious paradox is only one example of the inner conflict and turmoil that will eventually lead to Hamlets downfall. In addition to this internal struggle, Hamlet feels it is his duty to dethrone Claudius and become the King of Denmark. This revenge, he believes, would settle the score for his mothers incestuous relationship and would reinstate his family's honor.

These thoughts are solidified in Act I, Scene 5, when his fathers ghost appears and informs Hamlet that is was Claudius who murdered him, and that Claudius deprived him of life, of crown, and queen (line 75). This information leads to Hamlets promise to kill Claudius, while not punishing his mother for their incestuous marriage. His statement, thy commandment all alone shall live within the book and volume of my brain (lines 102 103), demonstrates his adamant decision to let nothing stand in the way of his promise for revenge. This promise can be labeled as Hamlets tragic decision, and sets into motion the beginning of his downfall.

In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is a tragic hero. Jay Gatsby is a very rich man, and in the flashy years of the jazz age, wealth was very important. Gatsby has endless wealth, power and influence; however, he never uses material objects selfishly. Everything Jay Gatsby owns exists only to attain his vision. Gatsby is a romantic dreamer who wishes to fulfill his ideal by gaining wealth in hopes of impressing and eventually winning the heart of the materialistic, superficial Daisy.

She is, however, completely undeserving of his worship. Gatsby's tragic flaw lies within his inability to see that the real and the ideal cannot coexist. Gatsby's ideal is Daisy. He sees her as perfect and worthy of all his affections and praise. In reality she is undeserving and through her actions, proves she is pathetic rather than honorable.

When Daisy says Sophisticated-God Im sophisticated (p. 18), she contradicts who she really is. The reader sees irony here, knowing she is far from sophisticated, but superficial, selfish and pathetic. Gatsby's vision is based on his belief that the past can be repeated, Cant repeat the past? Why of course you can! (p. 111) The disregard for reality is how Gatsby formulates his dream (with high expectations), and the belief that sufficient wealth can allow one to control his or her own fate. Gatsby believes youth and beauty can be recaptured if he can only make enough money.

To become worthy of Daisy, Gatsby accumulates his wealth, so he can rewrite the past and Daisy will be his. He establishes an immense fortune to impress the great love of his life, Daisy; who can only be won with evidence of material success. Over the five years in which Gatsby formulates this ideal, he envisions Daisy so perfect that he places her on a pedestal. As he attempts to make his ideal a reality things do not run as smoothly as he plans. Daisy can never live up to Gatsby's ideal, though Gatsby is unable to see this. Gatsby's downfall is choosing Daisy to represent his great vision.

She is unworthy. Gatsby dies with faith, awaiting the improbable phone call from Daisy. He keeps faith to the end, in his ideal and Daisy. Gatsby's dream falls apart in front of him, yet he still holds faith in his Daisy. According to Aristotle's definition, tragic hero should have a final moment of potential self-awareness. Hamlets final moment of potential self-awareness comes in Act V Scene II.

Not a whit, we defy augury; theres a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, this not come; if it be not to come, it will be now, if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all. Since no man has aught of what he leaves, what isnt to leave betimes? Let be (lines 218 222). Hamlet finally comes to terms with death and just accepting the situation for what it is. Hamlet knows he will die and he readies himself for this situation.

Gatsby also experiences the moment of self-awareness. Gatsby dies with faith, awaiting the improbable phone call from Daisy. He keeps faith to the end, in his ideal and Daisy. Gatsby's dream falls apart in front of him, yet he still holds faith in his Daisy.

By the end of the novel, Gatsby earns Nicks respect and Nick passes judgment Youre worth the whole damn bunch put together (p. 154). Since Nick is the only level-headed character in the entire novel, this statement expresses truth. The intelligence and wit that Hamlet was so respected for would unknowingly be the end of him. The drive for revenge that was originated by his fathers murder seemed to disappear by his exceeding careful movement and thoughtful postponement.

Hamlet became too concerned with the things that might happen and lost sight of what needed to happen. The tragic end that Hamlet saw was only due to the character flaws that he had. Hamlet was a tragic hero, because of the tragic end that he brought upon himself. Gatsby also as a man of extreme capabilities failed to see the inevitability of his visions failure, and in his inability to see this, he kept trying to attain it.

Just like Hamlet, Gatsby did everything in his power to accomplish his own vision, until his death. Daisy indirectly causes Gatsby's death, making her more than ever, unworthy of Gatsby's affections. Ironically, Gatsby lived for Daisy and ended up to his death, believing and having faith in his vision. Gatsby and Hamlet were both victims of circumstances and flaws they both had were the reasons for their tragic end.

That is why Gatsby and Hamlet are both tragic heroes. Bibliography: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992.

Berman, Ronald. The Great Gatsby and Modern Times. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994. Farnham, Willard.

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. The Pelican Shakespeare. New York: Penguin Books, 1957. Hapgood, Robert. Hamlet: Prince of Denmark (Shakespeare in Production). Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999.


Free research essays on topics related to: religious beliefs, tragic hero, jay gatsby, hamlet prince, gatsby dream

Research essay sample on Tragic Heroes Hamlet And The Great Gatsby

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