The full title of this play is, The Tragedy
of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.
So why is it a tragedy?
Other than because of the fact that everyone
dies.
I've got an even better reason ... so stick
around.
Here are the signs you're reading a tragedy.
1.
Whatever you're reading deals with a somber
theme.
Check.
?(If you watched Recap 7 you know that this
play focuses a lot on death.)
2.
Whatever you're reading ends with your main
character's destruction.
Check.
(If you've been watching all along, you know
that Hamlet dies.)
But I think this play is mostly a tragedy
because no one understands Hamlet.
Here's what I mean.
We spend the whole play watching as the other
characters accuse Hamlet of madness, right?
His mother does, his stepfather does.
His friends do.
His girlfriend and her family do.
And Hamlet may desire revenge, but does that
make him mad?
Not in contrast to Claudius, who dreams up
one dastardly plan after another.
Not in contrast to Ophelia who literally does
go crazy, spends one scene singing nonsense
songs, then drowns in the river.
Hamlet may be a mystery.
He may struggle with depression and cynicism.
But what's truly tragic about him is that
he's misunderstood—and he's misunderstood
by a group of characters who have their own
agendas for calling him crazy.
