The Isolation of a Hero in a Tragedy

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The Isolation of a Hero in a Tragedy

• William Shakespeares Hamlet

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Isolation Defined

• Isolation The setting apart of someone or
  something.
• Northrop Frye argued that in a tragedy, the hero
  is always isolated from his society.

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Hamlet is set apart by Shakespeare dramatically.
As a character, he is given extraordinary
qualities making him larger than life.

• He is a prince - set apart by his status
• He is a poet - Angels and ministers of grace
  defend us! (I, iv, 39)
• He is a philosopher - What a piece of work is a
  man! (II, ii, 303-304)

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Hamlet is set apart by Shakespeare dramatically.
As a character, he is given extraordinary
qualities making him larger than life.

• He is highly moral - Or that the everlasting had
  not fixd / His cannon gainst self-slaughter!
  (I, ii, 132)
• He is in a constant struggle between what is
  right and wrong - Will not kill the praying
  Claudius.
• He feels love deeply (friend, son, lover) - I
  loved Ophelia ... (V, i, 263)

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As the play progresses, Hamlet is isolated from
his society.

• As the play progresses Hamlet is isolated from
  his society.
• Hamlet sets himself apart through the grief he
  feels for his fathers death.
• He isolates himself through the
  antic-disposition
• He feels betrayed by his mother in her quick
  marriage to Claudius
• He is betrayed by his friends Rosencrantz and
  Guildenstern.

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As the play progresses, Hamlet is isolated from
his society.

• He is cut from Ophelia by Laertes and Polonius.
• He cuts himself off from Ophelia.
• He is cut off from Claudius and Gertrude because
  they never respect the intensity of his grief.
• He is cut off from Laertes (once his friend)
  because of Claudius influence.

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Hamlet and All of Us

• The play gives us a tragic vision of the world
• through Hamlets experiences. We are invited
• to experience the times in our own lives when
• we feel isolated. We have all felt the burden
• of the demands thrust upon us. We have all
• felt the confusion of competing needs and
• values as we try to navigate the world.