Character Flaws

Every character in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is somehow wrought with human flaws. They are all individuals in pursuit of one thing or another, and all individuals who seem selfishly involved to the point where their position is weakened. In many cases the outcome is death, for most of the powerful characters are murdered or die. Hamlet, Polonius, and Ophelia all exhibit serious flaws, and it is these flaws that ultimately cause their deaths.

Hamlet is the most sympathetic of the characters, and yet he has many flaws. He is a proud man who wants to do what is right. The problem is that he cannot quite decide what he feels is right. At first the Ghost convinces him, that his father should be avenged:
O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!
My tables—meet it is I set it down
That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain.
At least I am sure it may be so in Denmark.
So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word:
It is “Adieu, adieu. Remember me.”
I have sworn’t. (1.5.106-112)

He is determined to see to it that Claudius is killed for the deeds he has done. But, he begins to waver and question the validity of the entire situation. He goes from one position to the next, convinced at one point he should kill Claudius, and then unsure the next if he is being manipulated by the Ghost of his father. In this we see that he has no true and valid opinions of his own.
All of his relationships reflect this. For example, his relationship with Ophelia is vague and discouraging at best. While he feels that he is protecting Ophelia by feigning insanity, or by being insane, he finds that he has merely turned her away. “You should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our/ Old stock but we shall relish of it. I love you not (3.2.115-116). His youthful ignorance concerning her fragile nature destroys her in the end.

Lord Polonius is a somewhat self-righteous individual who had a tendency to think that his wisdom excels all others. He is also a man who tends to mind other people’s business, and think that he has all the answers to life. He even goes so far as to offer his services as a spy so he can essentially find glory and be proven right in regards to Hamlet. These are the essential flaws that bring him to his own death at the hands of Hamlet.
In first understanding his character we look at how he presents himself to his daughter, illustrating that she is a feeble minded young woman who should listen to his wisdom. He is, after all a man, and her father as well:
Marry, I’ll teach you. Think yourself a baby
That you have ta’en these tenders for true pay
Which are not sterling. Tender yourself more dearly,
Or (not to crack the wind of the poor phrase,
Running it thus) you’ll tender me a fool. (1.3.105-109)
In this he not only tells her how feeble she is, but also informs her that if she continues she will make a fool out of him in society. In light of these few lines we can see how wise he believes himself to be, and how important he thinks social position is.
In another set of lines we find Polonius arguing how mad and useless and unworthy Hamlet is when considering the inherent wonders, perhaps, of his own family:
Ay, springes to catch woodcocks. I do know,
When the blood burns, how prodigal the soul
Lends the tongue vows. These blazes, daughter,
Giving more light thatn heat, extinct in both
Even in their promise, as it is a-making,
You must not take for fire. (1.3.115-120)
We again see his need for social acceptance, and the need to have someone tell him how grand he is when he asks the king, “What do you think of me?” (2.2.128). The king replies simply, that he believes Polonius to be “faithful and honorable,” something that does not truly illustrate that Polonius is wise or better than any other (2.2.129). However, Polonius elaborates on this and insists on telling the king his entire outlook on Hamlet and his daughter:
I would fain prove so. But what might you think,
When I had seen this hot love on the wing.
(As I perceived it, I must tell you that,
Before my daughter told me), what might you,
Or my dear majesty your queen here, think,
If I had play’d the desk or table-book,
Or given my heart a winking, mute and dumb,
Or look’d upon this love with idle sight,
What might you think? No, I went round to work, (2.2.135-138).
In essence, Polonius thinks himself to be grander and more important than he is. He perhaps even sees himself as infallible if not invincible because of his intelligence. He insists that he be allowed to spy on Hamlet, the last evidence of flaw in his character, which will end in his death.

Ophelia is a very honest and loving young woman who is truly concerned with the welfare and condition of Hamlet. She has wondered at his strange behavior, perhaps doubting that he is insane. But, she doubts herself in this, and she doubts the love of Hamlet:
My lord, I have remembrances of yours
That I have longed long to re-deliver.
I pray you now receive them. (3.1.92-94)
As a result, she is talked into spying on Hamlet, so to speak. She is talked into going to the madman and having a conversation with him in order to discover how much he really knows. In this she is agreeing to act other than she normally would.
In these respects we see a woman who is innocently in love, a woman who is naive and does not understand power and her world, and a woman who cannot wizen up and see some truths. She expects life to be simple, and her love to be simple. She does not grow or change with realities she learns, but perhaps relies too heavily on the advice and opinions of others. In this she clearly does not think for herself. And, in all honesty, when she does try to think for herself she drives herself insane, for she cannot truly envision what her world honestly is.
From what we know of Ophelia we see her as an honest woman, a woman who would not stoop to deceiving the one she loves. But, because she is confused, and because she loves Hamlet, she is talked into acting a part, playing a role, and pretending to be more in control than she feels. At first she is a simple girl, not quite sure of Hamlet’s affections. She proves herself still weak when she becomes the pawn of her father and the king. In the end, as mentioned, she does not know what to do, and when faced with truths and the understanding that she needs to see her world for what it is, she becomes deranged and kills herself. “Well, God dild you! They say the owl was a baker’s daughter. Lord, / we know what we are, but know not what we may be. God be at your table” (4.5.40-41)!

Hamlet, Polonius, and Ophelia all exhibit serious flaws, and it is these flaws that ultimately cause their deaths. Hamlet’s character was confused; deciding to kill Claudius and avenge his fathers death was his dilemma in the play. Hamlet had many opportunities to kill Claudius but did not see them through because of his uncertainties, this lead to his death. Polonius thought of himself to be grander than he really was. He felt that he was sly and sneaky while spying on Hamlet, which leads to his death. Ophelia was a simple woman that is unsure of what she wanted. She ends up losing her mind because she got caught up in all the deceiving and lying. Ophelia’s death isn’t clear as black and white but I feel that she in the end took her life.

Works Cited

McCallum, Alistair. Hamlet a guide. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2001

McEvoy, Sean. Shakespeare The Basics. New York: Routledge, 2000.

Nardo, Don, ed. Readings on Hamlet. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999

Nardo, Don. Understanding Hamlet. San Diego: Lucent Books, 2001

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Jerome Beaty,

et al. 8th ed. New York: Norton, 2002. 12-78-1377.