HAMLET, A TRAGIC HERO
Hamlet As seen throughout the acts of Shakespeare's Hamlet, it is clear that the young prince does not let his social class define his unique character. Shakespeare creates the character of a young Prince raised in a highly socialistic family whose members clearly demonstrate that they are superior to those not holding royalty. Hamlet interacts with other characters throughout the play in a fashion that divulges past the social class system and the ways it should be followed. Hamlets interactions with his mentor Horatio, who firmly believes that he represents a slave to Hamlet with clear evidence, “ The same, my lord and your poor servant ever” however Hamlet does not really show interest that Horatio is indeed below him and in fact his slave, responding with “Sir, my good friend- i’ll change that name with you” (1.11.3). Hamlet wishes and views Horatio as a friend. This relationship coincides later when Hamlet speaks with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who even though they are beneath his level of royalty as a Prince, he still treats them equally as if no social class has ever been created. The way Hamlet interacts with Ophelia also hints the idea that Hamlet does not follow the social class structure. Since Ophelia is inferior in position to Hamlets royalty and because of that, there should be no such thing as love between the two, or so Polonius believes. Hamlet comes to the conclusion in Act II Scene III that social class is not true to ones character, “What a perfect invention a human is, how noble in his capacity to reason, how unlimited in thinking, how admirable in his shape and movement, how angelic in action, how godlike in understanding! There’s nothing more beautiful. We surpass all other animals. And yet to me, what are we but dust? Men don’t interest me. No—women neither, but you’re smiling, so you must think they do” (IV.I.14) In the end, the kings and the peasants will turn to dust. Shakespeare offers the theme that social class does not