The tragedy of Hamlet, Shakespeare's most popular and greatest tragedy, features his genius as a playwright and includes numerous literary themes and techniques. In all tragedies, the main character, called the tragic hero, suffers and usually dies at the end. Prince Hamlet is a model example of a Shakespearean tragic hero. Every tragedy must have a tragic hero. A tragic hero must possess many positive traits, but has one flaw that ultimately leads to his downfall. If it were not for this tragic flaw, the hero would have managed to survive to the end of the work. A tragic hero must have free will and also have the characteristics of being courageous and noble. Furthermore, the audience must feel some sympathy for the tragic hero. In Hamlet, the play concerns the murder of the king of Denmark and the murdered king's son's quest for revenge. When Hamlet is introduced in Act 1, Scene 2, he is mourning the death of his father; the sudden marriage between his uncle and his mother also causes him much despair. Mixed in with these emotions are anger and frustration also over the marriage. “If it is/because it seems...