Wrongful Death

[Layka]

Many of you may recognize this question from the test, but I would like to know your opinions. Who, in the play Hamlet, died a wrongful death.

In my opinion, I picked Hamlet and Ophelia. Why? I am not sure why I picked Hamlet, but I know Ophelia was a troubled soul with no mother, and I know mothers make a difference in the lives of their daughters. It is not only about the absence of a mother, but Hamlet caused her a lot of confusion also.

[Wallflower01]

I believe Ophelia and the Queen died the wrongful death. I agree with Layka's reasoning of why Ophelia died a wrongful death, but would also like to add that Ophelia seemed very innocent and lost in the world of political striving, and ambitions. She is obvlious that Hamlet is unable to love and marry her, and her loyality seem up to the highest bidder, perphas there is more of her father in her then she realizes.

[Redzeppelin]

Hamlet's death cannot be wrongful according to the "rules" of Elizabethan tragedy (which largely takes its cue from Aristotle's discussion of tragedy in the Poetics (I think)).

In short: the tragic hero is tragic because of a tragic flaw - a characteristic that - while perhaps beneficial - can, in an exaggerated or distorted conditin - lead the character to act irresponsibly. Hamlet killed Polonious - whose only crime was being an overblown busy-body. Hamlet himself acknowledged in the "bedroom scene" with his mother that he would have to pay for his crime. By the laws of revenge tragedies, Hamlet had to die - that's what makes a tragic hero tragic: he has to die.

Furthermore, the death of the tragic hero fits the archetypal hero pattern that suggests that the only way to cleanse a contaminated society is for the sacrifice of the hero (which leads to the obvious Christ parallels).

Ophelia was the only truly innocent character in the play who died; all others were complicit in the tragedy that unfolded. As such, only her death was "wrongful."

[kilted exile]

I think the death of Polonius could be argued as wrongful as well.

[Redzeppelin]

I think the death of Polonius could be argued as wrongful as well.

Agreed - I should have noted that; his death has to wrongful in order for Hamlet's death to be tragic - the tragic flaw doesn't work if the hero only kills/hurts those who deserve it.

[kilted exile]

The other person I always wondered about was Laertes, who doesnt really deserve to die but is manipulated by Claudius.

[Virgil]

The other person I always wondered about was Laertes, who doesnt really deserve to die but is manipulated by Claudius.
He was somewhat manipulated by Claudius, but Polonius was his father and polonius was killed by Hamlet. Laertes did have a reason for revenge against hamlet.

[kilted exile]

Yeah, he had a reason to go after Hamlet, but I dont think he does anything himself which he deserved to die because of.

[Layka]

I think the death of Polonius could be argued as wrongful as well.

I agree, but he was sneaking around which brought it upon himself in a way.

[Redzeppelin]

Yeah, he had a reason to go after Hamlet, but I dont think he does anything himself which he deserved to die because of.


Laertes engaged in a plot to kill a man by taking justice into his own hands; he functions as the opposite to Hamlet (who worries about verification of the ghost's claims so that he avoids being a "vigilante" rather than the executor of "divine justice"). Laertes acknowledges the justness of his death before he dies.

[schadenfreude]

But what about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? Hamlet believes that they deserved to die because they were instruments of Claudius, however is their death really justified? They had good intentions despite the fact that they were gullible.

[Karamela]

He was somewhat manipulated by Claudius, but Polonius was his father and polonius was killed by Hamlet. Laertes did have a reason for revenge against hamlet.

But even so, he was expected by society to revenge his father's death but for him to die was eh. It was the most wrongful in my opinion because he didn't do anything wrong; he was emotional and outraged by his father's death, a man he saw to be great and wonderful and was pushed further by Claudius.

I dont agree that Ophelia's death was wrongful at all, she was presented as 'innocent' at the start of the play but that was changed when Hamlet implies (too heavily) that she was not. I thought her death was a deservant and good ending to her character. In her way she went to her death (though I think it was more accidental rather than suicide), she was warned by her father that she could not be with Hamlet and still she went. Though I might be baised in my opinions as I very much did not like the character.

[eta]
I babbled and did not answer the question of the thread really..to me itwas Laertes because he didn't do anything wrong; he was pushed towards the killing and he was expected to revange his father's death.

[aex]

I agree i think Polonius died a wrongful death even though he was trying to be sneaky an listen he still wasn't the person that Hamlet really wanted dead. It was sort being at the wrong place at the wrong time