Hamlet as Victim and Hero Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, a Shakespearean tragedy, tells the story of Prince Hamlet, who learned of a terrible accident that his kingdom had suffered. Claudius, king of Denmark and Hamlet's uncle, had killed his brother, the king, who was also Hamlet's father, and married his brother's widow. Hamlet suffered these traumas to a severe extent and his only relief was to overcome his human weaknesses and right the wrongs created by his uncle. The soliloquy chosen to describe Hamlet's emotions after discovering his uncle's evil deeds is found within lines one hundred and twenty-nine to one hundred and fifty-nine (Hamlet the Prince 71). Hamlet's first reaction was to look for a way out, which would have been a common response for many human beings if they found themselves in that situation. He longed for death and questioned God's decision that suicide was a sin. Most human beings, when placed as leaders in a difficult situation, will look for ways to free themselves from their responsibilities. Even Jesus Christ, the greatest being to walk the face of this earth, according to Christianity, sought a way out as he took upon himself the sins of the world in the Garden of Gethsemane. In St. Matthew 26:39 he said, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; but not as I will, but as thou wilt" (The Holy Bible 1235). Hamlet realized, as did Jesus, that he was in a situation where he was the only man doing the job. Therefore, he forgot about his own death and suicidal thoughts and focused more on bringing his uncle to justice. Over the course of the play, Hamlet demonstrates a witty personality although he is bogged down by the awareness of his f...... middle of paper ...he found himself in this situation by chance, and was left with the task of justify his father's death. He did what he had to do his way. Works Cited The Holy Bible. Authorized King James Version. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1989. Dodsworth, Martin. Hamlet observed closely. New Hampshire: The Athlone Press, 1985.Kravitz, David. Who's who in Greek and Roman mythology. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1975. Lidz, Theodore. Hamlet's enemy, madness and myth in Hamlet. New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1975.Shakespeare, William. Hamlet Prince of Denmark. A handful of plays. Period drama. Ed. David Madden. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1996. Wormhoudt, Arthur. Hamlet's Mousetrap. A psychoanalytic study of drama. New York: Philosophical Library, Inc., 1956.