of the play directly cause the events which happen in the play. For example, Hamlet뭩 hesitance to avenge his father뭩 death by killing Claudius makes it possible for him to continue with his pretended madness. This, in turn, causes him to kill Polonius (who Hamlet thought was actually Claudius), which drives the fair Ophelia, Polonius뭩 daughter and love interest of Hamlet, mad. This, of course, enrages Laertes, who is brother to Ophelia and son of Polonius. As a result, Hamlet and Laertes poison each other in a duel, and Hamlet is forced to kill Claudius then and there or never. This shows a clear cause-effect related plot, which Aristotle clearly stressed. The actions of the characters in Hamlet also lead up to an end that has a definite end. All of the main characters except Horatio and Fortinbras meet tragic deaths. The plot of Hamlet also makes use of situation reversal and recognition scenes. Aristotle considered these moments within a tragedy to be the play뭩 shining moments. An example of a recognition scene in Hamlet would be Hamlet뭩 discovery of Claudius뭩 treachery from the ghost of old Hamlet. This recognition scene actually sparks off the major plot of the play--Hamlet뭩 revenge for his father--while creating enmity between Claudius and him. There are several situation reversals in Hamlet. One is the reversal of Hamlet뭩 execution at the hands of the British with that of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Another is Hamlet뭩 reversal of situation with Claudius. After Hamlet kills Polonius, he is not only trying to avenge his father뭩 death by killing Claudius, but Laertes is trying to kill Hamlet to avenge Polonius. Hamlet, himself, also conforms perfectly to Aristotle뭩 view of the tragic hero. Aristotle stated that ?..[the tragic hero must be] a man good and just, who yet brings misfortune on himself not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty.? Ind...
