A tragic play is one in which the protagonist dies through disaster evoked by a combination of personal faults and circumstances out with the character's control. Shakespeare's "Hamlet" is true to this genre, depicting a noble, but flawed, character that is subject to outrageous twists of fate ultimately leading to his demise. However, to what extent can Hamlet's downfall be attributed to his own failings?
             From the start of the play, the reader is shown a tormented Hamlet, mourning the loss of his father and insulted by his mother's hasty remarriage to his uncle. However, this sadness and disappointment quickly turns to wrath as the ghost of his father reveals to him that it was Hamlet's new stepfather who murdered him. As the play unfolds, all these factors play an integral role in the young prince's untimely end. It is also notable that Hamlet had little control over these events, seeing as his father was killed while he was abroad at university and even if he were there, he would not have been able to intervene, as he would not have known of Claudius' murderous intentions. Similarly, Hamlet was unable to stop Gertrude's marriage to his uncle seen as his protests to that end fell on deaf ears.
             However, these actions, in themselves, did not cause the massacre that would end the play but rather Hamlet's reactions. For example, Hamlet possessed an unhealthy fascination with his mother and rather than being happy that his mother will now have love and companionship in her new marriage, he harasses her and constantly bemoans the incestuous nature of her union with Claudius. This fascination is perhaps down to jealousy for his uncle, as there is some evidence to suggest that Hamlet may have had Oedipal feelings for his mother, the most notable of which, can be seen in the closet scene where his behaviour towards his mother is decidedly risqué. These unnatural and unholy des
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