Hamlet: The Play that Blurs the Line between Heroes and Villains

Shakespeare's Hamlet, attracts and has attracted a wide variety of an audience, them may
believing that there are distinct villains and heroes. However, in Act III it has become
increasingly difficult to distinguish between said hero and villain.

Hamlet, the main character, the name on the cover. “You cannot, sir, take from me any thing that
I will more willingly part with – except my life, except my life, except my life.” (II, ii, 229-231)
A seemingly broken man that is trying to bring justice to his late murdered father. His father
appearing as a ghost reminds the readers of Joseph Campbells’s the Hero’s Journey, the act of
showing himself to Hamlet for help expecting justice and a revengeful, motivated spirit. “ On
him, on him! Look how pale he glares.” (III, iv, 140). Most heroes are chosen, with no exception
to Hamlet. He must be the hero, right?

Wrong. There is plenty of evidence towards Hamlet actually being our villain. “That I essentially
am not in madness / But mad in craft.”(III, iv, 206-207). Hamlet planned to psychologically
manipulate his family and friends into thinking he is mad. They worry, and wonder what is
wrong, he is the ripple in the lake that affects everything and everyone. “I’ll have these players /
play something like the murder of my father / Before mine Uncle.” (II, ii, 606-608). Making a
grieving and guilt ridden brother relive the death of his brother, just based on a theory that was
told to him by a ghost. “I will speak daggers to her, but use none.” (III, ii, 389). Speaking
daggers? To his own mother, to his uncle, to his bestfriends, to Ophelia; the list is massive with
the people he has hurt throughout this ordeal.

The daggers thrown from Hamlet usually met Polonius or Claudis. Claudis as king is worried for
his kingdom, this mad lord is running around manipulating most, what can he do? What did he
do to deserve these daggers? Killing his brother the past king, taking his throne and wife, in
Hamlet's view this deserves death. “O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!” (I, V, 111). A
villain indeed making Hamlet’s best of friends lie and gather information from him, for his own
gain. “ So by your companies / To draw him on to pleasures and to gather,...” . (II, ii, 14-15)

Or was he worried? Was his guilt so potent that he felt the need to care and protect Hamlet?
Protect him from his own madness? Claudis may be known as the villain, to the public with little
knowledge of Hamlet, however throughout Act III we see him worry and feel love, guilt, rage
and sympathy. “To bear our hearts in grief and our whole kingdom.” (I, ii, 3). “ But, O, what
form of prayer / Can serve my turn? ‘Forgive me my foul murder?’” (III, iii, 54-55). He cares, he
cares about Gertude, Hamlet, Polonius, Ophelia; traditionally a villain does not have any remark
to anyone's emotions, but Cladius does. Which raises the question of who is the villain and who
is the hero.
The difficulty of distinguishing the characters is present, however comparing these two together
makes it a bit more clear. In some stories and plays there are distinct heroes and villains, in
Hamlet this is not the case.