Aristotle’s Influence On Shakespeare’s Hamlet

6 Pages 1513 Words

Many people believe that Aristotle’s Poetics have greatly influenced the way that Shakespeare composed Hamlet. There are many instances in which this argument can be supported and other arguments where it just wouldn’t make sense. I think that Shakespeare was influenced by Aristotle’s idea, but I believe that he did not strictly follow Aristotle’s guide. I think that Shakespeare was his own person and not very influenced by other people’s works. Throughout Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and throughout Aristotle’s Poetics, there are similarities in themes and plot lines that may suggest influence from Aristotle. One of the main examples of Aristotle’s influence on Hamlet is the fact that according to Aristotle, a tragedy involves 6 parts of the story with a hierarchy of importance—the highest of which being the plot. This is shown in Hamlet, because the plot appears to be Shakespeare’s main focus of the story. Another argument is the fact that Aristotle said that the plot should not be complicated, instead it should be straightforward, but the plot in Hamlet is not simple at all. Another argument is that Aristotle said that in a tragedy, there must always be a tragic deed that will either be completed or not completed, but in Hamlet, it was completed. It is completed when Claudius arranges for Hamlet to be killed and eventually he does.
There is also a point in Hamlet in that suggests that Shakespeare was not influenced by Aristotle’s Poetics. This point that suggests that Shakespeare wasn’t influenced by Aristotle is the fact that the hero’s downfall or misfortune was not caused by his own hamartia. Aristotle states that the hero’s downfall should be due to his own hamartia, but in my opinion, it was Claudius’ fault. Another argument not supporting the idea of Shakespeare's influence is that Aristotle stated in his Poetics that the hero of the tragedy must go from a life of happiness to a life of misery. This is ...