Hamlet, the title character Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, William Shakespeare's most important play, is undoubtedly the most complex, recognizable and profound character created by Shakespeare. His actions and thoughts throughout the show show the audience how fully developed and unpredictable he is with his mixed personalities. What Hamlet goes through in the play defines the adventures encountered by a tragic hero. In this timeless tragedy, despite his great nobility and wisdom, Hamlet has a tragic flaw that ultimately leads to his ironic death. The conception of this character dates back to the 13th century. The first story to which Hamlet's tale can be traced is the Gesta Danorum (“History of the Danes”) by Saxo Grammaticus. Many of the earlier elements of Hamlet's story are woven together in Vita Amlethi ("The Life of Hamlet"), part of the Gesta Danorum (Mabillard). Some of the strong similarities between the two legends are the mother's hasty marriage to the murdered king's brother, the prince pretending to be mad, the prince killing a hidden spy, and the prince replacing his own execution with two servants. The story was later further developed and translated in 1570 by François de Belleforest and entitled Histoires tragiques. Belleforest embellished much of Saxo's writings and pioneered the hero's melancholy. Aristotle defines a literary tragedy as a story that "features courageous individuals facing powerful forces within or without themselves with a dignity that reveals the breadth and depth of the human spirit in the face of failure, defeat, and even death" (Brainstorm Services ).The character of Hamlet undergoes many of these trials and tribulations that make him a tragic hero. To meet the critic... middle of paper... a hero because he is, like everyone, simultaneously confused and enticed by infinities. dilemmas that arise from being, in the end, simply human.Works cited Aristotle's Tragic Hero September 25, 2007. Charters, Ann and Samuel Charters Charters. Literature and its Writers. 4th edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007. Cliffs Notes. "Character Analysis: Hamlet." "An Analysis of Shakespeare's Sources for Hamlet." 2000. Shakespeare Online. December 6, 2007 .Shakespeare, William. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. 1600.