In classic tragedies, such as Shakespeare's Hamlet, the protagonist of the play comes to a tragic end. This downfall comes because of a tragic flaw, one that the character realizes somewhere during the play. In Hamlet's case, his conscience and his hasty actions contribute to his ruin.

Guilt Throughout the play, Hamlet badmouths his Uncle calling him "incestuous"(Act 3, sc. 3, 95) and a "traitor." During Claudius's prayer, Hamlet has the perfect opportunity to kill his "adulterous" Uncle. Hamlet says, "And now I'll do it. And so he goes to heaven, and so I am revenged. That would be scanned"(Act 3, sc. 3, 78). Hamlet's conscience gets the better of him as he considers killing Claudius but backs out when he has the chance. By not killing Claudius, Hamlet prolongs his suffering and leads to his death. Claudius conspires against Hamlet, sending him to England to be killed and devising a scheme...