According to Aristotle, Hamlet: The tragedy of the prince of Denmark is not really a tragedy. In fact, although it is composed of the six elements that Aristotle reflects on so that a tragedy can be defined as a tragedy, it does not follow the "structure of incidents". (Aristotle VI) Aristotle believed that Plot was of utmost importance followed by Character, Diction, Thought, Performance and Singing. However, past generations have indeed called Hamlet a tragedy and I believe this is due to Shakespeare's unique quality of finding tragedy in the characters' narratives and their background stories. Aristotle disagreed with this statement stating that a tragedy shows rather than tells. And in the story of Hamlet, most of the jokes consist of the characters involved in the action telling what happened. Rather, Aristotle engages solely in action, yet I see tragedy in character, the most tragic being that of Ophelia who, according to simple descriptions of tragedies, undergoes a struggle and suffers a fall. In Hamlet, we meet Ophelia, a female character who is "good, true to life but even more beautiful and consistent" in her character traits until her final moments of supposed madness and then death. (Aristotle V) These elements that Ophelia depicts are elements in which Aristotle defines a tragic character, thus making Ophelia tragic in his interpretation, and in mine as well. The following scenes that include Ophelia, the male members of her family, and Hamlet will prove to be evidence that Ophelia displays the qualities of the most tragic character in the play beginning with a scene involving her father Polonius and her brother Laertes. "I don't know, my lord, what I should think." (Ophelia 1, 3, ...... middle of paper ...... shaped and shaped by the reflection of what these men saw and wanted from a sister, daughter and lover/whore. Without this constant reflection , Ophelia's purpose within the play is meaningless, as she was Polonius' pawn, Laertes' chaste sister, and Hamlet's lover. Now that these male influences have been removed, Ophelia no longer holds those titles - in fact, she holds no title - she becomes a mere nothing; a lost identity that displays a great deal of pathos. With Laertes gone to France, Polonius gone and Hamlet gone from her heart, she is left without a guide, thus making her tragically lost. in a tragic world. leads to his tragic death.Work cited, William Hamlet: The Tragedy of the Prince of Denmark 1998.Aristotle.