We explored the historical basis for the play by first noting the influence of Thomas Kyd's revenge play , The Spanish Tragedy. I discussed how Hamlet begins within that genre but soon departs into a multidimensional exploration of the conscious mind. We discussed how literary scholars often try to fit Hamlet into a traditional framework of tragedy by describing Hamlet's hesitation as a tragic flaw. We noted how compared to Othello ,Macbeth etc Hamlet's hesitation to murder even as a revenge is not truly a tragic flaw that fits into the definition of hamartia.