Anti-heroism has always been an interesting aspect of a character that authors have chosen to illustrate. In literature, there has been countless antiheroic characters, from Randle McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Allie Fox in The Mosquito Coast, to others as famous as Robin Hood. By definition, an antagonist is the "hero" of the play or novel, but has negative attributes, which separate him or her from the classic hero such as Superman. Such negative aspects may include a violent nature, use of coarse language, or self-serving interests. Interests such as these may inadvertently depict the protagonist as a hero; this may be due to the fact that these interests may lead to the betterment of society or an environment. In William Shakespeare's "Hamlet", the protagonist, Hamlet, is depicted as an antihero. One main factor, which places Hamlet in such a role is that he draws sympathy, as well as admiration, from the reader since Hamlet feels the pain of losing his father along with the burden and obstacles in avenging his murder.
             In scene two, Hamlet is very insolent and rude towards Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with such phrases as, "That I can keep your counsel and not, mine own. Beside, to be demanded of a sponge, what replication should be made by the son of a king? (IV, ii, 12-14)" The reference to the sponge reflects the fact that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are easily ordered to do as the King wishes, and do not have minds of their own. Hamlet does not like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern since they are servants of Claudius, Hamlet's mortal enemy in a matter of speaking. An antihero is seemingly often not well liked by the audience, but in Hamlet's case his cynical side allows the audience to laugh at many points he makes and almost become friendly with him, while still allowing him to be the antagonist.
             Another place where Hamlet's educated self, his handle with linguistics and his shear...