The Achilles heel of Wilson's argument is his repetitive use of the word causation and the hypocritical way in which he approaches Hamlet and Claudius respectively. He implores his audience to disown or “refuse to be drawn from clear vision by questions of praise and blame, responsibility and causality” (Wilson Knight, G. 1957: 186) in terms of how the audience sees Hamlet but reintroduces causality in Claudio's terms that “as he appears in the play he is not a criminal. He is, strange as it may seem, a good and kind king, caught in the chain of causality that connects him to his crime. (Wilson Knight, G. 1957: 188)” He seems to be trying to wash Claudius of his sins. and the effects these had on Hamlet's state of mind, which might have been different if Claudius' actions had been, removing causality from our view of his actions and their consequences, but seeking to eliminate the audience or redirect sympathy for Claudius through referring to him as a “good and kind king” (Wilson Knight, G. 1957: 188) who was caught in the web of cause and effect of an evil action. This approach is unbalanced and this essay will aim to establish a comprehensive analysis of the behavior and mental states of both Hamlet and Claudius by examining the play and the essay in terms of causality as the prime factor. First, Knight tries to persuade us that the chain of causality could have been broken if Hamlet had left the past in the past and forgiven his uncle's betrayal. This however is an unrealistic expectation for any character. Death and its consequences become Hamlet's obsession when his father's ghost reveals to Hamlet the truth about his death. This signifies the beginning of Hamlet's mental deterioration and his inn... middle of paper... a real provocation that betrays no moral code. In conclusion Hamlet is portrayed as a different kind of tragic hero, one who is not undermined only by his own fatal flaw but by the direct result of belief in a system that is, itself, imperfect and unjust that holds power over man universal. Hamlet is idolized because it is praiseworthy for every heart to try, even if it sometimes stumbles, to remain honorable and righteous in the face of all the evil things around us. References: Wilson Knight, G. 1957. Embassy of Death: An Essay on Hamlet. In: The Wheel of Fire: Interpretations of Shakespearean Tragedy. Fifth ed. New York: Meridian books, pp. 184-191Shakespeare, W. 1993. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. In: The Illustrated Stratford Shakespeare.London: Octopus Publishing Group Ltd: Chancellor Press, pp. 799-831