Hamlet strikes me as a much different kind of hero than Jesus, Aeneas, Augustine, Mohammed, or Genji. All of these other heroes have had either (A) an affinity for a mother figure or (B) a disaffinity for or vacuous ambivalence towards a father figure. In fact, most of these heroes satisfy both of these conditions: consider Jesus, Mary, and Joseph; Augustine, Monica, and Patricius; Mohammed, Aminah, and Mohammed’s uncle; and Genji, the women who resemble his mother, and the Emperor. Hamlet breaks the mold by violently chastising his mother (“…would it were not so you are my mother.” act III.4, line 17), and by remaining loyal to his father at the cost of death. Furthermore, Hamlet recognizes his father as a greater man than he. It’s nice to see dad getting some love too.