Hamlet: Theories Of Hamlet's Delay In Killing Claudius
There are several theories about why Hamlet, the main character of Shakespeare's
masterpiece, Hamlet, delays in killing his Uncle, King Claudius. As the son of
a murdered noble, Hamlet is obligated to avenge the death of his father.
However, the act is never performed until the end of the play... quite some time
after Hamlet discovered Claudius was his father's killer. Some historians and
literary experts would say Hamlet's strong religious bonds prevented him from
performing the sinful deed. Others would have it that Hamlet was a melancholic
and therefore was too intellectual to kill his uncle. Infamous psychologist,
Sigmund Freud, felt Hamlet suffered from an Oedipal complex and could not kill
Claudius because he himself wished to be in Claudius' place.
Hamlet delays in killing Claudius not only because he's suffering from an
Oedipal complex but also because he is far too sane or practical to commit an
act of murder. In other words, basic sanity keeps him from killing Claudius.
In society we are taught that those who commit murder are sick or insane.
However, Hamlet's society believes the son of a murdered noble is responsible
for avenging his father.
When the ghost of King Hamlet appears and tells his son Claudius killed him by
pouring poison in his ear, Hamlet does not act upon the word of the specter. He
takes time to think about what the apparition told him. He contemplates whether
it is a good ghost or a bad ghost. He plans things out; analyses situations.
When the actors came to town, Hamlet implores one of them, "Dost thou hear me
old friend? Can you play The Murder of Gonzago?" (88) The player agrees that
he can indeed perform the play. "We'll ha't tomorrow night. You could for a
need study a speech of some dozen or sixteen lines which I could set down and
insert in't, could you not." (88)
Here Hamlet has devised a scheme to discover whether his Uncle truly murdered
his father. The play which Hamlet wishes to be performed is one involving a
murder similar to that which the ghost described. "The play's the thing wherein
I'll catch the conscience of the King." (90) Hamlet 's famous quote means he
will study Claudius while the play is being performed. Should the King's manor
change in accordance with the play, Hamlet will know the ghost's story is true
through his well thought out scheme.
Another example of Hamlet's cleverness is displayed when he switches the notes
unbeknownst to Guildenstern and Rosencrantz. Claudius, realizing Hamlet is
his psyche had to deal with. He was very up-set (as any other person would be)
An area associated with lots of social problems, with over half of the population living below the poverty line, the South Bronx has become a community that people associate with prostitution, crime, and poverty. With two (2) juvenile detention centers, fifteen (15) waste transfer stations, and four (4) jails, the plan of the government to build a new jail in Hunts Point is most strange and unwelcome at that. “The city’s Economic Development Corporation is negotiating with Oak Point Energy to purchase a 28-acre parcel of former industrial land in the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx to be used for a new detention center to relieve overcrowding on Rikers Island.” The jail would cost $375 million, an amount of money that could be put into development projects for the community. The construction of this jail would mean the allocation of funds to non-pressing needs of the society. Against all odds, the wish of all concerned individuals is that the jail plan is stopped. However, the plan has drawn strong opposition from individuals and community groups.
...ating “Why am I trying to become what I don’t want to be… when all I want is out there, waiting for me the minute I say I know who I am” (Miller 1842.) Biff is accepting of who he is and that he does not have to follow in family traditions. Work provides as a building block for family values and expectations, and shapes the community around it.
In the beginning of the play, Hamlet's father comes to him as a ghost from the grave. He tells Hamlet of his uncle's betrayal of him and tells Hamlet that he must kill Claudius to set things right. Through this event, Hamlet...
The past century has unveiled many new revels in science and technology. Nuclear technology is one of the more recent brinks of discovery. Over the past 60 years or so, scientists have been on a gold rush for the nuclear power. New elements were being discovered and the potentials of their peculiar characteristics drew in more and more people. Highly radioactive substances were being tested for their potencies at the subatomic level. The gain in this scurry for answers was partially politically charged, if not totally for educational purposes. The United States was amid the throng of countries entering the World War II. If one of the most ...
In the players’ scene, Hamlet revises the play of The Murder of Gonzago, adding in a scene that hints at the murder of King Hamlet. When Claudius reacts to Hamlet’s trap and makes a sudden exit, Hamlet now knows that the ghost’s story is true and will “take the ghost’s word for a thousand pound.” He now has no reason not to act. Prior to witnessing Claudius’ reaction, Hamlet has been debating with himself over the legitimacy of the ghost and its story. He has been questioning himself and whether he is a coward, because all he has done is talk, not having taken any action. Now that Hamlet knows the murderous sin Claudius has committed, Hamlet feels no guilt in avenging his father’s death. The plot takes a turn, as Hamlet becomes more of a man of action than a philosopher.
Forth at your eyes your spirits wildly peep, And, as the sleeping soldiers in th’ alarm, Your bedded hairs, like life in excrements, Start up, and stand on end. O gentle son, Upon the heat and flame of thy distemper Sprinkle cool patience! Whereon do you look?" (Shakespeare 1543). In the beginning of the play Hamlet as well as the guards was able to see the ghost that night, but only Hamlet was able to speak to the ghost. Now during this scene where Hamlet and Gertrude are having an argument in Gertrude 's bedroom the ghost appears and only Hamlet is able to see as well as speak to the ghost. This plays into the fact of everyone believing that he has gone mad due to that fact that Gertrude thinks that Hamlet is in fact talking to himself. This in turn proves to Gertrude that Hamlet has in fact gone mad and it is no longer just an act or a way of showing his depression for the death of his father. The reader may even suggest that the ghost can only be seen as well as spoken to from Hamlet due to the fact that it is all a part of Hamlet’s acting. His whole demeanor connects with the theme of lying and deceit because he has been lying about his personality his mother truly believes that Hamlet is in fact
Mayo Clinic describes Whipple Disease as “a rare bacterial infection that most often affects your gastrointestinal system.” This bacteria directly affects the lining of the small intestine and impairs the body’s ability to breakdown foods, especially fats and carbohydrates, and impedes it’s ability to absorb nutrients. Antibiotics are used to destroy the T. whippelii bacteria. Initially, the antibiotics are given intravenously to treat the infection in the small intestine. If neurological symptoms are present, antibiotics that can cross the blood-brain barrier are implemented to ensure the destruction of any bacteria that have crossed this barrier and entered the brain or central nervous system. IV antibiotics are usually used for the first
Radioactive elements were not known of until about 1896 when a man named Henri Becquerel was experimenting with uranium to see why it was fluorescent under UV light. He believed that as the uranium sat in the sunlight, it absorbed sunlight and reemitted it on the paper, creating the film. He later found this to be incorrect when the uranium continued to create film when not exposed to sunlight. This was because the energy was not coming from the sun, but rather from inside the uranium.
The inevitable discovery of atomic power started back in 1898. According to Fetter-Vorm, “The chemist Marie Curie and her husband, Pierre, discovered the elements polonium and radium, which both emitted a mysterious energy. They called this energy radioactivity”(4). By 1911 a British physicist discovered
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet presents a hero who hesitates to avenge his dead father when given the opportunity – what should be his judgment? This paper examines the decision from various points of view.
The pathology in the digestive system that I chose is Cirrhosis. Cirrhosis causes damage to the liver by scarring and liver failure. Some ways cirrhosis can be contracted is by alcohol abuse or hepatitis. Some of the symptoms include fatigue, pain in the abdomen area, yellow skin, nausea, vomiting blood, etc. This liver disease cannot be cured, although treatment can help. Cirrhosis requires a medical diagnosis. Some cases are more severe than others and may require a liver transplant. Some ways to prevent cirrhosis yourself are to keep away from alcohol and diets that are low in sodium. There are also medications that could help cirrhosis such as antibodies, a diuretic, hormones, an antiviral drugs, etc. Cirrhosis did affected my great uncle.
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet revolves around Hamlet’s quest to avenge his father’s murder. Claudius’ first speech as King at the beginning of Scene 2, Act 1 introduces the themes of hierarchy, incest and appearance versus reality and plays the crucial role of revealing Claudius’ character as part of the exposition. The audience is left skeptical after Horatio’s questioning of King Hamlet’s ghost in the first scene of the play. By placing Claudius’ pompous speech immediately after the frightening appearance of Hamlet’s ghost, Shakespeare contrasts the mournful atmosphere in Denmark to the fanfare at the palace and makes a statement about Claudius’ hypocrisy. Through diction, doubling and figurative language, Shakespeare reveals Claudius to be a self centered, hypocritical, manipulative and commanding politician.
And now I’ll don’t. And so he goes to heaven. And so am I.—That would be scanned. A villain kills my father, and, for that, I, his sole son, send this same villain to heaven.” Hamlet’s hesitation, therefore, demonstrates that he did not love his father as he could have enacted his revenge, but chose to wait until his mother was in danger, proving that his revenge was solely in defense of her.
In Act I scene V, Hamlet is told by his father’s ghost to “revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.” The ghost then goes on to tell Hamlet that as he was “sleeping in my orchard, A serpent stung me” and that “The serpent that did sting thy father’s life Now wears his crown.” Hamlet is told by the ghost to seek revenge, telling him that Claudius has corrupted Denmark and corrupted Gertrude, having seduced her in the foul lust of their incestuous marriage. The ghost urges Hamlet not to act against his mother in any way, telling him to “Leave her to heaven, And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge, To prick and sting her.”