Procrastination of Revenge in William Shakespeare's Hamlet

466 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Betrayal in hamlet act 1

Procrastination of Revenge in William Shakespeare's Hamlet

In the play “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare, the protagonist Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, is deceived by many of his former allies, including his mother, Gertrude, and his lover, Ophelia. Perhaps the most deceptive of these former allies is Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius. Not only does Claudius kill Hamlet’s father, the King, but he also proceeds to marry Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, and to steal the crown from Hamlet, the rightful heir to his father. In Act III, scene III of “Hamlet,” Hamlet accidentally comes upon Claudius while he is alone and in prayer. Hamlet draws his sword and contemplates murdering Claudius. However, Hamlet neglects to perform this action. The decision not to kill Claudius in these circumstances shows that Hamlet possesses an intellectual mind,which, in this circumstance, prevents him from taking decisive action.

At first, Hamlet sees the circumstance as a perfect opportunity for revenge against Claudius. Hamlet knows that Claudius truly committed murder after seeing his reaction to the play ...

Show More
Related

  • Hamlet Analysis

    1629 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet the king of Denmark is murdered by his brother, Claudius, and as a ghost tells his son, Hamlet the prince of Denmark, to avenge him by killing his brother. The price Hamlet does agree to his late father’s wishes, and undertakes the responsibility of killing his uncle, Claudius. However even after swearing to his late father, and former king that he would avenge him; Hamlet for the bulk of the play takes almost no action against Claudius. Prince Hamlet in nature is a man of thought throughout the entirety of the play; even while playing mad that is obvious, and although this does seem to keep him alive, it is that same trait that also keeps him from fulfilling his father’s wish for vengeance

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Hamlet's Delay To Ilying His Father By Killing Claudius

    1448 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hamlet written by William Shakespeare has been interpreted by different people for years. One of the enigmas that people try to explain in the novel is Hamlet’s delay to avenge his father by killing Claudius. Sigmund Freud explains Hamlet’s delay in avenging his father using the Oedipus complex. Freud says that Hamlet’s reluctance to kill Claudius is due to “the torment he suffers from the obscure memory that he himself had meditated the same deed against his father from passion for his mother” (Freud 116). Freud states that Claudius reminds Hamlet about his dreams and yearnings as a child, as Claudius does the things that according to the Oedipus complex hamlet wanted to do as a kid. Therefore, according to Freud, Hamlet’s guilt causes his hesitation to kill Claudius. However, there is an alternate explanation for his hesitation to kill Claudius. Because of his melancholic state, Hamlet constantly had his father on his mind and as the heir to the throne, he was scared that by killing Claudius he would perpetuate a cycle of king’s being killed especially when they were in a vulnerable state.

    Read More

  • Ways of Grieving in Shakespeare

    1083 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...erves us well when our deep plots do pall; and that should teach us there’s a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will” (V.2.8-11). Hamlet realizes that because there have been witnesses to Claudius’ murders that he isn’t killing Claudius for revenge; Hamlet kills Claudius to execute justice!

    Read More

  • Revenge In Hamlet Essay

    1714 Words  | 4 Pages

    Claudius likes to be in power as soon as he learns that Hamlet knew about the murder he automatically views Hamlet as a threat. “I like him not, nor stands it safe with us

    Read More

  • Revenge in Hamlet by William Shakespeare

    1711 Words  | 4 Pages

    Imagine a play in which a prince is seeking revenge of his father’s murder and ultimately succeeds. Now, imagine a play with the same plot, but with young love, dramatic scenes denying this love, and true madness that leads to suicide. Which sounds better? Which would hold your attention longer? Odds are that the second play described is the choice you have chosen or unknowingly chosen in your thoughts. If it is not, then you would be missing out on one of the most famous plays written by William Shakespeare. Both plays described have the fundamental plot of this Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but only the second is the true play that Shakespeare intended to be performed. Only the second play includes the young, lovesick and distraught Ophelia who separates the first described play from the second. Ophelia may not be the star of the play like Hamlet, but through her transformation into a state of madness along with her role in the only true romance in the play, we learn more about several characters and remain intrigued in the play.

    Read More

  • Hamlet Revenge Theme Essay

    1164 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hamlet’s revenge mission begins when he is visited by his father’s ghost who commands “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (Shakespeare 1.5.31) after his father recounts the cause of his murder. From this point on, Hamlet begins to act mad in order to put his revenge mission into action. In fact, pretending that he has gone mental is all part of Hamlet’s plan to ultimately murder King Claudius. Furthermore, “Hamlet 's madness is an act of deception, concocted to draw attention away from his suspicious activities as he tries to gather evidence against Claudius…” (Mabillard). Therefore, Hamlet feigns a mental disorder so that he can prove that King Claudius is guilty and can therefore murder King Claudius. Hamlet seeks his revenge on the behalf of someone else, unlike Laertes who seeks revenge for himself. Nevertheless, Hamlet’s act of madness causes everyone around him to see him as having gone insane. Hamlet’s false insanity successfully convinces everyone that they should not worry about him because of his mental state and they are not concerned about him. Although few people concern themselves with Hamlet, King Claudius does after what King Claudius had observed in Act 3, Scene 2. Hamlet instructs the actors in a play that everyone is going to see to reenact the murder of King Hamlet. While that play is taking place, he is watching

    Read More

  • Free Hamlet Essays: An Eye for an Eye

    569 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hamlet was told by the ghost of king hamlet to get back at Claudius for his death, or his soul will travel on earth forever. Even before hamlet knew about Claudius killing his father he had problems. It made hamlet mad that his mother would marry so fast and with his uncle. What Claudius did was an outrageous, back stabbing, and unbelievable thing. It was clearly an act of jealousy for his brother's throne and the wife. Claudius did pay back for his actions. Claudius lost his wife, his messenger, and died and even after his death kept loosing because he lost his castle to Fortinbras.

    Read More

  • Is Hamlet Mad Or Insane

    1427 Words  | 3 Pages

    After Hamlet decides he wants revenge on Claudius, Hamlet pretends to be insane so the attention would be taken off of himself, and the people would dismiss his crazy actions. By doing this, Hamlet could lay low throughout his ploy for revenge on Claudius and have a coverup for his actions, and if he were to actually kill Claudius, the murder could potentially be blamed on his “mental illness.” As the story progresses, Hamlet constitutes a way to deceive Claudius with a clever play. Only a sane person would contrive a plan so intricate to prove his skepticisms of Claudius to gain more confirmation on his conclusions; contrary, an insane person would be hastier to kill even with little evidence. After Hamlet gets more evidence for Claudius’ murder after Claudius’ reaction to the play, Hamlets decides he would get the most out of his revenge if he were to kill Claudius in one of his more sinful states: “Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent” (Shakespeare III.iii.2371). He does not want to give Claudius the satisfaction of going to heaven since he is confessing his sins in this moment; Hamlet wants Claudius to suffer in purgatory just as his father King Hamlet had. This well thought out act of Hamlet proves him to be sane

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Hamlet and Claudius

    1922 Words  | 4 Pages

    Both men plot, and kill, but before acting they take a great deal of time to think about their actions. Hamlet likes to set up and get everything right before acting on his suspicions or ideas. He thinks about how his actions will affect everyone and this is because of the substantial amount of common sense he has. Before killing Claudius, he came up with a plan to take him down and exploit him for killing his father. He knows that he cannot just kill him right away because people will be confused and blame Hamlet, so he plans to crack him first. He puts on a play portraying a young man poisoning his uncle, which riles Claudius because he poisoned Hamlet’s father. By putting on the play Hamlet alerted Claudius about how much he knew which scared Claudius. Hamlet goes on to a more elaborate plan to act “mad” which instills much fear into Claudius because he thinks Hamlet now poses as a threat to him which is what Hamlet wants. Claudius’ reaction to Hamlet’s madness is shown when he...

    Read More

  • Hamlet Vs Claudius

    931 Words  | 2 Pages

    After this play Claudius and Gertrude learn that Hamlet knew the truth about King Hamlet’s death all along, suddenly all of Hamlet’s strange behavior made sense to them. Claudius was praying for forgiveness for killing King Hamlet after he becomes aware of what Hamlet knows. Hamlet justifies not killing his uncle because he was praying at the time. This was a good enough reason for Hamlet to let him live because he did not want Claudius to be forgiven for his actions. Hamlet believed that if he killed Claudius while he was making amends, he would not suffer the way King Hamlet was suffering. King Hamlet was killed off-guard with no time to repent for his sins, Hamlet wanted the same for Claudius. Although Hamlet tries to convince himself that there is a reason great enough not to kill his uncle, this is actually one of his weaknesses. Hamlet is not a murderer; he would never attempt to do something of this magnitude of evil.

    Read More

  • Guilt In Hamlet

    784 Words  | 2 Pages

    The play Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a dramatic tragedy that has made a long lasting impact on the theatre community for hundreds of years. In the beginning of the play the main character Hamlet discovers his father King Hamlet was murdered. Hamlet finds out his father’s murderer was his uncle now king Claudius. Hamlet fakes going mad to cover up his plans on how to kill Claudius. Murder for personal gain can lead to revenge, which can cause tragedy.

    Read More

  • Hamlet's Hesistation to Kill Claudius

    1500 Words  | 3 Pages

    Furthermore, it is possible to propose that Shakespeare merely uses this scene to provoke irritation and consequently suspense from the audience. If Hamlet wasn’t given this opportunity to kill Claudius we would have not this insight into Hamlet’s indecisiveness, possible cowardice and inability to kill Claudius in cold blood. It is probable to suggest that through this soliloquy we are shown that Hamlet’s initial passion for revenge after the Ghost’s visitation has faded as the play progresses to merely thinking about killing Claudius.

    Read More

  • Insanity Vs. Unnatural In Shakespeare's Hamlet

    243 Words  | 1 Pages

    Hamlet plans on trying to get Claudius to confess to the murder of his father by having the actors do a play involving murder, in an attempt to get Claudius to confess, naturally rather than if Hamlet had burst through the palace doors in a fit and demand that Claudius had killed his father. If, however, Claudius did admit to the murder of King Hamlet, it would’ve been unnatural since Claudius would’ve felt pressured into confessing. Toward the conclusion of Act II, Hamlet is quoted as saying “…I have heard that guilty creatures sitting at a play have, by the very cunning of the scene, been struck so to the soul that presently they have proclaimed their malfunctions”, reassuring the idea that the play could guilt Claudius into confessing the murder of Hamlet’s father.

    Read More

  • Free Hamlet Essays: Hamlet's Inability to Take Action

    593 Words  | 2 Pages

    As illustrated through his speeches and soliloquies Hamlet has the mind of a true thinker. Reinacting the death of his father in front of Claudius was in itself a wonderful idea. Although he may have conceived shcemes such as this, his mind was holding him back at the same time. His need to analyze and prove everythin certain drew his time of action farther and farther away. Hamlet continuously doubted himself and whether or not the action that he wanted to take was justifiable. The visit that Hamlet recieves from his dead father makes the reader think that it is Hamlet's time to go and seek revenge. This is notthe case. Hamlet does seem eager to try and take the life of Claudius in the name of his father, but before he can do so he has a notion, what if that was not my father, but an evil apparition sending me on the wrong path? This shows that even with substantial evidence of Claudius' deeds, Hamlet's mind is not content.

    Read More

  • Hamlet as the Tragic Hero

    828 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hamlet’s tragic flaw was shown to him in a dream by the ghost of his father. His father tells him that he was murdered by his uncle, Claudius. In this scene, the tragic flaw was transferred and manifested itself in Hamlet’s actions. His obsession with revenge and death is all he can think about. He needs to act quickly and decisively but finds himself procrastinating about what to do. In Act III, Hamlet holds the knife over the head of his uncle, Claudius, but cannot strike the fatal blow. Instead, he writes a play about the same scenario to study the reaction of Claudius as to a clue of his guilt. After he decides Claudius is guilty of murdering his father, he still relents from taking his revenge. He says, “Haste me to know ‘t, that I, with wings as swift As meditation or the thought of love May sweep to my revenge.

    Read More

More about Procrastination of Revenge in William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Open Document