Why Does Hamlet Kill Claudius Rhetorical Analysis

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Socratic Seminar Preparation Sheet
4.) Why does Hamlet delay in his action to kill Claudius (Avoid the easiest answer that might read something like: “He wants to make sure that the Ghost is reputable in leading him to do so.”)
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the main protagonist, Hamlet delays in killing his uncle/stepfather King Claudius and exacting revenge against him for the death of his father due to his deep depression. His melancholy leads to his failure to act. He exhibits his depression when he cries out “O, that this too sullied flesh would melt/Thaw and resolve itself into a dew, /Or that the Everlasting had not fixed/His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God, God, /How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable/Seem to me all the uses of this world!” (I, ii,133-138). Wishing for death, or for God to permit the act of committing suicide was the first example of Hamlet’s exhibiting depression.
This further shows his depression and his distaste for his mother’s hasty marriage only two months after the death of his father. Depression commonly leads to inaction, as seen in the case of Hamlet.
6. Why does it seem that Hamlet has more rage against women (more specifically against his mother and Ophelia) than he does for Claudius? …show more content…

It is seen when he insists his mother’s grief for his father is not true, but instead a false façade ““‘I have that within me which passes show/ these but the trappings and the suits of woe” (I, ii, 88-89). Hamlet points out the blatant disrespect for the deceased King’s memory, stating, “O most wicked speed, to post/ With such dexterity to incestuous sheets! / It is not, nor it cannot come to good/ But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue” (I, ii, 161-164). This shows Hamlet’s distaste for his mother’s action, which than carries over to Ophelia

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