Hamlet's Reasons for Delaying the Killing of the King in Shakespeare's Hamlet
A. Revenge tragedies have captivated audiences worldwide long before
the time of Shakespeare. In reality Hamlet - supposedly a Shakespeare
original - has its roots in the celebrated Danish story of Amleth from
the twelfth Century. Critics have also drawn many conclusions that
'Hamlet' was a re-make or Shakespeare's version of Thomas Kyd's famous
'The Spanish Tragedy'.
Like 'The Spanish Tragedy' and the many other revenge tragedies of
that time, Hamlet too consisted of the stock conventions of revenge
tragedies like the ghost, the crime done in secret, the
play-within-the-play, a male lead who stimulates madness and a heroine
who goes mad and commits suicide. Yet there was and is something very
different about the tale of 'Hamlet'. This play has managed to keep
audiences and critics alike questioning themselves and the world
around them. Hamlet's delay in the killing of the King is another
aspect that make 'Hamlet' one of the most intriguing plays that
explore human nature.
Revenge tragedies, especially the ones about murder were extremely
popular with the Elizabethan audience. This was more or less because
they were forbidden to commit revenge, let alone murder, in their
lives. The church forbade it and it was silently agreed upon that if
the revenge seeker pursued his aim then he must die too. This is why
all the revenge tragedies of that time concluded with the protagonist
dying.
To me it seems as if Hamlet has been continually delaying avenging his
father's murder. Ideas of mere procrastination surface when Hamlet is
compared to the young Pr...
... middle of paper ...
... last scene. Some critics even
believe that he only did manage to kill the King at the end because
the King poisoned his mother. He took revenge for his mother's, not
father's murder. There are many justifications for Hamlet's delay and
they can be interpreted into whether he was just procrastinating or
whether they were truly understandable basis for delay. In conclusion
I feel that Hamlet delays the King's murder because of his own
character. If he were more like Laertes or Fortinbras the play could
have had a different conclusion. But his character - or rather his
mind - stood in the way even when he had many an opportunity to kill
Claudius. External events might not fully contribute to Hamlet's delay
but can be - and perhaps were - used as a reason or an excuse to
further delay avenging his father's murder. [IMAGE]
... combat power against a numerically superior, well armed, and highly motivated enemy. His unwillingness to adapt to changing conditions was unrealistic and proved fatal.
war often, for the sake of his country, but when he did he put in a
... forces to take advantage of situation to shape the battle in his favor. Daring and willing to take calculated risks he was able to effectively negate all of the varying tactics the Indians attempted to employ at him to achieve his victory.
...a man who thought he was doing the right thing and saving the people from an unjust government; meanwhile, failing to look ahead and see the possible consequences of his monumental decision.
By most accounts, this passage would be taken to mean that he does not kill Claudius because at this time the King is praying, and when praying one's soul will ascend to heaven if one should die. Hamlet wants Claudius to burn in hell; for him to go to heaven would make his revenge void. He will avenge his father's death when Claudius is engaged in some other less holy act, in order to insure the King's place in hell.
Faced with the task of killing his uncle to avenge his father’s death, Hamlet delays his duty. This delay sparks a debate over the question, why? A common misconception is that Shakespeare’s delay in murdering Claudius was because he was a “natural philosopher” and needed empirical evidence to act, as he devises a plan that would suggest Claudius’s guilt in murdering Hamlet’s father. However, this theory is flawed because Hamlet at times has acted impulsively, such as his swift stabbing of Polonius. An analysis of Hamlet’s non-committal dialogue and his avoidance of murdering Claudius help prove a stronger understanding of why Hamlet’s actions were delayed. Through this
who claims to be the ghost of his dead father, the old King. The sprit
How far do you agree that Hamlet’s hesitation to kill Claudius in Act Three is underpinned by religious reasons? Of all the different motives Shakespeare presents for Hamlet’s lack of action, which seems to be the most important?
with rage and a lust for blood. He was known to switch sides during war, just so he could shed
An individual’s response to conditions of internal and external conflict is explored throughout literature. In his play, Hamlet, Shakespeare delves into the themes of appearance versus reality, lies versus deceit, rejection versus self doubt and tragedy, and in doing so attacks the frivolous state of humanity in contemporary society. In order to explore these themes, however, he uses several forms of conflict to project his opinions and expand his ideas relating to the themes of the play. Internal conflict, as well as external conflict are dominant features of his works, and in Hamlet are made evident through a succession of dire events which can attack and destroy someone. However perhaps the most captivating form of conflict Shakespeare uses to expand and explore the ideas presented within the text is the conflict between the self and the universe.
"To be, or not to be, that is the question."(Hamlet) This is the question that plagues Hamlet through the entire play. Should I live or should I die, should I take revenge for my father's death? These are all issues that Hamlet battles within himself. Hamlet's indecision is followed by inaction. The reason for this struggle with indecision can be based on many factors or on a combination of a few.
In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the protagonist, Hamlet is obsessed with the idea of death, and during the course of the play he contemplates death from numerous perspectives. He ponders the physical aspects of death, as seen with Yoricks's skull, his father's ghost, as well as the dead bodies in the cemetery. Hamlet also contemplates the spiritual aspects of the afterlife with his various soliloquies. Emotionally Hamlet is attached to death with the passing of his father and his lover Ophelia. Death surrounds Hamlet, and forces him to consider death from various points of view.
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the main character continually delays acting out his duty of avenging his father’s murder. This essay will discuss how Hamlet’s nature and morals (which are intensified by difficult events) prevent him from carrying out the task.
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet’s tragic flaw is his procrastination. From the first time Hamlet was acted until now, critics have fought over the reason for Hamlet’s procrastination. Some say that the cause is due to Sigmund Freud’s theory that Hamlet has an "Oedipal Complex," which is his love for his mother. Others argue that he just never finds the right time to carry out the revenge of his father’s murder. The Oedipal Complex theory in regard to Hamlet’s situation seems more likely because of the amount of times Hamlet has to kill Claudius but always fins a reason not to kill him. If it is not the case, then the cause of the procrastination remains a mystery. There is no reason for Hamlet not to kill Claudius, whom he hates, and was ordered by a higher power to destroy, other than the fact that subconsciously, Hamlet needed Claudius to keep him away from his mother.
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.”