Why Did Hamlet Decide To Kill Claudius

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Recommended: The Character of Hamlet

AARON HASTINGS
Mr.Buckner
English IV
12/8/2016
Hamlets Procrastination
Why does Hamlet delay killing Claudius? This is the question readers appear to have trouble comprehending when reading Hamlet. To answer this question one has to understand the type of person, or, rather the nature of Hamlet. The readers also have to take into account the position Claudius is in and the relations between the two, while also understanding why Hamlet has decided to kill his uncle. The first thing readers should ask themselves before answering this question is: what feelings does Hamlet have towards Claudius, his uncle. In the beginning of the play Hamlets father has died and his uncle, Claudius, marries Hamlets mother to become king. Hamlet is enraged and …show more content…

This is proven when hamlet says "To take him in the purging of his soul when he is fit and seasoned for his passage? No." This event is crucial because Hamlet had a chance to kill Claudius, but he had so much anger towards him that he decided not to kill him while he was praying because he didn’t want him to be able to reach heaven. The last thing the audience, or reader, has to fathom is where the idea to kill Claudius came from: The idea came from Hamlet's father's ghost. This is vital to understand because, going back to Hamlets persona, he won't react until he is positive in his actions. When the ghost appeared in front of hamlet in act III scene iv he was unsure of his identity and thought it was just a figment of his imagination. This is proven when Gertrude tells hamlet " Alas, how is ’t with you, that you do bend your eye on vacancy and with th' incorporal air do hold discourse?" And Hamlet then has to ask " Do you see nothing there?" In conclusion, Hamlet delays killing Claudius because he is fastidious, morally correct, and apprehensive about the ghosts identity and whether not the ghost is just a fabrication of his

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