Hamlet (delay)...

Hamlet’s uncertainty is presented on numerous occasions throughout William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. Hamlet’s uncertainty creates a constant theme of antic disposition when it comes to his relationships with multiple characters throughout the play such as, Ophelia, and his two friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern for example.  The insecurity that lies within Hamlet portrays the reasoning for his deceptive logic presented towards others. This deceptive logic however, allows Hamlet to mess with the minds of opposing characters in order to successfully achieve the death of Claudius without being viewed as a murderer. Hamlet would not be considered a murder because in his mind he has already intentionally established that he is mentally unstable, he did this by using antic disposition towards multiple characters; particularly throughout is “madness” when it comes to his “love” for Ophelia. Many times throughout the play, Hamlet is skeptical about making his own decisions; not being able to kill his Uncle Claudius is one of those superlative examples. This example demonstrates how Hamlet is unable to make up his own mind; he continues to come up with alleged reason to do nothing. Although killing Claudius seems like the honorable thing to do for his father, he also puts his mother in consideration by thinking about how she may be affected by Claudius’ death; how she would feel loosing yet another husband.

One individual’s choices and actions have the ability to affect those around them as well, whether those choices have either a positive or negative impact.  When it comes to our choices and actions, we must stop and think about our responsibilities on a social level, seeing as though we are responsible for how we treat others. I believe that part of the reasoning for Hamlet’s delay in killing Claudius is the anguish it would bring his mother, Gertrude. Although Hamlet is provoked by the idea that his mother had only mourned a month for his father, Old King Hamlet before engaging with his brother Claudius; does Hamlet still think of the wellbeing of his mother. Hamlet was given many chances to kill King Claudius, the most obvious being when both Hamlet and Claudius are alone in the church. Claudius did not know of Hamlet’s presence, he was alone, defenceless and kneeling at prayer… praying for forgiveness of his sins; yet Hamlet continued to hesitate. Hamlet’s hesitation throughout the entire play is due to his lack of certainty when making decisions, although he is capable to act boldly at times of demand when he doesn’t have time to think such as, when he kills Polonius, when he fights Laertes in Ophelia’s grave, or when he finally kills Claudius in the last act. It may seem as though Hamlet’s delay and hesitation in killing Claudius is a good thing due to the fact that he thinks before he acts however, I view this situation as being a negative concept. If Hamlet had killed Claudius when the chance first presented itself, I believe that there could have been far less casualties. Therefore, as the link clearly shares, there are multiple ways and steps that one may try in order to stop hesitation, also to make decision making easier. Yes, I believe the death of Claudius would have been devastating for Gertrude, but in the end taking the life of one, one who did not deserve to live; could have saved the lives of five others.

Hamlet’s madness and skepticism is what originally developed the reasoning behind his delay. He is constantly searching for his identity, along with the meaning of his own existence. William Shakespeare has produced a very powerful character of Hamlet. Hamlet’s strength, power, and heroic attributes come from within him; it is not until his first soliloquy that any of these special attributes are displayed. His first soliloquy genuinely displays his true feelings, feelings that he is unwilling as well as incapable of publicising. William Shakespeare has built Hamlet’s identity that demonstrates, that not everyone feels as though they can be out spoken, not everyone feels confident within themselves; he demonstrates that many of us live in fear, not necessarily by choice but because we happen to be victims of circumstance. William Shakespeare was also able to create a character that would keep the reader engaged, the unpredictable actions of Hamlet is what made the story line so captivating.

Lastly, Hamlet’s uncertainty throughout the play is brought to life thanks to his deceptive mind, all of which began after hearing of the series of unfortunate events that his Father, Old King Hamlet was forced to undergo. There are multiple reasons behind Hamlet’s delay generally speaking however; Hamlets inability to make up his mind is what keeps the audience captivated. Hesitation is something everyone unwillingly must undergo throughout their life time, and I feel as though the reasoning behind Hamlets delay is due to the fact that he is constantly hesitating; questioning himself; which is an extremely relatable circumstance to be in. Making difficult decisions is part of life; as long as you have faith within yourself there is no wrong that can be done.          

 

This picture represents Hamlet's process of thought. This picture displays the drastic uncertainty of his mind, his thoughts about life, as well as him thinking about the importance of his life. Hamlet is skeptical about making his own choices, so this picture represents him trying to make up his mind, it represents him thinking about making a drastic decision; suicide. This picture shows Hamlet's hesitation, which ties into the delay of the play.