The entire essence and plot of
William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet revolves around Hamlet’s irresolute behaviour
regarding the approach he takes in killing his uncle Claudius; with the
ultimate question being: Why the delay? This multifaceted question has haunted
critics for centuries because Shakespeare directs so much attention to this
puzzling aspect of the play without giving a definitive answer. Where exactly
is this “delay” stemming from? Is this delay driven by mainly internal or
external challenges? Some may even suggest that there was never a delay to
begin with, considering the audience may never have noticed if Hamlet himself
had not mentioned his indecisive attitude in one of his soliloquies. Regardless,
I believe that there is evidently a delay present, with the correlating factors
being the fact that his primary source was a ghost, his honor in searching for
the appropriate time with the presumption that Claudius might repent, and
finally his fear of death all contribute to extending his quest for revenge.
Reliability and trust are two
themes in this play that are meticulously explored and expressed through
various relationships. In Act I of the play, a ghost appears claiming that he
is the spirit of Old King Hamlet, stating that Claudius is the murderer, and
later instructs Hamlet to seek revenge in his honor. Pause for one second and
view this from Hamlet’s perspective. You are mourning over your father’s death
and consequently you are emotionally unstable. One month after your father’s
death, your mother marries your uncle and now a ghost appears and suggests that
you take action immediately. How impulsive do you think you would be? Over the
course of the play, Shakespeare conveys to his audience that trust is a complex
connection, stressing that trust is a bond which takes time to develop. Horatio
and Marcellus recognize this, warning Hamlet by suggesting “What if it tempt
you toward the flood, my lord, Or to the dreadful summit of the cliff… And
there assume some other horrible form, Which might deprive your sovereignty of
reason” (I, iv, 69-73). Essentially, Horatio is expressing his concern for
Hamlet, suggesting that if he follows the ghost it might tempt him into madness
and potentially suicide. Hamlet realizes this when he admits that “The spirit
that I have seen may be the devil” (II, ii, 596-597). This ultimately leads him
to do more investigation on Claudius and implement the play “The Mousetrap”.
Hamlet does not usually base his
decisions off of “An eye for an eye mentality” which is why he resorts to strategizing
his plan, in search of the perfect duel. Unlike Claudius, Hamlet doesn’t intend
to seek revenge by poisoning him while he is asleep. Hamlet considers himself
an honorable avenger which is why he doesn’t hide his intentions, but rather
gives Claudius a fair warning by staging a play that parallels their own
scenario. After the play, Hamlet is presented with an opportunity to kill
Claudius. Initially, Claudius runs to the chapel because he feels guilty for
what he has done, however he later decides that asking for forgiveness is not
worth it. Hamlet holds back on killing him because the chapel is a holy place, and
he wants to allow for the potential possibility that Claudius might repent his
deed.
On a global basis, this delay is
relatable to that of the Cold War. The term “Cold War” was given to illustrate
the relationship between the U.S.A and the U.S.S.R after World War II. The
reality of the war being that neither side actually ever fought, but rather
posed as threats with the ideology that either country could wipe out the other
out entirely. This relationship can easily be associated with the relationship
between Hamlet and Claudius. Hamlet eventually gathers enough evidence to
conclude that Claudius is the murderer but he struggles to find the perfect
time to announce it and take his revenge.
From a personal stand point, my
hockey team serves as another parallel to this relationship. Our team is faced
with the challenge every game to find a balance between offence and defence.
Our team doesn’t want to sacrifice too much attention towards offence, because
we are worried that we will leave our defence out to dry. Likewise, sometimes
we find ourselves playing too conservatively in that we never give ourselves a
chance to score. Hamlet is struggling with this same balance issue. He wants to
take revenge on Claudius but at the same time he doesn’t want to put himself in
a vulnerable position and get himself killed.
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