Analysis Of Hamlet's Indecision

Throughout the years our cultural view on many things have changed. We’ve gone from seeing an extruding belly as a sign of wealth and power to a sign of unhealthiness, and gluttony, a belief in universal equality as a radical idea to a basic human necessity; however one thing has stayed constant, our animosity toward indecision. This trait has caused the deaths of hundreds of people and their followers. Much like how King Edward the First’s indecision caused the death of thousands in the war for Scotland, Hamlet’s indecision caused the death of all those close to him and eventually himself. Hamlet’s indecision, however, can be separated into two categories that both develop his characters indifferent ways, his just indecision and unjust indecision.

For example when hamlet killed Polonius,“ How now, a rat? Dead for a ducat, dead!/ (from behind the arras) Oh, I am slain.”(3.4.24-25) It could easily be argued here that if Hamlet had just killed Claudius in the scene prior polonies would have survived. In fact it is this singular murder that causes the secondary plot to kick off, Laertes’ plot to try and kill hamlet. If only Hamlet had killed Claudius prior to murdering Polonius, numerous deaths would have been prevented (Laertes’, Rosencrantz’s, Guildenstern’s, Gertrude’s, Ophelia’s, and his own). Another thing way Hamlets indecision had affected the supporting characters, was how he had affected Ophelia,“ Say you? Nay, pray you, mark./(sings)/He is dead and gone, lady,/He is dead and gone,/At his head a grass-green turf,/At his heels a stone./Oh, ho!”(4.5.24-30). Though one could argue that Ophelia madness is a direct effect of her fathers death, which would still support Hamlet’s indecisiveness as being the cause of her madness, it is much more viable to relate her madness with the emotional turmoil the entire endeavor has put on her. From her lover going mad and denying his love with constant taunts, to her brother’s and father’s constant harangues about her chastity, all this pent-up emotional distress was sure to cause her to break eventually, and it just so happened that her father’s death was the tipping point. Though these events may seem disconnected in truth they are caused by hamlet having to scheme and remain indecisive about murdering his uncle instead of just doing