Hamlet Overthink Research Paper

The Crippling Effect of Overthinking

It is often said that the easiest way to drive a person mad is to leave them alone with nothing but their thoughts. When one overthinks, it can become a toxic habit that can cause more damage than many may realize. Oftentimes, overthinking a situation can lead to serious emotional distress and can lead to the inability to make decisions quickly and effectively. In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Hamlet is a thinker rather than a man of action. Hamlet’s inclination to think about every situation is proven by his multiple soliloquys throughout the entire play. Throughout these numerous moments of thought and contemplation, Hamlet is unable to make decisions confidently and, consequently, is hesitant to follow through with his initial intentions. Hamlet is unable to take swift revenge on Claudius because of his constant need to overthink.

To begin, throughout the entire play, Hamlet is besieged with persistent

thoughts of suicide and death upon learning of his father’s death. Hamlet overthinks how to cope with his loss and depression by continuously contemplating life or death. This constant overthinking ultimately distracts him from carrying out his intended plan for revenge, thus causing a delay in killing Claudius. Even before Hamlet discovers that Claudius has murdered his father, Hamlet proves that he is a character who is often conflicted and, therefore, shows a persistent need to overthink. In Hamlet’s first soliloquy, he expresses his longing for suicide, “Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt,/ Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew,/ Or that the Everlasting had not fixed/ His canon 'gainst self-slaughter!” (Shakespeare 1.2.129-132). Hamlet is conflicted as he wants to kill himself but realizes that suicide goes against his religion. This demonstrates that the overpowering strength of Hamlet’s thoughts can cause indecision and hesitancy, and consequently, cripples him from acting upon his initial intention of suicide. Hamlet’s tendency to overthink is further highlighted in his second soliloquy when he, again, explores the idea of suicide by contemplating,
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them. (3.1. 57-61)
Hamlet, for a second time, contemplates suicide as he is depressed as a result of his father’s death. He weighs out the consequences of both life and death and wonders whether it is easier to live or to die. Hamlet’s thoughts have an intense power over him, which paralyze him, leaving him unable to act or make a decision, thus causing a delay in his revenge.
Moreover, Hamlet delays killing Claudius because he overthinks the legitimacy of Claudius’ guilt. Initially, when Hamlet senior’s ghost demands Hamlet to seek revenge against Claudius, Hamlet is eager to carry out the plan. Hamlet expresses this determination to kill Claudius when he tells the ghost, “Haste me to know ’t, that I, with wings as swift/ As meditation or the thoughts of love,/ May sweep to my revenge.” (1.5.29-31) However, because Hamlet tends to overthink everything, he begins to doubt the ghost and overanalyzes its true intentions. In a soliloquy, Hamlet expresses his skepticism and considers that,
The spirit that [he has] seen
May be the devil, and the devil hath power
T' assume a pleasing shape. Yea, and perhaps
Out of my weakness and my melancholy,
As he is very potent with such spirits,
Abuses me to damn me. (2.2.596-601)
After contemplating the legitimacy of the ghost, Hamlet begins to think that perhaps the ghost is the devil and therefore, is not telling the truth. Hamlet is uncertain of the ghost’s claims, hence creating a hesitation and delay to murder Claudius. Additionally, due to Hamlet’s overanalyzing tendencies, he proposes a way in which he can verify Claudius’s guilt. Hamlet decides to analyze Claudius’s reaction after watching a play where the actors put on a show that resembles the way in which Claudius killed Hamlet senior. Hamlet proposes that, “The play’s the thing/ Wherein [he’ll] catch the conscience of the king.” (2.2.602-03) Hamlet believes that the play is an opportunity to establish a more reliable basis for Claudius’s guilt since he is uncertain of the ghost’s claims. This plan ultimately stems from Hamlet’s need to overthink and verify the authenticity of the ghost’s words. As a result, Hamlet puts his revenge on Claudius on hold, creating a delay in killing Claudius.
In addition, even after Hamlet legitimizes Claudius’s guilt, he still delays carrying out his revenge because he overthinks the result of Claudius’s death. Even when presented with a perfect opportunity to kill Claudius, Hamlet is hesitant to follow through because his thoughts overpower his ability to take action. When Claudius is alone in the chapel, praying, Hamlet is presented with a perfect chance to strike. Hamlet thinks to himself, “Now might I do it pat, now he is praying;/ And now I’ll do it” (3.3.74-75). Initially, Hamlet realizes that he can kill Claudius at this moment with ease. He is eager to finally do the deed. However, shortly after, Hamlet begins to think about the situation. He begins to second-guess himself,
That would be scanned.
A villain kills my father, and, for that,
I, his sole son, do this same villain send
To heaven.
Oh, this is hire and salary, not revenge. (3.3.76-80)
Due to Hamlet’s constant intrusive thoughts, he begins to overanalyze the result of Claudius’s death.

Hamlet believes that since Claudius is praying, his sins are forgiven and, therefore, he will be sent to heaven once he is killed. Hamlet decides to wait until Claudius commits a sin so that, “…his soul may be as damned and black/ As hell, whereto it goes.” (3.3.95-96). Hamlet’s excessive thinking about the consequences of Claudius’s death ultimately causes him to procrastinate his revenge. In A.C. Bradley’s article entitled, The Shakespearean Tragic Hero, Bradley explains that, “In almost all [tragic hero’s] we observe a marked one-sidedness…a fatal tendency to identify the whole being with one interest, object, passion, or habit of mind.” (Bradley) As the tragic hero in the play, Hamlet definitely demonstrates a “one-sidedness” in his character by lacking balance between thought and action. Hamlet’s surplus of thoughts overpower his desire and ability to take action, which ultimately inhibits him from killing

Claudius.
Finally, it is only when Hamlet does not have a chance to overthink, that he executes his plan for revenge. Once Hamlet realizes that he is dying and does not have much time left, he finally decides to kill Claudius. Shortly after Hamlet kills Claudius, he reveals to Horatio, “O, I die, Horatio;/ The potent poison quite o’ercrows my spirit” (5.2.345-46). Since Hamlet knows that he is dying, he realizes that this is his last opportunity to kill Claudius. Therefore, with his dying breath, he finally commits the deed. In the last moments of his life, Hamlet does not have the time to think about his revenge. Instead, he acts in spur of the moment and does not put much thought into his actions. This absence of overthinking leads Hamlet to finally take action and kill Claudius.
To conclude, Hamlet’s delay in killing Claudius is due to his constant, overpowering thoughts, which leave him unable to act. Since Hamlet fails to find a balance between thought and action, he is unable to make decisions quickly, and oftentimes overthinks situations. This overthinking causes confusion, doubt and skepticism within Hamlet, ultimately delaying his revenge. Overthinking situations can have a serious crippling effect on a person, and when one is left alone with only their thoughts, they are unable to act upon their initial intentions.