William Shakespeare's Hamlet

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William Shakespeare's Hamlet Hamlet play a very important role in this play. Basically the whole play revolves around him. In this play Hamlet is faced with the obligation to kill Claudius because Claudius has killed his father. Some people see Hamlet as a tragic hero with a clear and sacred obligation to kill Claudius but since he is scared to kill him and has many other things going on in his life, he is unable to kill Claudius right away. Throughout the entire play Hamlet procrastinates on killing Claudius. Why does Hamlet procrastinate for so long to revenge his father's death? Shakespeare purposely makes Hamlet out to be a procrastinator for one very important reason, if Hamlet would have quickly pursued this revenge, Gertrude, Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Laertes, and of course Hamlet himself would have survived and the play would not have become a tragedy. There are many reasons for Hamlet's long delay. Some reasons which include not being unable to commit the murder are Hamlet's fear of what would happen if he did kill Claudius, his concience bothering him for taking the life of his uncle, his disbelief in the ghost, and because of his facination with death. The most important reason that him back from committing the murder is if Hamlet were to carry out what the Ghost told him and carried out immediate revenge, how would Hamlet be able to convince the people that he justifiably executed an act of revenge. Another reason Hamlet procrastinates is that his psychological feelings confuse his ability to confront his destiny. Hamlet's dilemma has little to do with what decision he should make, but if he would be able to make any at all. Hamlet could have also lost his ... ... middle of paper ... ...ly major fear in Hamlet is that of people finding out what he is thinking. For this reason he plays the role of a madman so that whatever he says wouldn't be taken seriously. He must even convince Ophelia of his insanity in order to make sure nothing is revealed. "You should not have believ'd me, for virtue cannot So innoculate our old stock but we shall relish it. I loved you not."(III.i.118-120) Hamlet's fear drives him to explain how all of man is corrupted. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, no one can escape corruption. This fear drives him to obtain what he feels must be obtained; revenge. Fear is also what prevents him from acting upon the Ghost's wishes. He is afraid that if he acts too quickly, he will be unable to obtain enough evidence that he has justifiably acted upon revenge. Thus the reason why Hamlet procrastinated to revenge his father's death.

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