the-reason-of-Hamlets-hesitation.doc

The Reasons of Hamlets HesitationHamlet is one of the four tragedies by William Shakespeare, believed to have written between 1599 and 1601. Hamlet is the important protagonist in this play, who arise striking discussion in literary world. When refers to Hamlet, the readers may pay more attention to his characters. And the significant character is his hesitation or indecisiveness. As everyone knows, his hesitation leads him into tragedy, which mainly manifested by delaying the murder of Claudius. However, the author Shakespeare doesnt give us the reason why he delays revenge directly, so this paper tries to talk about the reasons of Hamlets hesitation from several aspects. Through out the play, Hamlet has many opportunities to avenge his fathers death by killing Claudius; however there was always something that give us the impression something is holding Hamlet back. There are many reasons as to why Hamlet might be delaying the revenge. One of Hamlets many reasons as to why he delays the killing could be that he wants to prove the nature of ghost.In the opening scenes of the play, the Ghost of Hamlets late father reveals to him the true means by which King Hamlet died. The Ghost tells Hamlet that his fathers death was caused by Claudius pouring poison into his ear. He exhorts Hamlet to avenge the murder. Hamlet then makes a vow that he will avenge his father. Hamlet says; Haste me to knowt that I with wings as swiftMay sweep to my revenge. Yet by the end of the same scene, his reluctance to murder King Claudius is evident. Hamlet says; This time is out of joint, O cursed spite, that I was ever born to set it right. This suggests that Hamlet wished to determine the nature of the Ghost before acting, for he says that The spirit I have seen may be a devil. So he gets an idea to use the players to get a read on his suspect. Hamlet asks the players to perform an act that roughly re-enacts how his father was murdered to try and force a reaction out of Claudius. The second reason as to why Hamlet delays the murder, could be he is a christian or his religious beliefs, so he is afraid of the consequence as to what will come after killing. One scene in Act III, Scene iii where Claudius is praying and Hamlet is considering killing him then. Now might I do it pat, now he is praying; and now Ill dot. And so he goes to heaven; and so am I revenged. That would be scannd: A villain kills my father; and for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven. If he kills Claudius, Hamlet might have to suffer the consequence of murder, which might be that he could be damned to hell or suffer a torturous life walking the earth. It could be said this is a part of fear playing a big role on Hamlet. Risking his life to avenge his fathers death might lead to serious consequence regarding himself. The third reason as to why Hamlet delays the killing, could be that he might have been waiting for the right timing. Just as he says When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage, Or in the incestuous pleasure of his bed; At gaming, swearing, or about some act That has no relish of salvation int; his heels may kick at heaven, And that his soul may be as damnd and black As hell, whereto it goes. He may have been planning the murder very precisely so that he doesnt get caught and suffer any consequences, and Claudius would be sent into hell directly. Another reason as to why Hamlet postponed the revenge, could be that he didnt want to hurt his mother Gertrude, especially after his father warned him not to hurt her in any way I will speak daggers to her but use non, this indicates Hamlets protection over his mother, he will speak in daggers talk to her with a sharp tone but use non to hurt his mother. It could be said that Hamlet didnt want to kill Claudius because he didnt want to see his mother suffer a loss of another loved one. Moreover, Hamlets hesitation is justified because he feels morally obligated to prove that Claudius murdered his father before justice can be carried out. He doesnt want to kill an innocent person. This would be an injustice on his part, and two wrongs dont make a right. Hamlet is also unsure of other peoples involvement in the conspiracy against his father. He doesnt know if Claudius acted alone or had help in the murder. He is disturbed that his mother is now married to Claudius, just two months after his fathers death, and is unsure whether she had conspired with Claudius to kill his father. This complicates things further, giving more reason for Hamlet to hesitate.Hamlet delays his revenge because of his obsession with perfection: in life, in death, in revenge, or in action, so that he would have no regrets. After all, Hamlet was not a warrior like his father and he probably was never put in a situation where he had or wanted to actually kill someone. Hamlet was a scholar, so his everyday life was based on thinking and analyzing the different subjects he took up in college. And all the thinking Hamlet was doing was just a natural part of his personality, in other words, his basic sanity keeps him from killing Claudius quickly.In general, the most significant reason as to his hesitation is that his own character: indecisiveness. However, the times he lived in also has an important impact on him. Concretely speaking, he lived in special and complex times, in which sharp mental conflicts between feudalism and humanism prevail. On the other hand, he should take many things into consideration before the revenge. For example, he fears the consequenc