Hamlet is depressed. He has no faith in the world or anyone around him, the court is corrupt and so are many of the people which strengthens his view that he is different to everyone around him, ‘to be honest, this world goes, is to be one an pick’d out of ten thousand.’ He says honesty is a virtue that very few posses, he feels he is the only honest man but he doesn’t think he is superior and isn’t arrogant, this makes him feel even more singled out than before and even more depressed, he would rather kill himself than kill Caludius or even think about it.
Hamlet’s suicidal tendencies are because he hates himself, he wishes he could be out of sight, ‘I am too much in the sun.’ Hamlet clearly shows that he wishes he could be invisible, all showing that he doesn’t see the point in anything even revenging his father, and even living, ‘I do not set my life at a pins fee.’ Hamlet is being serious. Anyone that feels less than a pin is seriously depressed and without any self esteem.
Hamlet’s relationship with his mother is a strange one; he constantly abuses her and shows his deepest feelings, in a strange way this shows his love for her; if he hated her he would not care about her but he expects a lot from her and is disappointed with her marrying Claudius even before he knows of Claudius’ murder of Old Hamlet. Hamlet shows his obsession when the ghost of his father tells him to kill Claudius but to leave his mother out of it, ‘Against thy mother aught, leave her to heaven’, after Hamlet hears this he makes a speech in which he says, ‘O most pernicious woman!’ immediately ignoring his father and showing his feelings about his mother, a way of not directly blaming Claudius and avoiding thinking about killing him or actually doing it.
Hamlet hates Claudius, ‘Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindles villain!’ Hamlet shows his disgust and loathsome feelings about Claudius. But Hamlet believes that if he kills Claudius he would become just as bad, ‘do this same villain send to heaven’, saying he would be a murderer.
Hamlet is a philosophical thinker he doesn’t like killing, he is a thinker rather than a doer, ‘Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles’, Hamlet is constantly struggling with the thought of killing Claudius. He doesn’t know whether to kill him or not, he is focusing all his energy on the thought to do it rather than just doing it. ‘And now I’ll do’t – and so ‘a goes to heaven’ he is convincing himself he doesn’t have to kill Claudius right now although he knows will have to. Hamlet uses the excuse that Claudius will go to heaven instead of hell because Claudius is praying at the time; this is a cop out as he knows this isn’t the reason why he doesn’t kill him but another postponement. He would rather have never been born than have the burden of killing Claudius, ‘O cursed spite, that ever I was born to set it right!’ Hamlet shows his view of life and that it seems pointless to him. However when Hamlet kills Polonius he makes jokes about it so it could be argued that he is not just a thinker, Claudius asks Hamlet where Polonius’ body is and Hamlet throughout the questioning jokes about the body, ‘you shall nose him as you go up the stairs’ joking on the smell of the dead body, ‘A will stay till you come.’ he says. Polonius will stay where he is until he guards find him, obviously because Polonius is dead.
Hamlet shows he is a thinker when he actors come to the court and he immediately focuses all his attention, again, to anything but killing Claudius. He shows he would rather be someone else in another place when he greets the actors, ‘You are welcome, masters; welcome, all.’ His language is short and repetitive showing his excitement at the actors’ arrival, and his constant attempts to not think about reality and what he has to do.
Hamlet, at times acts like a child and a coward, constantly finding excuses for not killing Claudius and subconsciously ignoring the fact that he has to, ‘The Mouse-trap’ is the name he gives to the play the actors perform, the name is his plan which is to catch Claudius acting strange when the play is performed, they play is about a man who kills the King the same way Claudius killed Old Hamlet. A ridiculous plan as it would alert Claudius to the fact that Hamlet knows he killed Old Hamlet and sign Hamlet’s death warrant which it does. Hamlet even questions if he is a coward, ‘Am I a coward?’ He constantly has to motivate himself to get on and kill Claudius and never does, ‘My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!’, another attempt at psyching he up that fails. When he murders Polonius it is in a fit of rage and when he realises he has killed someone he hopes it was the King, ‘Is it the King?’.
Hamlet is more concerned with Ophelia and how he feels about her. Their relationship changes as Hamlet learns of his father’s death and sees his mother with Caludius. Hamlet becomes suspicious of Ophelia as she is persuaded to spy on him by Polonius and Gertrude, ‘my good lord; but, as you did command’ she is speaking to Polonius, her father, telling him how she had ‘denied his access to me.’ this frustrates Hamlet and adds to his view of women being scheming, promiscuous liars, a view mainly given to him by his mother’s actions. This makes him even more depressed The interference of Polonius on Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship makes Hamlet more on edge and when he realises Ophelia’s deceit he starts to abuse her, ‘To a nunnery, go; and quickly too. Farewell.’ Hamlet speaks to her so rudely implying she is a slutty woman and shows his disgust with women saying nuns are the only decent women. His words are emotionless, short and blunt showing that he has no feelings anymore for Ophelia, which would deeply hurt her. Hamlet’s abuse is constant and brutal constantly implying she is a promiscuous woman, all this is unfair because she is not, ‘Lady, shall I lie in your lap?’ Hamlet’s constant cruelty and Hamlet killing her father drives Ophelia mad which leads to her suicide and Hamlets growing depression. Hamlet has even more to think about which postpones his plans and action to kill Claudius.
Hamlet’s main incentive for killing Claudius is simple, Claudius murdered his father. This is a big enough incentive for killing Claudius. There are a number of reasons he does not get on and do it the greatest being his depression. Hamlet depression has many sources but the greatest originally coming from the death of his father. If Hamlet’s depression was non-existent then Claudius’ death would have been a lot sooner, Hamlet is a very clever man and without depression a plan would have been made and Claudius would be dead with little fuss. Hamlet has the means and the motive to do it and he knows this,
‘Sith I have cause, and will, and strength, and means’
Hamlet would kill Claudius as his incentives are great, he just needed time to overcome his depression and understand himself.