To highlight the impact of Hamlet’s hesitation, Shakespeare includes heroic characters that emphasise this as a tragic flaw. Young Fortinbras is seen in Act 4 Scene 4 marching to Poland to fight for honour which brings to light Hamlet’s idealistic manner and shows that tragedy is inevitable. In a similar way Polonius’ son Laertes demonstrates taking action when he returns to Denmark to avenge his father. Laertes’ spontaneity shows that Hamlet hesitates by thinking too precisely on the revenge, unlike Laertes who acts on impulse and eventually succeeds. These characters show that if Hamlet did not avoid the revenge he could be successful, but rather, he causes his own tragic end.
Hamlet’s religious beliefs influence his decisions and show his portrayal by Shakespeare as intricate. Hamlet comes across Claudius praying but cannot kill him, despite the perfect opportunity, (Line 79) “This is hire and salary, not revenge”; as he believes that death during prayer will send a man straight to heaven. This could be understood as lack of courage - as William Hazlitt argued “there is not harshness in his [Hamlet’s] nature” making it challenging for Hamlet to physically murder his uncle. It could also be seen that Hamlet is angry because his murdered father was not given a traditional burial, dooming his spirit to purgatory; a contemporary belief that perhaps justifies his hesitation - Hamlet does not just want to take revenge on his uncle, but bring justice to his father’s murder. Although his tragic flaw is seen here as hesitation, the audience can empathise with his loss and can understand why he would want to wait and take revenge on his uncle properly. This does not however justify why he has not completed the revenge earlier and forebodes tragedy as Hamlet wastes more time.
Hamlet’s obsession with putting on an antic disposition can be seen as an aspect of his procrastination; however the audience suspect that it is deeper and becoming part of his complex character. We are warned of Hamlet’s lunacy at the start of the play, Act 1 Scene 5 “to put antic disposition on.” It is plausible to suggest that Hamlet may have exaggerated his madness after the sudden death of his father and allow time to plot his revenge. Polonius asks Hamlet if he will walk out of the air (outside) and Hamlet replies, “Into my grave?” relating to the suicide that Hamlet has been speaking about and shows he is mad in craft and knows what he is doing. Ophelia’s report of Hamlet in Act 2 scene 1, “Lord Hamlet… pale as a shirt… knees knocking each other” shows her speech is split into short sections suggesting she is speaking quickly and is fearful. Shakespeare’s meaning behind this is left ambiguous, it may be assumed that Hamlet wishes for people to believe he is mad in love, as Polonius does – however, this could arguably be seen as Hamlet deceiving himself that he is in control of his mind. Shakespeare’s presentation of Hamlet is more complex than him merely delaying the revenge as his ‘mask of madness’ becomes less a mask but more part of his psyche - despite his efforts to keep control – and distorts his view on reality, leading to tragic events such as Polonius’ death.
Differing from the conventions of most classical tragedies which see the tragic flaw as the ultimate reason for a character’s demise, Hamlet presents various things that affect his choices, including his inability to move on. The complexity of Hamlet’s character shows that he cannot move on with his life, and this may have been triggered by the sudden death of his father. The audience may be surprised to learn that although Hamlet is still stricken with grief around 4 months after the death of his father and the news that his Uncle is the murderer yet still has not fulfilled the revenge. We can see the importance of King Hamlet to young Hamlet in the ‘closet scene’ where he describes him with “Hyperion’s curls, the front of Jove himself” both comparisons to Gods which suggests Hamlet’s pride and grief. However, the main reason that Hamlet cannot move on and fulfil his duty is his undying hatred for the marriage of his Uncle and his Mother and their sleeping together. Even though the ghost wishes Hamlet to avenge him through murdering Claudius, Hamlet’s real fury lies with his Mother, who he cannot believe would “step from this to this” (his father to his uncle), he cannot accept nor move on from their swift marriage, preventing him from fulfilling his revenge.
Freud’s Oedipus complex could be seen to help explain Hamlet’s rage towards his mother which would be another facet of his more complex character. Before Hamlet knows that Claudius has murdered his father he is angry at him for marrying his mother and describes him as “rank and gross”. At first, Shakespeare shows Hamlet as angry at the speed of their marriage; “The funeral bak’d meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables”. Despite this, Hamlet’s feelings of anger towards his mother could be interpreted as Oedipal. He often refers to the “incestuous sheets” and “enseamed bed” in which Gertrude and Claudius make love which could suggest sexual jealousy towards the pair. The word incestuous shows Hamlet’s true disgust in their relationship.
To conclude, Shakespeare’s presentation of Hamlet is highly complex, for example his incapability to move on, religious influence and his good nature. Obsession over his antic disposition and anger at himself leads Hamlet off course, foreboding his demise as he loses his reasoning and leaves time for Claudius to plot his death. Although written in the form of a classical tragedy, Shakespeare’s portrayal of Hamlet’s tragic flaw can be seen as complex which is found in more modern tragedies. Hamlet’s intricacy forces the audience to interpret events; it creates realism and evokes catharsis amongst the audience as nobody has just one flaw.