Impulsive behavior is something else that Hamlet struggles with. Hamlet hears someone listening to his conversation between him and his mother. He strikes his sword and kills Polonius, the king’s chamberlain. He does not seem bothered by this at all. There is reason to believe that hamlet thought he was killing King Claudius. However, he had just seen Claudius praying to God, asking for forgiveness. Hamlet decided to wait until he caught Claudius doing something sinful, where he would have no time to ask for forgiveness. Hamlet could just be making up excuses, for he is indecisive as to what he really wants to do.
Hamlet is also trapped with his feelings towards his mother and how he should act. He has lived his whole with his parents. Only a month after his father’s death, his mother remarries. He does not understand how quickly she had got over the fact that her husband, the love of her life, has died. In hamlet’s mind, his mother lives in the sin of incest for marrying the King’s brother. He feels that she has betrayed him. Not only has she betrayed her own son Hamlet, but her husband hamlet as well. He even thinks back to when his mother was very happy with his father.
Must I remember? Why she would hang on him
As is increase of appetite had grown
By what it fed on, and yet, within a month-
A play is put on which Hamlet tells the actors what to perform. He tells them to perform a scene in which a male actor poisons a king, identical to what Claudius did to King Hamlet. Claudius becomes upset and leaves the play. Afterwards, Queen Gertrude requests to speak to hamlet. He tells her not to be around the king. He loses his temper and scolds her for the actions that she has taken. He does not mean to speak to his mother in such a way, but is confused as how to treat her. The ghost of King Hamlet appears while they are conversing. He tells Hamlet to still seek revenge, but to leave his mother out of it. Hamlet is has resolved how he should act. He is still however trapped by the fact his mother married his uncle.
Ophelia is another trap that is set into Hamlet’s life. She is the daughter of Polonius, as well as hamlet’s love interest. Near the beginning of the play, it is apparent that Hamlet takes liking to Ophelia. They spend a lot of time together alone. He writes he lots of love letters and send her messages. He even includes poems he writes himself. After he started his quest for revenge, he started to neglect Ophelia. In one confrontation with her, he tells her she should go to a nunnery rather than become a “breeder of sinners”. He claims to have never have lover her at all and speaks very rudely towards her. He criticizes women for making men behave like monsters and for contributing to the world’s dishonesty by painting their faces to appear more beautiful than they are. Although he uses this to have others assume he is mad. He really does love Ophelia, and only tells her these things to protect her. This is another trap Hamlet has put himself into. He is acting crazy and he is only doing so to hide the fact that he is seeking revenge against his uncle. Hamlet announced earlier in the play that he was going to act crazy, so it’s hard to conclude that he (coincidentally) really went mad right after saying so. His behavior toward Ophelia is self-destructive and fraught with emotional intensity. It does absolutely nothing for his future plans. This is a passionate event that appeals to Hamlet’s unstable behavior he seems to be trapped in.
The last trap Hamlet is caught in, Hamlet is unaware of. Laertes, the son of Polonius, is also seeking revenge. Hamlet killed his father; therefore he plans to kill Hamlet. King Claudius helps Laertes plan this event by covering it with a fencing match. Claudius presents a bet that Hamlet can strike Laertes three times before Laertes can do so to Hamlet. He actually dips Laertes sword in poison, and prepares a drink for Hamlet that contains poison as well. Hamlet believes that he is accepting a challenge, when really he is arriving to his death.