Why does Hamlet delay in avenging his father's death?

Why does Hamlet delay in avenging his father’s death? George Harisis.

The tragic play ‘Hamlet’ by William Shakespeare, tells the story of the enigmatic Prince Hamlet who is set the task of avenging the murder of his father at the hand of his uncle, King Claudius. Though it is clear that Hamlet harbours deep resentment towards his uncle and is eventually certain of his mission, Hamlet is seen to consistently delay in completing his task for various reasons. Whether it is because Hamlet is a fundamentally pensive character who always thinks before he acts or because he is crippled by his intelligence and moral scruples, it can be argued that Hamlet’s prolonged tarry results in his eventual destruction.

Near the beginning of the play, Hamlet is confronted by an apparition who claims to be the ghost of his dead father, the old King. The sprit explains the details by which Claudius murdered him and how it is now in purgatory until its death is avenged and old Hamlet’s honour is restored. However, having been set the task of killing the new king, Hamlet is unsure whether the ghost is in fact the spirit of his dead father or some evil demon and thus is uncertain of the validity of the ghost’s testimony. Thus his contemplative nature leads Hamlet to scheme an elaborate means of establishing Claudius’ guilt. He uses a group of travelling actors to perform a scene that closely resembles the means of old Hamlet’s murder. He then plans to observe Claudius’ demeanour, should it change throughout the scene, his guilty conscience would be established. “The play is the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King.” Hence, part of Hamlet’s delay can be attributed to the fact that his contemplative character needed to first confirm without any doubt the King’s guilt.

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It can be argued that Hamlet’s delay in his task is partly to blame because of his deep, religious beliefs about sin and salvation. Upon finding Claudius alone at prayer one night, he is presented with the perfect opportunity to avenge his father’s death. However, because of his Christian beliefs, he reasons that should he kill him in a state of grace, he would sanctify Claudius and clear him a path to heaven. Thus Hamlet sheaths his sword and decides to wait for a moment where he can kill Claudius in an act of sin and hence condemn his soul to an eternity of suffering. Although Hamlet does allow an opportune moment to kill his uncle pass, it is in his own mind justified as he wishes that Claudius be made to suffer in the afterlife just as his father has.

Hamlet is a philosopher who is crippled by his intelligence and paralysed by his grief. He is consistently observed to over rationalize situations and ponder about philosophical facts that are irrelevant to his goal. His thoughts about his mother’s personal affairs, the corrupt state of Elsinore, the meaning of life and his obsessive preoccupation with death and the afterlife result in a prolonged procrastination from his set task of regaining his father’s honour. His preoccupation with his thoughts could be a further excuse to delay because he is simply not able to fulfil his duty as Hamlet himself asks “Am I a coward?” Or his persistent deliberation on these peripheral distractions might be a result of Hamlet’s depression and intense existential angst as he is presented on more than one occasion pondering whether or not to commit suicide, “To be or not to be, that is the question.” Whatever the case, it is clear that Hamlet’s introspective demeanour is the main cause of his procrastination in avenging his father’s death.

Though it is said that Hamlet is a generally indecisive character, he does on occasions, exhibit signs of irrational impulsiveness. While involved in a quarrel with his mother one night, he hears a noise behind a tapestry and presuming it is Claudius, proceeds to stab the unknown assailant. The figure finally reveals itself to be Polonius, the King’s counsellor. Having killed a foolish yet innocent man, Hamlet shows no signs of remorse and returns to his preoccupation with his mother. On another such occasion, Hamlet is being escorted to England on a ship by two of his old friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Unbeknownst to them they carry instruction from the King that order Hamlet’s immediate executions upon arrival to England. Having discovered these orders shortly before being rescued by a pirate vessel, Hamlet secretly modifies them to read that his two friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern be executed. This puzzling behaviour highlights Hamlet’s complexities and demonstrates that although he does delay in his task, he is not always indecisive and contemplative in his nature.

Although Prince Hamlet’s intentions are just and honourable, his fundamentally introspective demeanour results in his long delay in avenging his father’s death. His grief, distraction by philosophical ideas and his over rationalization of his thought process lead to his prolonged procrastination and his eventual demise.

Teacher Reviews

Here's what a teacher thought of this essay

Katie Dixon

16th of Jul 2013

*** 3 STARS This is a well written essay which clearly shows a knowledge and understanding of the play and remains focused on the question throughout. However the writer needs to PEA (Point, Evidence, Analysis) - far more quotes are needed throughout and the language needs to be more closely analysed before this essay will be awarded a higher grade.

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