Why does Hamlet delay in the revenge of his father's death?

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Nazira Begum 11QCO

Question: Why does Hamlet delay in the revenge of his father’s death?

‘Hamlet’ written by William Shakespeare very closely follows the dramatic conventions of a revenge tragedy.  Seneca a playwright from Rome, who was a very influential playwright, was the pioneer of revenge tragedies. He established the norms for all revenge playwrights in the Renaissance era including William Shakespeare.  During the Renaissance and Jacobean period revenge tragedies were very popular, and ‘Hamlet’ was a famous Shakespearean revenge tragedy.  There are certain conventions of revenge tragedy, for instance the central figure dies in the end of the play, he faces an internal moral dilemma and he avenges the death of a close family member.  ‘Hamlet’ incorporates all these conventions in one-way or another, which truly makes ‘Hamlet’ a typical revenge tragedy.  Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of many heroes of the Elizabethan and Jacobean period who finds himself grievously wronged by a powerful figure, with no recourse to the law, and with a crime against his family to avenge.  Although this is a revenge play, Hamlet continually delays acting, out of a sense of duty of avenging his father’s murder.  I am going to explore the reasons why Hamlet delays his father’s death.  There are so many theories that have been developed, why Hamlet delays in avenging his father’s death.

In the opening scene of the play, the ghost of Hamlet’s late father is revealed to him.  The ghost begins to talk to Hamlet and tells him that his father’s death was caused by King Claudius poisoning him.  The ghost exhorts Hamlet to avenge the murder.  When Hamlet sees the ghost, he is not sure if the ghost is authentic.  Therefore Hamlet could not know if his father was murdered.  

In the Elizabethan time they believed that ghost were devils.  Hamlet believed that the ghost was a devil, in which the ghost could mislead him to a crime.  Further more, he even thought that it could be a figment of his imagination a hallucination.  When Hamlet says, “If it assume my noble father’s person,/ I’ll speak to it though hell itself should gape./  And bid me hold my peace” (i,ii, 244-246).    Hamlet at this point was not completely sure about the ghost of his father.  The ghost appears again to talk to Hamlet.  In this part of the play it is quite obvious that the play had a gruesome, violent death and the sexual aspect of the play was clearly introduced when Claudius married Hamlet’s mother Gertrude.  At this point the ghost tells Hamlet that he has been given the role of the person who will take the revenge of his father. Hamlet does not know what to do, and how to take the revenge on Claudius, if he has killed Hamlet’s father. Hamlet starts to question himself if the ghost is a devil or not.  Hamlet says, “Angels and ministers of grace defend us!/ Be though a spirit of hell or goblin damned” (i, iv, 39-40).  Hamlet was not sure whether the ghost was a good angel or devil at this point.  Horatio says to Hamlet “What if it tempt you toward the flood, my lord,/……… And draw you in the madness?” (i,iv,69-74).  

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Horatio suggests that the ghost is devil and he is attempting to trick him.  Now Hamlet ponders his thoughts for a long period of time, expecting to do the deed immediately, but alternatively he drags it on until the end of the play.  Hamlet did not have any attestation that the ghost was essentially telling the truth, and he has to verify it some how that the ghost was authentic.  At one point Hamlet wants to believe that the ghost was actual.  After seeing the ghost Hamlet immediately becomes completely psychotic, he becomes very highly disturbed in his mind.  Hamlet ...

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