The Reluctance of Hamlet toward Killing Essay -- William Shakespeare H

The Reluctance of juncture toward Killing in William Shakespeares HamletThe reluctant character Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, has become one of the nearly cited characters in history. Throughout Shakespeares play Hamlet knows what he must do, but avoids it in his mind. The problem is why does hamlet delay in avenging his fathers death? Hamlet is afraid. He is afraid of failure. Hamlet tries to play tally his fear by blaming outside circumstances, like doubting the existence of the ghost when he knows in his affectionateness it is true, and not having the right opportunity to exact revenge. What it all boils down to is a belief in himself, or lack of, that is a lack of self confidence. Hamlets vindication of doubting the ghost is displayed in his actions when they meet. Be thou a spirit of health or a goblin damned,/ bring with the airs from heaven of blasts from hell,/ be thy intents wicked or charitable,/ thou comst in such a questionable shape/ that I will speak to the e. Ill call thee Hamlet,/ King, Father, Royal Dane (Act 1, Sc. 4, ln. 44-50)(51) Hamlets words here clear illustrate how Hamlet acts confused but honestly knows the ghost is true. Hamlet wants to doubt the existence of the ghost when he tells Horatio and the others, Never make known what you prepare seen tonight.(Act 1, Sc. 5, ln. 160)(65) The mere fact that Hamlet hesitates to reveal that he has seen the ghost at all and swears Horatio and the other sentinels to secrecy, shows his want to keep the proof of his fathers death secret. When hamlet says, If his occulted depravity/ do not itself unkennel in one speech,/ it is a damned ghost that we have seen,/ and my imaginations are as foul/ as Vulcans stithy. (Act 3, Sc. 2, ln. 85-89)(141) Hamlet h... ...even though his nub believes. He hesitates because he is afraid of failure failure to his father, mother, and to himself. And furthermore, the tragedy of Hamlet would not have been much of a tragedy had Hamlet not procras tinated. If he had killed Claudiuds the night of the play, Polonius, Ophelia, Gertrude and Laertes would not have died. Some critics may say Hamlet did not delay. Some critics may ask the question, What is delay? Delay is to put off to a future time. Hamlet definitely puts off the killing of Claudius until the end of the play. Even if he has valid reasons to delay, he delays non the less. So critics who ask the question of whether he delays or not are completely wrong because there is no doubt in whether he delays or not, because he does.Works CitedShakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. T. J. B. Spencer. New York Penguin, 1996.