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Hamlet Delay Analysis

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In a nation on the brink of war a young prince must avenge his late father, but in doing so it will cause him to lose more than he bargained for. In an attempt to right the wrong done to by his father the prince will be pushed to the brink of insanity. William Shakespeare's tragedy entitled Hamlet recounts the story of a depressed cynic and his continuous delay in seeking revenge against his uncle for killing his father; unbeknownst to the reader however is the apparent cause behind Hamlet’s delay. The first speculation behind Hamlet’s delay is his cowardice behavior. Hamlet is a coward due to his lack of action in killing Claudius. In Act 2 scene 2 Hamlet devises a plan in which he will use the players to perform an extended version of the Murder of Gonzago. In this version of the play the actors perform a scene created by Hamlet that depicts his uncle killing his father. Unfortunately, he is overcome with a wave of emotions after seeing the actors perform a different play. In the midst of his anger he states, “Unpregnant for my cause, And can say nothing—no, not for a king Upon whose property and most dear life A damned defeat was made. Am I a coward?” (ii.ii.596-598). Hamlet feels guilty for not having as much passion for killing his father as the post actor has for a fictional death. Because of his hesitation Hamlet believes that he must be a coward. Finally, Hamlet is given a clear opportunity to kill Claudius. After Claudius is exposed during the play he flees and is shortly followed by Hamlet. Hamlet discovers Claudius defenseless, on his knees praying, and with his back towards him. Hamlet states, “Now might I do it pat, now he is a-praying, And now I'll do it” (iii.iii.78-77). Instead of taking advantage and killing Claudius he hesitates out of fear. He states that the real reason why he didn't kill Claudius is because if he did Claudius would go to heaven. In reality his fear stems from the uncertainty of whether or not he is doing the right thing. Hamlet’s constant hesitation could come from the fact that he is depressed. His depression causes him to take a lot of inaction. Shortly after Claudius becomes king he encourages Hamlet to think of him as his new father. This causes Hamlet to sink

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