Response To Crisis In William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Although Hamlet shows himself as indecisive and insecure, towards the end of the story he does show some act of courage; enough to finally go and kill King Claudius. At first, he finds himself procrastinating at the matter, because he comes up behind King Claudius while he’s praying. He originally planned on killing him right then and there, but wait! Hamlet stops and lets his inner coward win over yet again. After a series of deep thoughts, he does decide to kill his uncle, and realizes that he must go through with his plan quickly, before Hamlet himself is killed.

Hamlet had the chance to kill Claudius and seek his revenge but he stopped and thought rationally about what would happen if he did.

He is seen again delaying his revenge due to over thinking when refusing to kill Claudius in a moment of weakness. The prince’s reluctance to murder the praying king and thus sending him directly to heaven is ironic due to the fact that Claudius is unable to confess his sins and ask for God’s forgiveness. The readers once again observe Hamlet’s failure to execute his responsibility due to his overwhelming desire to perform the perfect revenge.

In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Hamlet, a studious young man and Prince of Denmark, struggles to face the death of his father and the task to kill his father’s murderer, Claudius. He was once known as a charming, smart young man before his father’s death. However, Hamlet experiences depression and anger at the world, causing him to look outwardly on society but failing to look inwardly on himself. The death of his father and the task for vengeance leads him to question whether or not he should follow through in killing Claudius. He becomes a man of thought rather than a man of action. In addition, the delay of King Claudius’ murder leads the readers to believe that he wishes not to kill him; he

As one of the most famous tragedies written by William Shakespeare around 1600, Hamlet, the prince of Denmark seeks revenge on his uncle, who murdered the King and married Hamlet’s mother, the Queen. Hamlet is considered to be well versed in both polite letters and martial arts. I believe Hamlet is a tragic hero because his irresolution becomes his fatal flaw and it eventually brings him to his downfall.

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the titular character struggles to engage in his desired plan of revenge. Hamlet shows throughout the play that he is inconsistent, indecisive, and unsure of himself, as well as his actions. The play focuses on Hamlet’s revenge; however, he continuously fails to happen at opportunistic moments. Throughout the play, Hamlet insists that he intends to avenge his father’s death through the murder of Claudius, but Hamlet fails to act on occasion because of his indecisive personality.

Hamlet soon resolves to take action. He sets up a play to trap Claudius so he can find out if the ghost was telling the truth. This is his intelligence and craft. He will not impulsively commit murder because of the word of a ghost who seemed to be his dead father. When he meets with his mother later, he is very angry and emotional and kills Polonius believing it was Claudius. Hamlet shows himself to be a man of action before thought in this case. He is rather cold that he is not terribly sorry about this accidental death but does show genuine concern for his mother which leads him to fits of intense emotion.

Hamlet is unlike the other two characters in the way that he uses reason and logic before he acts and decides to kill his uncle, Claudius, because he is aware of the consequences. For example, when Hamlet is trying to determine how he can prove Claudius the murderer, after conversing with the players about the play, following

Hamlet knows that he over thinks everything. He plans to kill Claudius because of his desperate desire to avenge his father’s death and right the wrong that was committed, but cannot go through with his plan due to his confusion and uncertainty. He says, "Whether it be Bestial oblivion, or some craven scruple of thinking too precisely on th'event -A thought which quartered hath but one part wisdom And ever three parts coward -I do not know Why yet I live to say this things to do" (4, 4, 39-44). He sees himself as either being a coward and as over thinking his actions to delay the murder, instead of killing Claudius when he had the chance.

With Hamlet’s tragic flaw being his inability to act, he is plagued throughout the play by his immense intelligence and philosophical nature, which causes him to overanalyze each situation, rendering him unable to carry out any action in response. This is evident in the play by the frequent delay of acting out his father’s revenge due to the uncertainty of the evidence pertaining to his uncle’s crime. Hamlet’s inability to act creates a discourse between hamlet and his consciousness, generating an abundance of stress, which causes him to become increasingly frustrated as the play progresses. This frustration leads to him at moments in the play to behave in a rash and impulsive way or acting in an inappropriate manner, contradicting his methodical and reserved disposition. It is the consequences of these “inappropriate” actions that resurfaces at the plays end, to haunt the character, as Hamlet’s inability to act while using his renowned logic and intelligence ultimately leads to his eventual demise at the plays conclusion, due to his inability to act both “effectively” and “appropriately” in critical situations.

Hamlet’s character drastically develops over the first four acts of Hamlet, and his character development is most evident through the soliloquys he delivers throughout the play. The most character development can be seen from the first soliloquy, to the second, the third, the sixth, and the seventh and final soliloquy. Hamlet’s inner conflict with his thoughts and his actions are well analyzed in his soliloquys, as well as his struggles with life and death, and his very own existence. He begins the play wondering what purpose he has in life now that his father is dead and his mother has remarried to his uncle. After finding out foul play was involved in his father’s death, he is motivated by revenge. Finally, he wonders how he can enact his revenge while continuously overthinking and overanalyzing his actions.

In Hamlet’s famous soliloquy, he contemplates for a while whether to commit suicide. Hamlet’s unhappiness is caused by the people around him. His mother’s actions of marrying her brother-in-law made Hamlet extremely frustrated drawing him out of the right mental state. Meanwhile, his view of his father is godlike, but he distrusts the Ghost enough to think about killing himself instead of pursuing the Ghost’s request. In Hamlet’s famous soliloquy, “to be, or not to be;” he contemplates (3.1). “The Everlasting had not fixed, His cannon ‘gainst self-slaughter!” (1.2). He is uncertain if things would be any better in the afterlife if he were to end his life. Hamlet’s hesitancy, especially concerning suicide, is the cause of his realistic and frightened nature. In this situation, his indecisiveness saves his life, but it also does not allow him to find another solution. Concluding, in his soliloquy he would rather

Following the King’s action in response to the play, Hamlet has the perfect opportunity to avenge his father’s death yet he chooses not to which is the first act of delaying his goal. King Claudius storms off into a room in the castle where he says,

Hamlet is a critical thinker for the world around him, seeking opportunities to learn. When Hamlet is confronted with the ghost, he isn’t sure if his eyes deceive him. With further inspection, he learns it is his father who appears in front of him.

Furthermore, the intensity of the scene is further developed with the reactions of other characters such as King Claudius and Queen Gertrude. After Hamlet answered the kings question, Lucian, one of the actors in the play, had entered but had been paused on stage. Impatient, and yearning for the play to continue, as to reveal his uncle misdeed, Hamlet bellows “begin murderer.” The play once again did not give an inkling as to how the King and the Queen should react. However, the expression of the Queen in the film, perhaps alluded to a new born suspicion she harboured because she glances at her husband when Hamlet bouts “murderer”. Additionally, the King anxiously strokes his chin, perhaps fearful that others may make the connection between him and the play and understand his role in his brother’s death. Branagh adaptation effectively enhanced the events transpired in this scene with the use of facial expressions and actions.