Why Do Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Shakespeare’s Hamlet shows strange occurrences in Hamlet’s mind and the possibility of an intangible entity persuading him towards constant confusion. His many decisions give question to his sanity, as if irrational and unreal voices attempt to provoke him into committing strange actions. His continuous struggle to make concrete decisions throughout the play drowns him in episodes of uncertainty, rage, and sadness. Even when Hamlet makes a decision, there is always an underlying worry of whether or not the soundness of his judgement is rational or if his decision is beyond question his most sincere and desireable choice. His conflict between knowing how to feel and when to act is a reflection of the theme known as “being and acting.” Hamlet’s challenge of not knowing whether something should be done and his conflicting feelings of not knowing how to act or when to act on a situation shows the recurring “being and acting” theme throughout the play.

One of Hamlet's most evident traits is his hesitancy. His inability to act is evident when he finds the king praying. "Now I might do it pat, now he is praying.../ And am I then revenged,/To take him in the purging of his soul,/ When he is fit and seasoned for passage?/No!/ Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent..." (3.3.77-91). In the previous scene, Hamlet shows his determination to avenge his father by saying that he could "drink hot blood,/ and do such bitter business as the day would quake to look on"(3.2.383-85). He has the reason, motivation, and the perfect chance to kill the king, however, he begins to overthink the situation and decides to wait for a better opportunity. He wants to ensure that Claudius' soul is sent to hell.

Part of him wants to become a man of action, but part of him has that nihilistic view on life—which tells him there’s no meaning in life, and there’s no such thing as good or evil. Hence, action itself becomes impossible to achieve without a good meaning. Therefore we see Hamlet’s state of mind is constantly battling between action and inaction. Lastly, in act 4 soliloquy, he realizes that his delay is cowardice because of so many reasons to take on action, “That have a father killed, a mother stained / Excitements of my reason and my blood…” (Act 4, Scene 4, 58-59).

As his anxieties later develop to become his most tragic flaw, that of being indecisive, Hamlet lets himself plunge towards his downfall. This is demonstrated in the play's most famous scene, wherein Hamlet delivers his soliloquy: "To be, or not to be, that is the question, Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer…Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing, end them: to die, to sleep, No more; and by a sleep, to say we end The heart-ache…'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wished" (1288). In this passage, Shakespeare brings into lucidity Hamlet's tragic flaw: as he delayed his plan to avenge his father against Claudius, Hamlet opens an opportunity for the murderer of his father (Claudius) to plan ahead and instead, turn the tables against Hamlet, which eventually results to his death.

To Think or to Act In life, there must be a balance between thought and action in order to eventuate success. Indecision is the prime cause of inaction. In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the eponymous main character broods over his two options: to take action and be killed in the aftermath, or to remain inactive and discontent and continue living. Throughout the play, Hamlet struggles with indecision about avenging his father’s tenable murder. The central obstacle that prevents Hamlet from acting is his mind and his inability to convert his abstract thought process into concrete action, which ultimately results in his death.

He says, “To be, or not to be: that is the question:” (III.I.153) Hamlet comes to the conclusion that his only viable option is “to be” meaning live and carry out the murder of Claudius. He expresses this by saying, Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? Hamlet feels that the “slings and

Hamlet promises his father he will avenge him he says Hamlet has the chance to kill Claudius and avenge his father. Claudius is praying all by himself and Hamlet draws his sword ready to kill him but instead, he sheaths his sword and walks away. This just shows how Hamlet does not take action, he had the chance to

Hamlet, by the end of the play had drastically changed from the Hamlet in the beginning of the play because of his altering views on death and fate, which is shown mainly through his soliloquies and throughout other certain events. This change resulted in Hamlet overcoming his indecisiveness and in the end he manages to find peace. In Hamlet’s first soliloquy, we are given an insight on his feelings. Because of his father’s death and his mother quick marriage to his uncle, Hamlet is completely devastated and depressed. He even wishes that his “too too solid flesh would melt” or that the “Everlasting” was not “against self-slaughter”, admitting that he would rather take his own life then continue living in a world that doesn’t seem to hold

After discussion with the ghost of his father, Hamlet firmly decides to kill Claudius, but overturns his decision after considering the severity of murder and overthinking the repercussions. Again, Hamlet discusses his desire to end his own life, but due to overthinking continues to postpone his desires, declaring: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of

In the lead up to the famous “to be or not to be” soliloquy (III.i.57-58) the plays central theme of mortality and Hamlet’s struggle with life and death has been established. Hamlet’s desire for his own death has been noted and some of the complexities surrounding his mortality have been formed. However, during the “to be or not to be” soliloquy (III.i.57-58), Hamlet’s obsession with death becomes more pronounced. The opening line begins with Hamlet asking the simple question of should he live to fight the good fight in his father’s name or take the perceived easier path of death and abandon the struggles in his life. Hamlet’s continuous reference to death in the soliloquy exposes his growing fixation on his mortality. Hamlet describes

In the moment before the fight against Laertes, Hamlet becomes resolute as he simply accepts whatever fate should befall him. He takes a stance in going against the superstitions and predictions of the future, “augury”, just as the harbinger Horatio senses and warns him right before. Even now, Hamlet remains true as an agent of Christian providence since he believes that God has control over all occurrences in the world, including those most trivial. He then voices the next few lines in sharp yet simple repetition, that is, his death will either happen momentarily or eventually. This induces a dramatic effect of consolidation as one can imagine these lines,“If it be now, ’tis not to come. If it be not to come, it will be now. If it be not now, yet it will come” in a most clear and quick projection. It seems as

The “To be or not to be” soliloquy functions within the play as an explanation for Hamlet’s hesitation to directly and immediately kill avenge his father by the hands of his uncle Claudius due to the complexity of morality. Hamlet attempts to reason out whether the unknown beyond of death is any easier to bear than life as he has a hard time going through with some of the decisions he makes. The underlying character trait shown is Hamlet's indecisiveness and his own frustration at his own weaknesses. Hamlet seems less introspective about his failure to kill Claudius than his failure to take his own life. Hamlet really is depressed because of this and thinks about killing himself as a means to end his "sea of troubles."

Hamlet believes that his life now revolves around a life of madness, blood, and having his revenge any way he can get it, he is willing to give any life but a chosen few that between him and the death of his horrible stepfather he believes that without the death of the King nothing will ever be good for just again in the state of Denmark. That the corruption, decay, and disease will continue to spread. He will not only lose the honor of his family but the respect from himself. In Act II, Hamlet comes to the decision that he has no other choice than to kill Claudius, at that point he still thinks he can save so many from his uncle's deceit. “ O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! Is it not monstrous that this player here, But in a fiction,

In addition to Hamlet’s love for his father, Shakespeare uses Hamlet’s raging, conflicting emotions to affect the plot and theme. “To be, or not to be”(138) summarizes Hamlet’s oxymoron of a character, someone who cannot decide where he stands. He is impulsive and rash, yet indecisive and hesitant. He is thoughtful and reflective, but admires someone who is violent and passionate. Thus, it is with these opposing emotions that Shakespeare moves the story forward. By doing so, Hamlet gets caught in an inner struggle that effectively changes his character. For example, when the ghost appears to Hamlet and motions for him to follow, he does so because if, “It will not speak. Then I will follow it”(54). Hamlet pursues this potentially dangerous spirit, despite the warnings of his closest friend. Furthermore, he goes as far as to threaten anyone who tries to stop him. Once the ghost tells him that it was Claudius that killed him, Hamlet promises

Hamlet expected to murder his Uncle Claudius, is shown to be indecisive and therefore incompetent. As a result these traits it allows for Hamlet to keep procrastinating when he will enact on the task of revenge. He constantly criticizes himself for not taking any action on avenging the death of his father, yet he fails to convince himself to be able to murder his uncle to achieve such goal. For example the “To be or not to be” speech shows how Hamlet was caught in crisis as he contemplates life or Death. Hamlet is deciding whether he should end his life due to his depression caused by the death of his father, and the quick marriage of his mother to Claudius, and the indecisiveness of him getting revenge on his