In the tragic play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, a particular deterrent in Hamlet's quest to be rid of his regal uncle is his procrastination. This act of murder intended to set the future right is Hamlet's sole responsibility, ordered by his deceased father. Hamlet's main target throughout the play is for Claudius to commit suicide. To achieve this goal, he produces a play chiefly for the king called the "Mousetrap." This play is used as one of many tools for Hamlet's indirect manipulation of Claudius's mind. Just as a mousetrap lures a pest to its own self-destruction while in search of ways to gratify itself, so does Hamlet use the play as a lure to trap the king in his own conscience. Claudius's possible suicide would be the result of the guilt traps Hamlet sets with the use of mental stratagem.

As Hamlet scolds his mother for her behavior toward the king's honor, he says many cruel things to her. Yet, among these are his pleas for her to repent. One of the last pieces of advice he gives his mother is not to let Claudius tempt her again: "Pinch wanton on your cheek, call you his mou

MD: John Hopkins University Press. John Hopkins University Press

Erlich, Avi. "Managing the Unconscious." Macbeth's Absent Father. NJ:

So, as a painted tyrant, Pyrrhus stood,

When it comes time for the death of the king, Hamlet does stab him once and for all. When this long awaited action is finally complete, Hamlet has no other choice but to die because he goes against his nature. Even though the death of his father is avenged, there exists a violation of what was sustaining Hamlet for the longest time. This is his hope for Claudius to suffer the mental strain of killing his brother before his death. If Hamlet had seen this in Claudius before both of their deaths, he would have finally found someone who could relate to what he was feeling. Maybe if he had experienced what he silently sought out in all his efforts to trigger the king's conscience, he might have been able to go on with his life. Without a father figure and his mother unemotional toward his loss, there is nowhere he can turn for an outlet to direct his confusion. However, he finds a way of expressing himself through creating his play and being dramatic. They may be disguised as frivolous forms of entertainment for the king and queen, but they are also hidden cries for help coming from a confused Hamlet.

Lowell, James Russell. "Shakespeare Once More." Macbeth. NY: not indicated.

In the end, Hamlet realizes that his nature was not able to allow what his intentions willed to happen. If Claudius had indeed killed himself, he would have violated his nature as well. Claudius acknowledges that Hamlet's righteous obligation to avenge his father's death held ulterior motives that Claudius could relate to: "There is no shuffling, there the action lies / In his true nature, and we ourselves compell'd" (III.iii.64-65). Claudius knows that there is no doubt about it, or "no shuffling," that the action to kill him is there. Claudius is "compelled" to his bestial nature that he does not want to deny Hamlet also has within him. Although, he knows it is his true nature that he is unable to feel anything for his brother: "Try what repentance can. What can it not? / Yet what can it when one can not repent?" (III.iii.68-69). When one cannot repent, it is said that their sins are not forgiven. When Claudius is unable to at least attempt repenting, this suggests his inability to want to be like everyone else. Most people would favor being forgiven than not.

Hamlet knows that conscience makes cowards of people which is why he figures that if Claudius had one, he would have a fear of living his life. Suicide victims are often referred to as cowards or individuals who refuse to find a way to deal with life's problems. A person's conscience tends to make one weigh moral pros and cons before carrying out an action. It also tends to perpetuate a feeling of disappointment in oneself after carrying out a wrong action depending on the severity of it. As always, Hamlet suffers from what Claudius does not. Hamlet is a coward, not for refraining from murdering the king, but because he cannot find it within the confusion he experiences to make peace with himself and continue living life like the king has been able to do: "This paralysis arises, however, not from physical or moral cowardice, but from that intellectual cowardice, that reluctance to dare the exploration of his inmost soul, which Hamlet shares with the rest of the human race" (Jones,103). Hamlet is repulsed by the fact that someone who can be so horrible can also maintain their mental stability better than he can with the least of effort: "The tragedy is titanic because the effort and the mind are titanic" (Erlich,253). Although this is not fair, it is the true tragedy in Hamlet.

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Approximate Word count = 3369
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page double spaced)