In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the protagonist's ploy to murder his enemy is delayed-conjointly-by traits in his character and by external obstacles. Both factors are intertwined and operate thusly-such is the case with any human ordeal: when any kind of external conflict takes place, an individual must, as a rule of human nature, react to this event according to his own convictions, emotions, and attitude. In the case of Hamlet, the inner workings of his mind-while being shaped by the obstacles that he faces throughout the play-together prevent him from carrying out his plan to murder Claudius. In short, both the obstacles and Hamlet's personality (which determines his responses to such conflicts) contribute to the delay.

Cowardice is a trait in Hamlet that is revealed immediately after the rather frightening meeting with the ghost. Addressing the dreadful duties laid out for him by the spirit, Hamlet apprehensively says: "O cursed spite / That ever I was born to set it right" (I.v.189-90

The spirit that I have seen / May be a devil; and the devil hath power / To assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps / As he is very potent with such spirits, / Abuses to damn me. I'll have grounds / More relative than this. The play's the thing / Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King (II.ii.620-27).

There is a play tonight before the King. / One scene of it comes near the circumstance ... of my father's death. / ...When thou seest that act afoot, / ... Observe my uncle. If his occulted guilt / Do not itself unkennel in one speech, / It is a damned ghost that we have seen, / And my imaginations are as foul / As Vulcan's stithy (III.ii.78-87).

Hamlet's tactfully orchestrated move to set up this play indicates how external obstacles-such as the questionable nature of the ghost and the sneakiness of Claudius-and Hamlet's own suspicious personality conjointly prevent him from committing a "quick and easy" murder.

). Here, Hamlet reacts to the ghost's calamity-ridden story and boisterous cries with open dread. This indicates how his own human fears cause a delay in the plan for murder. Even though Hamlet is ordered to complete an important duty (i.e. murder) as soon as possible, dread prevents him from taking on the challenge with resolute immediacy.

Another chief example that shows how external conflict and Hamlet's nature contribute to the delay is when he is unable to murder Claudius as the latter m

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Approximate Word count = 964
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)