Hamlet-Justified Procrastinati
Hamlet has fascinated audiences and readers for centuries, and the first thing to point about him is that he is enigmatic. There is always more to him than the other characters in the play can figure out; even the most careful and clever readers come away with the sense that they don't know everything there is to know about this character. The character of Hamlet is largely criticized as incapable of murder, causing his hesitation to kill Claudius. Although his reason for indecision is not completely concrete, incapability should be ruled out from the start. Hamlet is undeniably capable of murder, as when he stabs Polonius through a curtain without even checking to see who he is. Ruling incapability out, the cause of Hamlet's hesitation to murder is a combination of three factors: he is contemplative, he lacks proof of details of his father's murder, and he wants to make sure his actions will lead to Claudius' eternal punishment. A university student whose studies are interrupted by his father's death, Hamlet is extremely philosophical and contemplative. He is particularly drawn to difficult questions or questions that cannot be answered with any certainty. At a number of points in the play,
Faced with evidence that his uncle murdered his father, evidence that any other character in a play would believe, Hamlet becomes obsessed with proving his uncle's guilt before trying to act. The standard of "beyond a reasonable doubt" is simply unacceptable to him. Hamlet needs to prove that Claudius killed his father before he can act out revenge against him. The Ghost has told him the story, but Hamlet cannot take anything on faith: he has to see for himself, has to recreate before his own eyes the moment of the poisoning. He also needs to prove it to Gertrude, because he loves his mother and doesn't want to hurt her by killing Claudius, without proving it warranted. Hamlet's hesitation is justified because he feels morally obligated to prove that Claudius murdered his father before justice can be carried out. He doesn't want to kill an innocent person, as this would be an injustice on his part. He plans to acquire sufficient proof by devising a play that parallels the conspiracy against his father's death. The play he develops portrays a reenactment of Claudius poisoning Hamlet's father, and will expose the guilty and alleviate all thoughts that the ghost was the devil. Hamlet explains his reasoning by saying, "...the play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king." (Act II. Scene 2, 543-559) Hamlet views Claudius' reaction to the play. Claudius' response is indicative of a guilty person, verifying Hamlet's suspicion. Hamlet can now act out his vengeance on Claudius, since he has proven Claudius' guilt and has grounds for carrying out justice. Likewise, in flushing him ou
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Approximate Word count = 1081
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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