Hamlet - Why Did Hamlet Delay Killing the King Essay

In Shakespeares Hamlet, the main character continually delays acting out his duty of avenging his fathers murder. This essay will discuss how Hamlets nature and morals (which are intensified by difficult events) prevent him from carrying out the task. In the opening scenes of the play, the Ghost of Hamlets late father reveals to him the true means by which King Hamlet died. The Ghost tells Hamlet that his fathers death was caused by Claudius pouring poison into his ear. He exhorts Hamlet to avenge the murder. Hamlets initial response is to act on the Ghosts exhortation quickly. Hamlet says; quot;Haste me to knowt that I with wings as swiftÂ…May sweep to my revenge.quot; Yet by the end of the same scene, his reluctance to†¦show more content†¦This is because the marriage was soon after his fathers death, King Hamlet was quot;But three months dead.quot; This shows little sensitivity to those who are grieving and also implies that their relationship was initiated before King Hamlet died. Secondly, the marriage was against canon law, which made it a sin. Hamlet says to his mother in Act III:4, quot;Have you not eyes? You cannot call it love. O shame! Where is thy blush?quot; These successive shocks deepen Hamlets depressio n. In Act II:2 Hamlet says to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, quot;I have of lateÂ…lost all my mirth.quot; He falls deeper and deeper into the slough of fruitless brooding. In his first soliloquy he says; quot;O that this too too solid flesh would melt.quot; Thus, the task is too onerous for the fragile, melancholic Hamlet. In addition, Hamlet was a philosopher rather than a man of action, unlike Claudius and Laertes. He himself sees that one of his problems is to quot;think too precisely on the event.quot; He is intellectual and reflective, preferring to ponder rather than take action. Hamlet also delays killing the King because he is unsure of the morality of carrying out such a task. This factor is important as Hamlet is a very idealistic and moralistic person. Revenge was prohibited by ecclesiastical law, but the duty of ‘personal honour prevalent in Elizabethan times often won through. In the play, Hamlet debatesShow MoreRelatedWhy Did Hamlet Delay Killing the King?892 Words   |  4 PagesHamlet is one of Shakespeare’s many tragedies. Common themes in these works by Shakespeare are murder and deceit. Hamlet is full of each. The protagonist of the play, Prince Hamlet, is a young man whose father was murdered two months before the beginning of the story. Early on in the play Hamlet is approached by the ghost of his father. He explains to Hamlet that his brother, Claudius, murdered him. Before he returns to purgatory, he asks that Hamlet take revenge on Claudius, who, since the murderRead MoreEssay about Hamlet 11844 Words   |  4 Pages Why does Hamlet delay taking action against Claudius? This is a question that everyone want to know. 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