Why Hamlet Delayed Avenging His Fathers Murder Essay...

Why Hamlet Delayed Avenging His Fathers Murder In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the main character continually delays acting out his duty of avenging his father’s murder. This essay will discuss how Hamlet’s 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 Hamlet’s late father reveals to him the true means by which King Hamlet died. The Ghost tells Hamlet that his father’s death was caused by Claudius pouring poison into his ear. He exhorts Hamlet to avenge the murder. Hamlet’s initial response is to act on the Ghost’s exhortation quickly. Hamlet says; quot;Haste me to know’t that I with wings as swift†¦May sweep to my revenge.quot; Yet†¦show more content†¦However, this is little more than a delay tactic, and Hamlet also does not make any further plans to kill the King. The most plausible explanation is that Hamlet’s own nature and values continually hindered him from performing the task. Hamlet is a sensitive, introverted young man, who is naturally prone to melancholia. The Ghost’s revelation and also the fact that his mother has remarried to King Claudius, intensify his already melancholic disposition. His mother’s remarriage is an abomination in Hamlet’s eyes. This is because the marriage was soon after his father’s 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 Hamlet’s depression. In Act II:2 Hamlet says to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, quot;I have of late†¦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 ofShow MoreRelatedRevenge In Hamlet Analysis988 Words   |  4 PagesMurder, incest, revenge! This is Shakespeare’s Hamlet. If lovers of literature are asked to make a list of some of the greatest works of literature, undoubtedly, Hamlet would be near the top. Hamlet, an intriguing and complicated character, has been studied by lovers of literature and psychologists alike. It is an interesting examination of human behavior. To set the scene, prince Hamlet’s father has been slyly murdered by his uncle. His father’s apparent ghost comes to him and asks him to avengeRead MoreWhy 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. 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