Despite the fact that Shakespeare delays Prince Hamlet’s revenge against Claudius for his involvement in the death of his father King Hamlet as a means of building the plot, Hamlet’s attributes and circumstances can be directly blamed for the delay. Prince Hamlet’s character, religious belief, fear of detection, the quest to establish the facts and the circumstances that he finds himself are some of the causes for the delay.
After his father’s death, Prince Hamlet is devastated and continues in mourning for a long time. (Biggs, 53). He fiercely condemns her mother for marrying his uncle Claudius who is now the King of Denmark merely before two months after the death of King Hamlet. “ O, God! a beast, that wants discourse of reason, Would have mourn'd longer--married with my uncle, My father's brother, but no more like my father Than I to Hercules: within a month: (Shakespeare, 15). Claudius asks Hamlet why he still mourns “How is it that the clouds still hang on you?” (Shakespeare, 13), while Gertrude tries to convince Hamlet on the need to stop mourning, “Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted color off, and let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark.” (Shakespeare, 13). Despite Gertrude’s and King Claudius attempts to calm him down, Hamlet is adamant that his mourning is a portrayal of the inner grief that devastated him, “But I have that within which passeth show; these but the trappings and the suits of woe. (Shakespeare, 14).
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Hamlet is committed to establishing the truth. (Biggs, 55). Despite the words of his father’s ghost, “ Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (Shakespeare, 29). Hamlet is not convinced. He suspects that the ghost might be the devil who seeks to send him to hell through causing him to commit the crime of murder, “May be the devil: and the devil hath power to assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps out of my weakness …” (Shakespeare, 59). Hamlet decides to seize an opportunity when actors visit Elsinore and request them to perform a play that depicts the killing of King Hamlet under the title the “murder of Gonzago.” He hopes to establish the truth through the reaction of King Claudius. The plan yields when Hamlet is convinced that King Claudius was involved in the murder of his father, King Hamlet. “ O good Horatio, I'll take the ghost's word for a thousand pound. Didst perceive?” (Shakespeare, 77).
Despite yearning for revenge, Hamlet must remain cautious to ensure that King Claudius does not establish his plans. (Paul, 50). He fears that King Claudius will kill him especially because Prince Hamlet is the rightful heir of the throne. Her mother Gertrude seems to emphasize the same when he tries to convince Hamlet to stop the mourning by telling him that he should remain a friend of Denmark. “ And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark” (Shakespeare, 13). After the play titled the murder of Gonzago, Hamlet accuses Gertrude of being involved in King Hamlet’s murder, suspecting that King Claudius is listening from behind the curtains, Prince Hamlet mistakenly slays Lord Polonius.
Prince Hamlet is religious. He fears about the afterlife of King Claudius as well as his. He cannot kill King Claudius as he prays because he fears that he will be rewarded by going to heaven after death. “Now might I do it pat, now he is praying; and now I'll do't. And so he goes to heaven;…”(Shakespeare, 83). After the ghost reveals the actions of King Claudius and asks for revenge through murder, Hamlet reveals his fears when he wonders whether he would go to hell after committing murder. “And shall I couple hell? O, fie! Hold, hold, my heart; and you, my sinews …” (Shakespeare, 30). The religious stand is also seen when he fears that the ghost may be a deceptive devil that has plans to have him condemned in hell. The religious stand depicts Hamlet as indecisive and hence delay the execution of the plan.
The circumstances that Hamlet finds himself in also contribute to the delayed revenge. (Yamada, 12). Prince Hamlet is sent on a mission to England after killing Lord Polonius. “ The sun no sooner shall the mountains touch, but we will ship him hence: and this vile deed, we must, with all our majesty and skill” (Shakespeare, 93). King Claudius realizes that Prince Hamlet is a threat to the throne and is expected to take more caution to ensure that he is safe and to expedite the death of Hamlet. Although Hamlet succeeds in returning to Denmark alive after reversing Claudius trick, his life is in danger after an investigation by Laertes blames him for the death of Ophelia and Polonius. Prince Hamlet mistreated Ophelia causing her to commit suicide by drowning herself. Laertes and Claudius hatch a plan to murder Prince Hamlet as Laertes seeks revenge for the death of Polonius and Ophelia while Claudius hopes to get rid of the threat to his throne.
Prince Hamlet is a thoughtful person. (Yamada, 12). He is involved in the serious evaluation of situations before engaging in any activity. His thoughtfulness is depicted through his soliloquies after his experience with the ghost. “The time is out of joint: O cursed spite that ever I was born to set it right! Nay, come; let's go together.” Hamlet also spends time thinking on a means to establish the truth and execute his plan. Even after establishing that King Claudius is guilty, Hamlet approaches his mother with the intention of obtaining further information rather than executing his plan to eliminate King Claudius.
In conclusion, Shakespeare manages to build the plot skillfully through the use of Hamlet’s attributes and circumstances to delay the revenge against King Claudius.
Work cited
Biggs, Murray. "‘He’s Going to his Mother’s Closet’: Hamlet and Gertrude on Screen." Shakespeare Survey , pp. 53-62.
Shakespeare, W. "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark." The Oxford Shakespeare: Hamlet , 1603, pp. 138-140, doi:10.1093/oseo/instance.00000006.
Yamada, Shoichi. "Τ. S. Eliot on Hamlet and His Problems." English Criticism in Japan: Essays by Younger Japanese Scholars in English and American Literature ,
Paul, Jorgensen. “ William Shakespeare: The Tragedies” Twayne's English Authors Series 415 . Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1985. P47-57.
