Hamlet’s delay in taking revenge for his father’s death.
Most readers of Hamlet arouse many questions while reading the text. Hamlet, being the hero of the play, remains the readers’ focus. The most trending question arises during the reading: why does Hamlet take time to take revenge on his father? Researchers believe in many ideas in this regard. They present multiple ideas that strengthen the statement of Hamlet’s delay. Few called him cowered, some called him well planner, and the rest knew him as a true master of rivalry fights.
Many critics believe that Hamlet’s tactic is to do all these things late as he doesn’t want his father’s murder a simple death. Rather he wanted to punish him for all of his sins. But he is not sure that all these stupidities are his tactics or part of the plan. Rather, some studies reveal that Hamlet is a coward. Therefore, he can’t do this act. Both of the possibilities are true on their own, but then there came another possibility that it was not the real Hamlet until the play’s end. Because real Hamlet has been killed when pirates kidnaped him, in this way, there came the point that maybe things are getting late because it was not old Hamlet who know all the situation rather it is someone who is pretending to be Hamlet and just trying to understand all the things in the castle and his surrounding to better fit in the environment. But at the start of the Play, Shakespeare clearly mentions through the mouth of Gertrude as she explains that Hamlet is brave, mysterious, friendly, and thoughtful. These qualities suggest that Hamlet is intentionally doing all these things. Actually, he wanted to know all the secrets and Minor details about his uncle after her father’s death. So throughout the play, there are many things by which anything can be concluded. When Ghost tells Hamlet about the murder of his father, Hamlet discusses this thing with his friend Horatio and the watchman Marcellus that he is going to pretend to be mad to find the truth minutely. According to Horatio, Hamlet is not right when he says this. Rather, his words are wild and whirling; therefore, he got some doubt Hamlet that he is mad. This is not a thing or two that Hamlet can be seen as mad. Rather, many other events in the Play are enough to prove that Hamlet is mad. Like his behavior with Ophelia when he tells her that he has not loved her. After listening to this, Ophelia returns all the gifts and letters that Hamlet gives, but after that, Hamlet fights with Laertes at Ophelia’s grave, proving that he is the only one who truly loves her.
Hamlet studied at Wittenberg. He has very close friends from Wittenberg named Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who enter the Elsinore where Hamlet’s uncle and his mother Gertrude warmly welcome them. Both of them are called by Claudius to check whether Hamlet’s madness is true or not. When they come, Claudius tells them about his condition of Hamlet. According to Claudius, Hamlet is sad after his father’s death; therefore, he has gone mad and does some irrational things, and they have to cheer him up. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern agreed to investigate the behavior of Hamlet and why Hamlet is doing such irrational things? Even Claudius had a plan to judge whether Hamlet was really mad or just pretending to be mad to take his revenge. But once Claudius doubts that Hamlet became known about the incident, Claudius himself is a murderer of his father. Therefore he called his close friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to know the reality of his odd behavior of Hamlet. In the middle of the play, most things are visible to the readers. As the play progress, Hamlet is delaying the revenge of his father, King Hamlet, in the view of the common readers. Still, in the other perspective, if you critically analyze all the actions of Hamlet, you will be able to know that Hamlet is pretending to be mad. Because when you see a minute details Hamlet is continuously watching and investigating all the actions of his uncle Claudius. Here Claudius also has some disturbance with Hamlet as he is a danger.
If Hamlet is doing all this late, it does not mean that he forgot the revenge of his father. Rather he wants to take revenge on his father in a good manner after a full investigation. But if you think they if Hamlet is a person of good consciousness, how could he believe in a ghost who is his father’s ghost him. Then here is your answer: when Hamlet is close to finding the truth, he needs a hint. Therefore, he needs a good chance to take revenge. He organized a play named mouse trap to confirm his doubt about the murderer of his father. Here comes a twist that Hamlet is only pretending to be mad just.
Moreover, he is precise and calculated in all his actions and doings. A play with in-play Hamlet can prove this. Hamlet staged a play named “Murder of Gonzango “to note down the reactions and actions of Claudius. If Claudius is a killer, he will be upset after seeing that play as the play’s setting is just like his own actions. In that play, a villain kills his brother and marries his widow. After seeing all the scenes of murder, Claudius gets nervous, and Hamlet confirms that Claudius is the killer of his father. Another thing to notice down here is that Hamlet, during the play, does not sit with the queen and king during the day. Rather he sits at the feet of Ophelia to keep an eye on Claudius’s reaction after seeing all this.
He also took Horatio in his confidence by telling all the stories about the ghost and the murder of his father. If you see the play’s setting, this will prove that Hamlet is a good thinker and planner, like the play has a dumb show at the start, which is the same as the storytelling of ghosts. This proves that Hamlet has some extraordinary power of thinking and ability. Therefore he first confirms everything and then does something. Some critics stated that Hamlet is a coward; therefore, he cannot kill Claudius on time. He has many chances to kill Claudius easily, but he does not do this. Once Claudius is doing prayers when Hamlet counters him, but he does not kill him there. According to Hamlet, he will go to heaven if he kills Claudius in prayer, and he doesn’t want the murderer of his father to rest in peace even after death; therefore, he did not kill Claudius during prayers. Another reason why Hamlet is doing late in taking revenge for his father's murder is that when the ghost tells Hamlet about all the incidents, he also suggests Hamlet not offense his mother, Gertrude, in any way; this can also be a hurdle for Hamlet because his mother does not permit doing this.
Another major thing is the inner voice of Hamlet is continuously confusing to Hamlet about whether to take revenge if his father or not. This is also a cause of late Hamlet’s delay in taking revenge on his father. This is also the play’s main theme, and almost all the play revolves around this.
Moreover, according to Hamlet, it is like his father’s murder if he kills Claudius while doing an immoral act. There are many reasons that Hamlet is late in taking revenge on his father by killing the murderer. First, of most, the reason why Hamlet is not as interested in taking revenge on his father from Claudius as he doesn’t feel angry and determined. Therefore he has no supportive motif that he could take revenge. Hamlet is delaying the process to investigate completely. He knows that if he accuses Claudius of murdering his father, there will be a lot of repercussions and consequences. He wants to make sure that his accusations are true and accurate. This way, he can prove to the kingdom that Claudius murdered his father without any doubt. Towards the beginning of the play, Hamlet does not rush into accusing his uncle of murdering his father even though he has already had an encounter with him. In Act 1, Scene 2, Hamlet is searching for clues as to who killed his father to determine whether or not Claudius is guilty. When Polonius comes into Hamlet’s room and begins questioning him about what he is doing in there all alone. Hamlet asks Polonius to be quiet because he wants to find a clue as to who killed his father, but Polonius keeps questioning him and making noise so that all of the noise covers up the sounds that Hamlet is trying to hear. From this scene, we can assume that Hamlet does not rush into accusing Claudius of murder and instead investigates thoroughly before making any accusations. Hamlet is neither mad nor pretending; he is just frustrated with his mother’s over-protectiveness and her hasty marriage. He plots and plans to take revenge for his father’s death and the cause of his mother’s hasty remarriage. In William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” the audience encounters a protagonist who is both mad and sane, neither or both at one time. His madness is both real and simulated, creating a complex character that is difficult to understand but easy to sympathize with. The audience can relate to Hamlet on many levels, not least because he is human.
This is still unknown to us whether Hamlet is truly mad or not because the things that prove that Hamlet is mad are equal to the points that prove that Hamlet is just trying to be mad to take his father’s revenge. The only other character who can be considered as complicated as Hamlet is Claudius; however, Claudius’ complexity stems from his evil nature, whereas Hamlet’s stems from his internal conflict. Why Hamlet is delaying the process of revenge has been debated for centuries. Many people believe that Hamlet is just a man who is too afraid to get his revenge because of the consequences that would follow. Others believe that Hamlet does not want to take action because he is being manipulated by someone else. Still, others believe that Hamlet is simply a brilliant individual who knows exactly what he is doing and why. The first theory that could be considered concerning this topic is the idea of Hamlet as a coward. It has been suggested time and time again throughout history that perhaps Shakespeare intentionally wrote the character of Hamlet as a coward so the audience could relate to him better. Many people believe this because they feel like they know someone exactly like this — always talking about something but never doing it. This seems to make sense in many ways — it would make sense if Shakespeare had made us identify with his character more — especially since some people lead lives very similar to this. It also fits with the theory of why Shakespeare wrote the play in general, making sure it appealed to all different kinds of people. However, I have always thought that the main reason for Hamlet’s hesitation in taking revenge is his fear of death. The fear that Hamlet is showing is just fake. His father’s ghost had told him that he would kill Claudius, but the ghost does nothing about it. He does not kill Claudius but leaves everything for Hamlet to do. Is it then that Hamlet is confused and does not take any action because he is afraid? No, it’s not just true. Hamlet’s fear seems to be justified. He knows that no matter how much time he spends thinking about it, he still has to face death when the time comes. However, this is just a side effect of his main reason: love. Hamlet could not take revenge are many, but the main one is love.
At the start of the play, when we see Hamlet, we find him a young and confused prince. His father has recently died, and he has been summoned to the court of his uncle to receive his just inheritance. However, his uncle quickly betrays him by marrying Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother. This betrayal angers Hamlet and causes him to question who he can trust and what exactly will happen to his mother’s honor. He decides to delay his revenge until he can think things through because otherwise, he may kill an innocent man. The line that Hamlet says in the play that gave rise to this theory is
“My tables, — meet it is I set it down
That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain.”
In other words, waiting for revenge is a way for Shakespeare to show that even though you may seem nice on the outside, you can still be very cruel and mean on the inside. There are many examples of this throughout the play where characters have hidden motives that affect their actions later on in the story. For example, Polonius attempts to spy on Hamlet. Hamlet and his friends are very similar in their thoughts and actions; however, Hamlet is the one who is most determined to take revenge. But whereas Hamlet acts upon this thought almost immediately, his friends seem to be a little more cautious about what they do.
On the other hand, Hamlet is quite certain about what he wants to do. His desire for revenge is so strong that he is not even afraid of killing himself as he thinks it would be better than just regretting what he has done. He doubts how he has to act upon his desires, but he knows that what he is doing is right. Thus his main objective is to kill Claudius, no matter how risky it might be. As the play opens, Hamlet has been out of Denmark for a long time. Queen Gertrude has married to killer o his husband, Claudius, a murderer. The play’s first two scenes show Hamlet as a “madman.” He acts crazy, saying crazy things and doing crazy things. But he knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s just pretending to be mad so that he can study Claudius and see how he reacts to this “madman.”
Reference Sites
2) https://myshakespeare.com/hamlet/act-1-scene-5-video-note-my-tables
