Hamlets Delayed Revenge Of Claudius Essay, Research Paper
The Delayed Revenge of ClaudiusObedience to one s father is, will and has always been a big part tosociety. Whether it is listening, obeying, or just agreeing with him, therespect to one s father should be one of the most important roles in every daylife for everyone. In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Hamletsfather gives him a task of revenge, the task to take revenge on the murderer ofhis father. Hamlets hesitation in seeking revenge for the death of his fatherwas delayed because of the uncertainty surrounding his fathers death, hisprocrastination, and his selfishness. Although Hamlet knew in his heart that Claudius was in fact the killer,he needed to know for sure. In act one, scene two, we see Hamlet comingface to face with with the ghost, Hamlets father. Everyone was skeptical towhether the ghost was an evil or a good ghost except for Hamlet. It is anhonest ghost, let me tell you. Hamlet says this with complete assurance toMarcellus and Horatio, but was he so sure? The duty of vengeance is laid onthe next of kind, who is faced with the problem of identifying the murderer(Harrison 4). If Hamlet was in fact so sure that the death of his father wasmurder by Claudius, then why did Hamlet set up a trap so he could seeClaudius’s guilt? Shakespeare intended for the ghost to remain mysterious (Cunningham 360). Hamlet was not sure that the ghostwas a truthful ghost. I ll have the players play something like the murder ofmy father before my uncle, I ll observe his looks Wher in, I ll catch thecontinence of the king. Hamlet setup this play to see if Claudius was thetrue killer, and through the kings response from the play, Hamlet discernedthat the king was guilty for the murder of his father. Once Hamlet believed that Claudius was in fact the killer, heprocrastinated his father s words, to seek revenge. The first time Hamlet hada chance to kill Claudius, he hesitated for one reason, he was a procrastinator. Claudius was alone, attempting to confesses his sins saying such things as What if this hand were thicker than itself with brothers blood, Is there notenough rain in the sweet heavens to wash it white as snow? Claudius speaksof his spiritual state with extraordinary lucidity, but he has no penite
knows that he cannot be forgiven. He has no illusions about the magnitude ofhis own guilt, and his questions to God are searing in their passionateintensity (Charney 243). Isn t a mockery of Gods great mercies andforgiveness a worse sin than committing the sins itself? Hamlet here had theperfect time to revenge his father, but he didn t. Now might I do it pat, nowhe is a-praying, and now I ll do it Hamlet goes on to say, No, Up, sword, and know now a more horrid hent: When he is drunkasleep, or in his rage, or in the in cestious pleasure of his own bed. Arethese excuses valid for not taking revenge on the death of his father, whenClaudius isn t even sincere in his words? Does Claudius s mockery on Godsforgiveness in itself, deserve death? Without a doubt, this was Hamletsperfect chance to kill the king, but he procrastinated. Despite Hamlets love and respect for his father, Hamlet becomessidetracked, and more concerned in revenging his father for his own selfishpurposes. Hamlets soul is too philosophical and lacks the ability to act onimpulse, and that he is too sensitive to avenge himself (Grenbenier 159). Hamlets problem is he thinks too much. He loses a sense of fact because heputs everything through his mind, filtering it until every good deed seems tohave an alternative- In not doing the deed, but evaluating it even more (Bloom66). He needs to keep reminding himself that his father gave him a duty totake revenge on Claudius, and this is his main purpose. Hamlets father gavehim specific orders not to blame, or take any of this out on his mother, andthis is exactly what Hamlet does. He confronts his mother about Claudius ssin, and threatens her to a point of death. What wilt thou do? Thouwouldn t murder me? Help, ho! Here we see that Hamlet is directly disobeying his father s words and is selfishly taking revenge forhimself. So we see from Hamlets actions that his delay was in fact because ofhis uncertainty of the cause to the death of his father, his procrastination, andhis selfishness. Although Hamlets love was omnipresent for his father, hisrespect was not. His motive was in the wrong place, his heart, and not hisfathers. Because of Hamlets lack of trust, respect, and dignity, the revengewas not only delayed, but it cost s Hamlet his own death.