Why Does Hamlet Act Essay Research Paper

Why Does Hamlet Act Essay, Research Paper

Why Does Hamlet Act .

In the first act of Shakespeare s Hamlet, the young prince learns that his father,

King Hamlet (who has been dead for two months), was murdered by Claudius, Hamlet s

uncle, who is now the new king. Near the end of Act I, the ghost of king Hamlet appears

before his son to inform him of this foul, strange, and unnatural treachery. The ghost

tells Hamlet that Claudius poured poison in his ear as he lay sleeping. Finally, the ghost

commands Hamlet to avenge the murder. Remember me, the ghost says, departing.

At first, Hamlet appears more than willing to comply. He is already upset that

Claudius has married Gertrude, his mother. Moreover, Hamlet intimates that he already

suspected some kind of treachery. When the ghost relates what Claudius has done, Hamlet

utters, O, my prophetic soul! Then, in a moment of passion, Hamlet vows to sweep

to his revenge. For most of the play, however, he does not sweep to anything. In Act II,

we learn that two months have passed since the ghost told Hamlet of Claudius treachery.

Hamlet does finally kill Claudius, but not until the end of the last act. Knowing this,

many readers have asked the question, why does Hamlet delay. Of course killing Claudius

in Act II makes for a very short play. With this aside , however, a number of different

interpretations have been offered to account for Hamlet s inaction, including one by the

character himself, which I believe is at least as relevant as any other.

It is not clear what has happened during the two months since Hamlet spoke with

his father s ghost, but it is clear that Hamlet is aware that he has not taken action. In Act

II, he raises the question whether his inaction is a sign that he is a coward. He does not,

however, pursue this question. Instead, he tells himself that he must be sure the ghost was

not a manifestation of the devil, tempting him to commit a mortal sin. If Claudius did not

murder his father, then killing him will damn his soul. To resolve the question, Hamlet

devises a plan to test the truth of the ghost s story. He arranges for the performance of a

scene from The Murder of Gonzago , a play depicting a murder very similar to the on the

ghost related. The play s the thing, Hamlet says to himself, Wherein I ll catch the

conscience of the King.

Hamlet wants to make sure that his own observations are accurate, so he asks for

help from his friend Horatio, a prudent man, not passion s slave, who already knows the

story the ghost has told. Horatio is the first to suggest to Hamlet that the ghost could be

an agent of the devil. Hamlet ask Horatio to watch him, to observe how Claudius reacts

during the play, especially when one player pretends to pour poison into the ear of a

king fast asleep. As it turns out, when this does happen, Clouds stands up abruptly,

exclaiming, Give me some light. Away!

After Clouds leaves the room, Hamlet checks with Horatio, who confirms that

Claudius did act like a guilty man. Still, although Horatio s observation appears to

convince Hamlet of Claudius guilt, he does not follow his uncle out of the room. Why he

does not do so is not clear. Perhaps he does not want to kill Claudius at all, or at least not

for his father s sake. Perhaps this is why he has delayed for two months. Finally, however,

it is not clear at this point clear at this point is that Hamlet remains in the room speaking

with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, friends from school, who are actually spies for

Claudius.

Eventually, Hamlet is approached by Polonius, a busy-body who has come to tell

Hamlet that his mother wants to see him in her bed chamber. On his way there, however,

he comes across Claudius praying. Although his uncle s guilt is no longer in question, even

now Hamlet does not strike (and not just because the play will be over if he does). Hamlet

reasons that if he were to kill him during prayer (or in any state of grace), Claudius will go

to heaven. This is not revenge, Hamlet concludes (in an aside ). He must wait until

Claudius is fit and seasoned for a passage to hell, not heaven. He must wait until he

finds him in a state of unrepented sin.

Although we know that Claudius has not repented, Hamlet does not know this.

Based on what he sees, his inaction is sensible, at least given his belief about dying in a

state of grace. Later, as Hamlet is speaking roughly to his mother in her chamber, he hears

a voice cry out from behind an arras, where Polonius is hiding. Believing that it is

Claudius, Hamlet stabs through the arras without hesitation, killing Polonius. This is an

important scene because it undermines some interpretations for Hamlet s delay. Some

critics have argued, for example, that Hamlet is incapable of action because he thinks too

much. Although this theory could account, perhaps, for Hamlet s inaction up this point,

the fact that he strikes swif

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