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Courage In Hamlet

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William Shakespeare’s Hamlet intricately weaves in a dualistic the theme of cowardice and bravery in the spiralling plot revolving around the palpable effects of King Hamlet’s death. The young prince, distraught by the recent death of his beloved father as well as his mother’s hasty marriage to his uncle, oscillates between decisions “to be or not to be.”*to act or not to act- Throughout the majority of the play, Prince Hamlet fails to take action, hence remaining in a state of neither being or not being. Hamlet’s emotional state, in turmoil due to grief and rage, further deteriorates after the unanticipated appearance of the Ghost of King Hamlet in the first Act. After hearing the Ghost’s story in which the present king, Claudius, is King …show more content…

Yet once again, Hamlet demonstrates the will to act, but does not realize his goals in a courageous manner. Yes, Hamlet does kill Claudius in the conclusion of the play, but his final epiphany “let be” is merely a simple acceptance of anxiety, rather than a final, courageous action (V. 2. 196).
Accepts the duel, falling into Claudius’ and Laertes’ trap.

Ultimately, Hamlet’s inaction is greatly caused by his thoughtfulness, which overshadows impulsive behavior and action. While this factor may be useful in restricting one’s rash actions, overthinking restricts any further development. Consequently, Hamlet is only able to take initiative in the final scene of the tragedy; however, also dying himself.
Inaction is Hamlet’s “identifying feature” -talks about his plans, but does not fulfill them. 7

The final scene demonstrates the extent and influence of revenge, the prince must die in order to achieve vengeance.
“he has my dying voice” (VI. 2. 335)

Despite the fact that Hamlet accomplishes his revenge in the final act, his initial procrastination, melancholy, gravity / down to earthness followed by hoaxed madness as well as his impulsiveness lead to a perplexed state of mind, which renders him incapable of a well-structured

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As they observe the havoc and destruction that Hamlet's indecision has produced, the audience experiences anxiety as well. In contrast, Hamlet’s tragic fate is caused by his own actions and decisions. Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and other characters die due to his lack of decisiveness, resulting in his demise. Hamlet's final words reveal his demise: "The rest is silence." (Act 5, scene 2, Hamlet).

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He expresses his feeling in his “heart, for I must hold my tongue” (1.2.160). This is an important quote because it is important to understand because it allows to the reader to see that Hamlet cannot speak to anyone about how he feels. As an effect to his decision of not speaking out, this allowed for rage and discomfort to grow inside him which will be one of the main reasons as to why he is legitimately going insane. With these various stressors in his life, it gives more evidence and reasoning to why he often experienced constant signs of depression and suicidal thoughts. The signs of distress he showed throughout the play are highlighted tremendously since he experienced major signs of depression.

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In his first soliloquy, he expresses his intense grief and inner conflict of wanting to commit suicide but not wanting to be punished by God. From this the audience can infer one of Hamlet’s fatal flaws; he is indecisive. He is constantly searching for certainty, since he is unable to make decisions without it. Although Hamlet is wary of the story given to the public to explain the King’s sudden death, it is not until the ghost confirms his suspicions and he uncovers the truth that he vows to “Remember thee!”. He suspects foul play was involved, yet he never acts on this uncertainty until certainty is provided for him.

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The main character of William Shakespeare’s tragedy is actually a confused person that’s stuck between two choices. Some may argue that he feels guilty for his father’s death and so it’s his duty to avenge it. While others may disagree and conclude that he is just a maniac who is both violent and dangerous. Hamlet passes through the lane of hesitancy, where he hesitates to kill King Claudius. As a matter of fact, the main conflict of Hamlet is that he feels both the need to solve the crime and punish the responsible.

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Like many things, Hamlet is intelligent and honorable, but his indecisiveness is the cause of his tragic downfall. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare portrays that Hamlet is very incapable of finishing the task at hand. Throughout the drama Hamlet faces many trials and tribulations due to his late father Hamlet, who was murderously killed by Claudius. His inability to kill Claudius and himself is one grand flaw of an epic hero. After King Hamlets passing, Hamlet entered an unknown state of mind that not only feared others for his wellbeing, but also feared himself.

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Hamlet’s perspective causes him to stall and make excuses as to why he should wait to kill Claudius such as waiting till Claudius has sin, in order to ensure that he wouldn’t go to heaven. His perspective on life through his soliloquy “to be or not to be” allows us as readers to interpret to the development of Hamlet’s character. It reveals his inner thoughts and adds more quality to the play. In this soliloquy, Hamlet is contemplating suicide, but is haunted by the unknowns of the

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Hamlet’s ability to overthink situations or decisions makes him conclude that committing suicide might be the easy way out of his indecisiveness. Hamlet overthinks every problem that is happening. He overthinks so much that he cannot make up his decision about what to do with the problem. The cluelessness that is going on within his mind makes him lose his mental status, life and the love of his life. Hamlets actions are hypnotized by his thoughts: “Thus Conscience does make cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pitch and moment, With this regard their currents turn awry, And lose the name of action” (3.1.85-90).

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