Morality And Immorality In Hamlet

Throughout Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, the issue of whether to proceed on a moral route or to descend on a path of immorality and deceit arises in many decisions the main characters face. This leads to an intriguing plot in which Prince Hamlet’s inner struggle between morality and immorality stands in marked contrast to the completely immoral and evil actions of King Claudius. In the opening scenes, the reader is introduced to Claudius who, immediately following the death of his very own brother, marries his sister-in-law, who is Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. This stark example of immorality is a clear indicator of Claudius’ moral compass and how far he is willing to go to achieve his goals. He is willing to violate the basic societal norms and completely disregard how his actions will negatively affect others. These basic societal norms are namely the fact that society frowns upon the act of murder in general and in this case, as a means to

Unbeknownst to him, Hamlet slips into the room and possesses a golden opportunity to murder King Claudius once and for all. Hamlet stands over Claudius with a sword and debates committing the act of murder. The reason he provides for restraining himself is that he wants to murder Claudius when he is involved in his incestuous acts with his mother. Although this may seem plausible as reason enough to delay the act, I would suggest that that is only a cover. What Hamlet truly is debating is whether to allow his moral compass to dictate the course of action he takes. I believe that the “waiting for the right moment” reason is fictitious and that what Hamlet is debating is whether to commit an act of true evil in hoping that it will correct the wrongs which Claudius has committed. This dilemma is what leads him to be uncertain and what results in his inability to