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Self-Confidence In Hamlet

565 Words3 Pages

It is an aspect of human nature to desire the ability to take decisive action, since often the choices individuals make display their beliefs and establish self worth. When making these decisions, successful outcomes are determined by the individual’s resolve to stay committed to the decided course of action or completely abandon it. Individuals who posses this ability display confidence in their intuition have a strong sense of personal identity and self confidence. If they stray from the path of their choosing, they may often become confused, doubt their judgment, and lose sight of their goals. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet becomes conflicted between action and inaction after learning the details of his father’s death. When faced …show more content…

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. Both the confirmation from the ghost and the determined vow for vengeance seem to provide him with the motivation to live and start taking action. Despite the facts, instead of following the ghost’s instructions and acting immediately, Hamlet fabricates a plan to “put an antic disposition on” in order to deceive Claudius while he plots to murder him. This plan to feign madness allows time for another inner conflict to develop in Hamlet; whether to act on the ghost’s words and take revenge or leave the situation alone and return to contemplating suicide. However, certainty cannot be achieved through overthinking and Hamlet requires certainty to act. His swaying between options and creating excuses to procrastinate causes him to lose faith in himself, those around him and his own life ultimately resulting in suffering for

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