ipl-logo

The Progression Of Indecision In Shakespeare's Hamlet

795 Words4 Pages

The Tragedy of Hamlet describes the progression of indecision beginning with the basic justification of insufficient information to the revelation that he fears what impact his actions will have on his conscience(“SparkNote on Hamlet” SparkNotes). His indecision is driven by his vulnerable narcissism than any concern of right and wrong. Hamlet was more concerned about his feelings in the future than he was about anybody’s feelings in the present. Despite his belief of Claudius’ involvement in King Hamlet's death, Prince Hamlet does nothing due to uncertainty that Claudius truly did kill his father. After returning home from school in Germany, Hamlet attends his father’s funeral only to discover that his uncle not only married his mother …show more content…

Prince Hamlet's inaction is due to the fear of any actions having on him. Hamlet is not certain what he is afraid of but is constantly drawn to indecision that feeds his overwhelming narcissism. Rather than act and seek revenge, Hamlet questions the nobility of any action at all. He is confused on whether to kill Claudius or let him live. This results in no action or indecision. After receiving proof from the ghost of his father that Claudius did kill his father Hamlet questioned whether to take any action and how it would impact his conscience in the future. Rather than take responsibility for the fate of his father and his promise for revenge, Hamlet was more concerned with impact he would have to contend with in the future. Although he had more knowledge then when he first returned home. He justified his inaction by questioning the existence of the ghost of his father. His decision was to use the details that the ghost provided and write a play that would be performed with Claudius in

Show More
Related

Do Individuals Often Require Assurance From The External World When Trying To Restore Honor And Certainty?

1364 Words | 6 Pages

Hamlet develops the play-within-the play to try and get a reaction out of Claudius. Although it does work and he gets the reaction he desires on a silver platter just as he hoped, he is then further uncertain within himself and procrastinates on what needs to be done. Within this action of setting up this play he desires enough certainty to act on his thoughts and he receives that assurance, yet he still chooses not to, which then leads to more procrastination which is a common theme within the play. As a result of his inaction, others are harmed and chaos erupts. As such, Hamlet does not act despite having the external assurance that Claudius did murder his father, he just lacks the certainty within himself to do the actions.

Read More

Analysis: A Misguided Hamlet

995 Words | 4 Pages

At first he procrastinates and even questions if his father’s ghost is real or not. He uses a play that he calls the “Mousetrap” to find out if Claudius is truly his father’s killer. Before the play even starts Hamlet says, “The plays the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King” (Shakespeare 2.2 633-634). Hamlet has the best opportunity to find out the truth and he takes this play as an advantage. It is mainly for Claudius to watch and react.

Read More

Why Did Hamlet Want To Kill Claudius

725 Words | 3 Pages

Meanwhile Hamlet was grieving. Soon after he was visited by a ghost. The ghost told Hamlet that he was his late father, and that Claudius murdered him. Also the ghost wanted to make sure Hamlet knew that his mother was innocent and not to take any revenge on her only Claudius. At first he did not know if it was true or not.

Read More

Self-Confidence In Hamlet

565 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More

Examples Of Personality Disorder In Hamlet

1598 Words | 7 Pages

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.

Read More

Examples Of Hamlet's Indecisiveness

628 Words | 3 Pages

Hamlet no longer wanted to live in this life despair and pain. Another illustration of his indecisiveness is during the play when he had a clear chance to avenge his father by killing Claudius but choose not to do so, because he thought that Claudius was repenting for his

Read More

Trapped In Hamlet's Hesitance

763 Words | 4 Pages

Hamlet’s Hesitance The tragedy of Hamlet centers on the ignorance of protagonist, Hamlet, and his inability to carry out his actions. His incompetence to complete his thoughts eventually leads to his tragic downfall. Hamlets situation entails one in which he thinks carefully and thoroughly through his actions.

Read More

The Affects Of Hamlet's Perspective On Life

402 Words | 2 Pages

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

Read More

Examples Of Indecisiveness In Hamlet

261 Words | 2 Pages

Throughout Hamlet, Prince Hamlet is faced against many situations that question his mental stability and ability to make decisions. His indecisiveness comes from the way he reacts to the situations he is put in and the way his mind presents these situations to him. The most important indecisive moments are Hamlet’s suicidal thoughts, his father’s ghost, and his vengeance to Claudius. When Hamlet is told by a ghost that has a resemblance of his father that Claudius had killed him, he vows to take vengeance and revenge his father’s death.

Read More

Example Of Betrayal In Hamlet

1327 Words | 6 Pages

When betrayed, one usually has negative emotions towards the people who have betrayed them. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare this idea is well illustrated, it is shown that betrayal affects the actions of Hamlet towards his friends and family, which indicates that the pursuit of vengeance often can cause one to forget the value of life. The betrayals that Hamlet suffered at the hands of his close friends and family, revealed important parts of Hamlet’s character, such as his intelligence, he is a very meticulous thinker that looks at situations from all angles, he is cunning, he has the ability to manipulate everyone into believing that he is insane, and he is skeptical, he does not believe any information until he finds it out for

Read More

Indecisiveness In Shakespeare's Hamlet

461 Words | 2 Pages

One example of how Hamlet shows being indecisive is when he is deciding whether to stay alive or to kill himself. " To be, or not to be, that is the question. Is it nobler in the mind to suffer. The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Or to fight against a sea of troubles, And end them by fighting?"

Read More

Hamlet's Tragic Flaw Analysis

810 Words | 4 Pages

Hamlet’s hesitant nature is well presented in the play. For one, Hamlet cannot bring forth the strength to end his own life; his indecision of whether or not to commit suicide plagues him for more than half the play.

Read More

Essay On Conscience In Hamlet

710 Words | 3 Pages

His conscience was aligned with his religious beliefs which got in the way of allowing him to act on his thoughts. This sparked an inner conflict in Hamlet about what to do. When Hamlet was first told by the ghost to kill King Claudius, Hamlet overthinks the decision on throughout the book. Hamlet knows his conscience driven mind will prevent him from acting on his instincs to kill Claudius. “Thus conscience does make cowards of us all” (3.1.87) Hamlet is angry with himself that he has let his conscience come in the way.

Read More

Indecisiveness In Hamlet

1921 Words | 8 Pages

Hamlets tragic flaw is his indecisiveness to make decisions. This trait is demonstrated through the entire play and causes Hamlet to his own demise. When Hamlet has immediate suspicious of his fathers murder and later proof, he delays the murder, which is puzzling because the play is about revenge, and one would expect him to have done it earlier as he had ample amount of opportunities to do so. His indecisiveness has puzzled many.

Read More

Essay On Hamlet As A Tragic Hero

943 Words | 4 Pages

Due to himself being too idealistic and restrained, he does not take decisive actions even after using the planned play to test the Claudius's conscience that could possibly expose himself and left himself in unfavorable circumstances. Hamlet’s inability to act is caused by his overanalysis of the situations that further render him from not carrying out actions in response. If Hamlet is not indecisive, he would not be uncertain about the evidence regarding to his uncle’s crime, he would not be delaying his revenge, he would not be having emotional breakdowns and become a tragic figure. Hamlet’s personality ‘borns’ and develops under his royal position and the growing

Read More

More about The Progression Of Indecision In Shakespeare's Hamlet

Related Topics

Open Document