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Why Did Hamlet Not Kill Claudius

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death. He could not perform the act of revenge because he was not prepared for that. He is in a state of emotional turmoil. He could not face squarely the moral ambiguity of revenge

Another cause of Hamlet delay is the issue of regicide. Hamlet is afraid of death, either suffering it or inflicting it on someone else and he is finding it difficult believing a murder that he did not witness or that he is not sure of its circumstances and as a result its revenge seems almost impossible to him. Hamlet could not kill Claudius because of the fear that nobility will be against him. Claudius is not an ordinary person. He is the King and head of Denmark with a lot of immunities protecting him, therefore killing him is accepting whatever …show more content…

He was so depressed about his father’s death that he has lost his sense of reasoning. Even his mother testifies to the extent his father’s death affected him when she told Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that “And I beseech you instantly to visit my too much changed son” (Act II, Scene 2) Again Claudius did mention Hamlet’s condition when he said “The need we have to use you did provoke our hasty sending. Something have you heard of hamlet’s transformation” (Act II, Scene 2). Hamlet himself has lost interest in Denmark; he now refers to Denmark as prison. Denmark, he used to love and cherish as paradise has lost its taste and now he sees Denmark as prison. The thing is that his father’s sudden death was a shock coupled with the fact that his mother could not wait for his return before she married Claudius and Claudius accession to the throne were so fast that he could not comprehend all these happening at the same time. He sees everyone around him as acting funny, being dishonest and working along with Claudius as if the death of his father means nothing to them. The book the meaning of Hamlet suggest that Hamlet was suffering not from some pain “melancholy” which could have cause his inaction. The book point out the “other critics have tried to trace Hamlet behavior even deeper into the diagnostics of Renaissance psychology, into the psychological

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Hamlet, also, could not get over the death of his father. He found out when his father’s ghost came back that his brother, and Hamlet’s uncle, murdered him. He then was willing to do anything possible to get revenge on Claudius, his uncle. Both of

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In Hamlet, Shakespeare presented Hamlet as the prince of Denmark. When he arrive his home, he found his beloved father, the king of Denmark, is already dead. Again, his mothers marriage with his uncle came to him bolt from the blue. It was unbearable for him to accept that his parents’ conjugal bed is being shared. Then the trauma started that ended into death.

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Hamlet is very mysterious in his ways, but hesitates on his actions and tries to find the long way out in a situation instead of taking a more logical route. He makes his situation harder for himself not only by hesitating to kill the king, but by also waiting to see if Claudius was guilty for his actions. Something that really stood out about hamlet was his inability to kill Claudius. With the multiple opportunities there was a surprise when Hamlet didn’t just “lash out at Claudius” anytime.

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And so am I revenged. That would be scanned, a villain kills my father, and, for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven” (line 74-79). Hamlet believes that Claudius is praying and doesn’t want to kill him, because he doesn’t want him to go to heaven. This inability is the tragic mistake that hamlets creates, to his soon to be

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The Kingdom of Denmark had just suffered the death of a great King and leader. King Hamlet was a father to the people of Denmark. Some of the citizens fully believed that Hamlet Jr. should be king because it passed down the lineage. Others believed that Claudius should be king because he was the brother of Hamlet and now the husband of Queen Gertrude. King Claudius says, "This ough yet of Hamlet our dear brother 's death

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1153 Words | 5 Pages

He is depressed and suicidal as indicated in his infamous quote, “To be, or not to be: that is the question.” (3.1.57). However, while many may choose to carry on after the death of a loved one, Hamlet chose to hold on to his sorrow and pretended to be mad so he can know the truth behind his father’s death. Hamlet’s tragic life is not the cause for his madness. Hamlet drives himself to the brink of insanity

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Hamlet Comparison Essay There are many qualities that make an effective and powerful leader. Some leaders strive for greatness; others strive to make history. Though their goals may differ, all can agree that the most important component of leadership is earning the respect of those who follow you and being responsible with the power you earn. There are many strong leaders in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, though not all are effective.

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To test Claudius’s guilt, Hamlet adds a scene reenacting the murder of Hamlet’s father. Claudius abruptly leaves the play, and afterward, tries to pray. When Claudius is praying, Hamlet is considering killing him, but decides not to because he wants to kill him in sin so that he does not get a chance at last confession. They also all end up dying later in the story due to a sword fight and poison.

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⇒ Hamlet is satisfied with the outcome with the play ⇒ He is finally ready to put his revenge into action ⇒ When Claudius prays, the audience is given certainty that he did kill the late King Hamlet ⇒ Hamlet waits again because he doesn’t want to kill Claudius while he is confessing his sins; Hamlet believes he will go to heaven ⇒ Hamlet wants a more radical revenge, he wants to make sure that the punishment will be sufficient - not just to kill him, but to make sure he goes to hell ⇒ Hamlet is trying to find certainty in something that is uncertain (death and the afterlife) ⇒ Hamlet cannot control Claudius fate because he will never no for certain if Claudius’ spirit has gone to heaven or hell ⇒ But Hamlet wants to ensure fairness and that’s

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1488 Words | 6 Pages

In late Act II, Hamlet is beginning to approach the climax of the play as he makes realizations about the state of Denmark, and the state of his mind. He voices a few of those feelings when he says to his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, “Denmark is a prison” (II, ii). Hamlet calls Denmark a prison because he feels as if everyone is turning against him, and everyone is watching him, similar to how prisoners are watched in a prison, and he says that Denmark is the worst of the prisons, strictly because there is no one he can trust, not even his friends. In a previous conversation, this time with Polonius, he makes a reference to his mental state and informs Polonius that he could not take anything from Hamlet that he cares less about, except his life. This shows an advancement of his mental illness, where he is struggling to care whether he lives or dies.

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518 Words | 3 Pages

He is grieving the death of his father. Meanwhile, Claudius was likely voted king by the court. Hamlet is very cruel to his mother, Gertrude. This is an effect of Hamlet not having the time to grieve his father, instead he comes back to Denmark only to see his uncle marry his mother. This is causing him to be upset thus his cruelty towards his

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679 Words | 3 Pages

First of all, King Claudius’s ambition to become the next King of Denmark causes him to lose his conscience. As King Hamlet’s ghost reveals the truth of his death, he anguishes, “Thus was I [King Hamlet], sleeping, by a brother’s hand, Of life, of crown, of queen at once dispatched” (1.5.81-82). The throne of Denmark motivates King Claudius to slay his own biological brother to succeed King Hamlet’s “crown”. His desire to gain power has overwhelming covered up his moral values.

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1467 Words | 6 Pages

He sought to avenge the death of his father, thus giving his father justice. However, Hamlet’s quest for vengeance did not allow him to remain a righteous character, but instead turned him into a villain. Claudius who is seen as the villain is only responsible for the death of one person, while Hamlet is responsible for numerous. He kills three himself, causes Ophelia to commit suicide, arranges the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, forces Claudius to drink poison even though he is already dying from a poisoned sword wound. So while Hamlet is justified in wanting to extract revenge for the death of his father he was not justified in the amount of deaths that he caused either directly or indirectly.

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1673 Words | 7 Pages

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (I.v.90). Hamlet is about a young prince who is mourning the loss of his father. He then tries to seek revenge on his uncle Claudius because he poisoned his father. Throughout the play Hamlet’s behavior starts to change which causes him to become mad. The theory about all this is a Psychological Approach.

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Though Hamlet is aware of what things may come under the rule of his uncle, he is slow to action, which some might contribute to his"extreme sensitive nature" (Knight 3); however, deep down Hamlet harbors a need to be completely sure of the facts surrounding his father's death before he can convince himself to take action. Hamlet's own insecurities about whether or not he should take action severely halts his efforts at canceling fate, and it may be argued that his insecurities even made it stronger. On the other hand, it can be argued that Hamlet is simply enacting his free will in the way that he chooses to wait and be sure, rather than to take action against Claudius right away as his father's ghost wants him to. This brings about an internal conflict for Hamlet because outwardly, one is able to see that he is nervous of Denmark's fate, comparing it to "an unweeded garden that grows to seed" (Shakespeare 1.2.135-136) under Claudius' reign. Perhaps if Hamlet did not wait so long to take action, he might have been able to save many lives and rule the kingdom himself, thus changing the country's fate.

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