Introduction
Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, is a great play. It is about traditional revenge, by the character Hamlet, who is the Prince of Denmark. He pursued to avenge the death of his father. However, he faces challenges in executing the required actions until the end. Hamlet‘s indecisiveness pushes him into a state of anxiety and confusion. His intelligence, coupled with other aspects, makes it impossible for him to actuate his plan. It brings about the question, “Why does Hamlet wait so long to kill Claudius?” Based on different scenes in the play, Hamlet’s self-doubt, overthinking, and idealism are illustrated.
In a way, Hamlet’s idealism contributes to the rising action, falling action, and resolution are attributed to Hamlet’s indecision. He is an academic, a witty speaker, a prince, and a perfect actor. He has the potential to excel in anything he desires, including being King of Denmark, in the future. Hamlet was proficient in so many things. However, his idealism makes him indecisive. There is a vast period that passes between his father’s death, and revenge on the killer. While idealism is a good trait, in this case, it causes constant conflict within Hamlet.
Idealism
Hamlet’s idealism leads to his constant reevaluation of his decision to kill Claudius. He ensures that he is confident that Claudius is guilty of murdering the previous King so that he does not act out solely based on emotions. His actions are attributed to his purity of soul. The idealism allowed him to hide his bitterness while he sincerely wanted to revenge his father’s murder. He firmly believes that men are born good and are meant to do good things. It is the contrast of reality as the world is full of corruption. He is irritated by the evils that exist not only in his community but also at his home. He experiences challenges in resolving his illusions about an ideal world with reality and committing the brutal violence of killing someone. Hamlet tries to apply logic when selecting the course of action that he will take. He does not understand that his “idealism” is leading to indecisiveness and delaying him from taking revenge for his father’s murder.
Indecisiveness
Hamlet overthinking contributes to his indecisiveness. Overthinking paralyzes his thoughts into no-action. At first, he realizes that revenge is only exacted when the person’s evil actions are exposed to the public. Then, the thought of murder can be actualized into revenge. It means that Hamlet had to gather the necessary evidence to prove that Claudius had poisoned the late King before killing Claudius. In act three, Hamlet still hasn’t provided proof that his uncle is a murderer, so he decides to take action into his own words. He comes up with the thought of using the play to determine whether Claudius is guilty or not. Despite the play revealing that Claudius was guilty, it did not present any proof for the public. It was a problem as he had the evidence but could not act.
Hamlet avoids killing his uncle when he is praying because he overthinks until he freezes up. Hamlet resolves that he does not have any evidence. Also, he believes that when he kills Claudius while he is praying, he might go to heaven as his sins will be forgiven. It is the exact opposite of the purpose of revenge. Hamlet foregoes this perfect opportunity to kill Claudius. It is ironic since Claudius’ words, “My words fly up, my thoughts,/ remain below:/ Words without thoughts never to heaven go” (Act 3 Scene 3 lines 97-99), reveal that he did not think that his prayers were reaching God. Therefore, if Hamlet would have murdered him, Claudius would have gone to hell. Hamlet’s overthinking is revealed in that he wants Claudius’ murder to follow all the necessary precautions perfectly and that he goes to hell. He spends too much of his time planning rather than executing, thereby complicating the issue.
Self-Doubt
Hamlet’s self-doubt contributes to his indecisiveness. His self-doubt limits him from moving forward with all his plans. He revealed his indecisiveness when he said, “The time is out od joint. O cursed spite/ That ever I was born to set it right” (Act 1 Scene 5, Line 196). During his encounter with the ghost, he is well equipped with details concerning the King’s murder by his brother. Despite Hamlet initially believing the ghost’s statement that he is bound to fight against all difficulties, he later questions its identity. He says: “The spirit I have seen/ May be a devil, and the devil hath power/ T’s assume a pleasing shape” (Act 2 Scene 2, Line 589). His actions after the revelation do not coincide with his immediate disgust. He is unsure whether he is the one who should carry out the revenge on Claudius. Hamlet dreads that he might be misguided into evil deeds. Therefore, he doubts himself and becomes completely indecisive.
Conclusion
Eventually, Hamlet succeeds in killing Claudius. His emotions supersede his intellect. His father’s death consumes him, and the thought that he will not be able to rest until his death is avenged. He successfully suppresses his overthinking traits, and idealistic nature and does what he was supposed to do. The murder was not planned out and occurred in the heat of emotions. After that, Hamlet does not waiver in his choices. If only he had acted from the word go, the death would have been long avenged. Hamlet’s idealism contributes to his indecision and led to rising action, falling action, and resolution. Hamlet overthinking paralyzes his thoughts into no-action whenever he got an opportunity to kill Claudius, especially in the praying scene. Besides, self-doubt limits him from moving forward with all the plans that he thoroughly thought through—the three factors attributed to Hamlet’s indecisiveness.
