Hamlet infers, “conscience does make cowards of us all” suggesting that these potential consequences disallows Hamlet from taking action. Because of his tendency to over-think, he develops a lack of urgency in his decision-making, defining himself as truly a procrastinator instead of a “man That is not passion’s slave” (Act III. Scene ii. Lines 73-74). The death of Hamlet’s father and his mother’s hasty remarriage to his uncle commences Hamlet’s depressed state; however, his internal conflict and procrastination further Hamlet’s melancholic disposition.
Three critical character in the play that completely display a character flaw are Hamlet with his over- thinking nature, Ophelia with her emotional weakness and Polonius with his absolute loyalty to the king. One of Hamlet’s most popular character flaws is that he over thinks matters of controversial value, and situations in which actions need to be taken. The most important part of the play, where Hamlet displays his flaw of over thinking matters, is when he is about to kill King Claudius. He ultimately does not go through with the plan, and says that he could not kill Claudius when he was in confessional because then Claudius would go to heaven, and that would not conclude in revenge. Hamlet also demonstrates his flaw when he says “That would be scanned,”(Shakespeare III.iii.76) which basically means that he wants think more about the situation at hand, before following it through.
In the play Hamlet acts mad. He is not crazy however but is merely pretending to be. Before he begins this act he tells Horatio and Marcellus what he is about to do. Polonius notices that there is too much sense in Hamlets charade for him to be truly crazy. Hamlet makes sure his uncle is guilty of murder before enacting his revenge.
The other option would be to not avenge his father and suffer the consequences in purgatory, Hamlet states, “Till the foul crimes done in my days of the nature/ Are burnt and purged away”. By selecting whichever of these options, Hamlet seals his fate in either the mortal world or the afterlife. Hamlet’s decision to kill Claudius ends up “damning” him, and unfortunately, everyone else involved. In this tragedy, it is clear that Hamlet’s actions have predetermined outcomes. Hamlet was destined to be damned the moment he was asked to avenge his father.
As he says “To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer...” Hamlet contemplates suicide, due to a lack of trust in himself. Hamlet does not trust that he can take revenge on Claudius and move on. Shakespeare displays Hamlet’s lack of trust through characterization. Hamlet is displayed as a macabre, pessimistic and suicidal character. .“A damn'd defeat was made.
And you must needs have hear, how I am punished with a sore distraction. What I have done that might your nature, honor, and exception roughly awake, I here proclaim was madness. (5.2 243-246)” Here Hamlet apologized to Laertes saying that his madness was at fault for the murder of his father. A person who was insane would neither realize that he/she is mad nor would know that their actions were uncontrollable. Hamlet showed that he was sane when he was with specific characters, such as his best friend, Horatio.
Theme Presentation Sanity vs. Insanity Theme Statement: Madness is a useful tool for Hamlet as it helps them reveal the truth. In the play Ophelia and Hamlet ignore all social boundaries as a result of madness. Introduction: When the ghost of his father appears initially triggers his madness. He then harnesses his madness to trap Claudius. This act of madness unfortunately leads to the unintentional death of Polonius.
On one level it helps develop the reader’s understanding of some of the play’s key themes. The first of these is revenge. At this point in the play, after Hamlet has earlier been told by his father’s ghost that he was murdered by his brother, Hamlet’s uncle Claudius, Hamlet has taken no significant action to claim that revenge the ghost has demanded. He believes he has established grounds for taking the appropriate revenge, yet
He even contemplates suicide but his rational mind stops him from doing so. Hamlet is painfully aware that committing suicide will damn his soul to hell. Shortly after, Hamlet meets with the ghost of his father. The ghost of King Hamlet tells Hamlet that Claudius, the brother of King Hamlet, killed him. The ghost asks Hamlet to avenge his “most foul murder.” However, he warns Hamlet not to let revenge consume his mind.
It is her report to Claudius that seals his decision to have Hamlet executed. In scene I we learn a lot about Claudius’ character. He is a selfish king who is more concerned with his self preservation than achieving justice. His response to Polonius’ death is to get rid of Hamlet – not to punish Hamlet for his crime but rather to remove the threat Hamlet poses to his