The play “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare, a seemingly traditional revenge play, depicts the Prince of Denmark - Hamlet who sought to take revenge on the murder of his father, but he actually failed to bring himself into actions. In fact, Hamlet‘s indecisiveness drives himself into turmoil; he is constantly preoccupied with over-thinking. Therefore, it becomes impossible for him to act on his plan. Based on our performance of the prayer scene, we are able to take a closer look at Hamlet’s indecision, which in our opinion results from his inability to pursue the certain knowledge of his situation.
First of all, Hamlet is indecisive in nature so that he is unable to move forward on anything. During his encounter with the ghost, Hamlet is well informed of his father’s murderer- his uncle. He revealed “The time is out od joint. O cursed spite/ That ever I was born to set it right”(Act 1 Scene 5 Line 196). At first, Hamlet seems to believe in the ghost’s statement; he feels he is destined to fight against the odds in Denmark. However as a thinker rather than a man of action, Hamlet soon questions the identity of the ghost by saying: “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). In this way, Hamlet feels he is lack of evidence to evaluate the ghost’s statement; he fears he might be deluded into something evil. As a result, he becomes completely indecisive to act in the first place.
In addition, Hamlet is trapped in his moral nature by proceeding to another knowledge of the afterlife. Armed with the certain fact of his uncle’s sin, Hamlet should have been able to take revenge on Claudius. Nevertheless, he is discontented with the insufficient punishment of Claudius; therefore, he was unable to take action when he finds Claudius praying. Hamlet reveals he needs “some act that has no relish of salvation in it”(Act 3 Scene 3 line 93). In this quote, he is affected by his moral nature, for he wants to send Claudius to hell. By seeking to gain a perfect murder, Hamlet again is indecisive to take the revenge.
All in all, Hamlet is naturally indecisive and constantly overwhelmed with over-thinking. He is preoccupied with complex thinking toward his situation, so that he is unable to take action not until the end of the play. These complex characteristics of Hamlet make the play one of the most well known Shakespeare’s masterpieces, for nowadays individuals can also reflect themselves with indecision whenever they need to evaluate any difficult situations.
First of all, Hamlet is indecisive in nature so that he is unable to move forward on anything. During his encounter with the ghost, Hamlet is well informed of his father’s murderer- his uncle. He revealed “The time is out od joint. O cursed spite/ That ever I was born to set it right”(Act 1 Scene 5 Line 196). At first, Hamlet seems to believe in the ghost’s statement; he feels he is destined to fight against the odds in Denmark. However as a thinker rather than a man of action, Hamlet soon questions the identity of the ghost by saying: “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). In this way, Hamlet feels he is lack of evidence to evaluate the ghost’s statement; he fears he might be deluded into something evil. As a result, he becomes completely indecisive to act in the first place.
In addition, Hamlet is trapped in his moral nature by proceeding to another knowledge of the afterlife. Armed with the certain fact of his uncle’s sin, Hamlet should have been able to take revenge on Claudius. Nevertheless, he is discontented with the insufficient punishment of Claudius; therefore, he was unable to take action when he finds Claudius praying. Hamlet reveals he needs “some act that has no relish of salvation in it”(Act 3 Scene 3 line 93). In this quote, he is affected by his moral nature, for he wants to send Claudius to hell. By seeking to gain a perfect murder, Hamlet again is indecisive to take the revenge.
All in all, Hamlet is naturally indecisive and constantly overwhelmed with over-thinking. He is preoccupied with complex thinking toward his situation, so that he is unable to take action not until the end of the play. These complex characteristics of Hamlet make the play one of the most well known Shakespeare’s masterpieces, for nowadays individuals can also reflect themselves with indecision whenever they need to evaluate any difficult situations.