Hamlet No Delay, No Play Essay - 1708 Words

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, title character in the play of the same name, has been criticized for centuries due to his delay in killing his uncle Claudius and the consequences that occurred as a result. But as one critic once pointed out, â€Å"No delay, no play† (Jenkins 137). The entire plot of Hamlet is based on the events that occur due to Hamlet’s waffling as to whether or not he should, and when he should, avenge his father’s murder. Hamlet, who appears to be a Christian man, would be committing a murder regardless of the reasons. This is not something that most would take lightly or rush in to under any circumstances. This discussion will defend Hamlet’s continuous delays by analyzing certain situations in the play which affect his†¦show more content†¦C. Bradley’s insistence that conscience was not the reason behind the delay (Chan). But Bradley’s opinion, while it should be respected and considered, is just thatâ₠¬â€an opinion. There other possibilities to consider, and Hamlet not wanting to go to Hell for committing a murder is one of them. Hamlet first learns of the murder of his father by his uncle’s hand from his father’s ghost. The ghost is a powerful character indeed and for a seventeenth century audience, â€Å"it was the old ghost rather than young Hamlet who attracted the most attention† (de Grazia 357). The ghost had already appeared to a few of the guards and Horatio, but would not speak to them. When they inform Hamlet of the ghost’s presence and Hamlet watches with them that night, the ghost appears and tells Hamlet his tale of woe. While we have no reason to believe that the ghost is lying, we, as does Hamlet, have to consider the fact that the ghost is in Hell. He describes his prison house as â€Å"horrible! most horrible† while having died with all his â€Å"imperfections† on his head as his chance of being given his last rites was stolen from him (I, v. 79-80). So if the ghost is indeed in Hell, it is entirely possible that it is motivated by evil intentions. At this point, Hamlet nor the reader or audience member, should rule out the possibility that the ghost is simply furious over his â€Å"seeming-virtuous queen† crawling into his brother’s bed, possibly even before his death, and seeks toShow MoreRelatedEssay about Hamlet 11844 Words   |  4 Pages Why does Hamlet delay taking action against Claudius? This is a question that everyone want to know. We all know that Hamlet want to kill his Uncle Claudius as soon as possible. But why does he wait so long to sweep to his revenge? I believe that there are more than one reason why Hamlet delays before he takes action. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;One reason why Hamlet delays to take action against Claudius is because he does not just want to kill him, but he wants to damn his spirit. 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