Essay on Hamlet
Much has been said about whether or not Hamlet is insane, but I believe that there is more to Hamlet’s strange behavior than simply insanity. He struggles to kill Claudius because there is an internal conflict of personality where part of him wants to obey his father to the fullest, and part of him is hesitant because he does not feel that he has the guts to commit murder, especially when the proof he has of his father’s death is contestible.
When Hamlet hears of the sighting of his father’s ghost, he is eager to meet his father because he loves him very much. He begs the guards to take him to the ghost, and when they do, Hamlet insists on going to talk with him despite warnings by the guards. Hamlet’s eagerness to follow his father shows his respect and love for him, and indicates that Hamlet is willing to take risks to succumb to his father’s demands.
When the ghost tells Hamlet to murder Claudius, he shows no signs of hesitation. He proclaims that “I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to my revenge” (Act I, Scene IV, line 51).
However, had Hamlet been able to keep his promise of swift revenge, the play would have been over with by the second act. Instead, Hamlet spends the rest of the play hesitating and procrastinating on his duty. He hesitates because he is uncertain of whether he is physically capable of committing murder, and he also questions the validity of the ghost’s testimony. How can he be sure that what he saw was really his father’s ghost? How can he be sure that the ghost was even telling the truth? He struggles throughout the play to prove these things to himself. Read more…