Example research essay topic: Hamlet A Man Of Delay Or Action - 1,344 words

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... and Hamlet believes that this time spent is delay. In reality though, this using of time is not delay, because the Prince is not wasting time, but rather using it. By using his time and committing himself to justification for his deed, he adds fresh sins and crimes to Claudius soul. These additions not only justify the heros actions against his uncle in the final scene, they enhance his revenge as well, because he is not only avenging his father now, but everyone else who had died within the play. Thus Hamlet did not truly delay in killing his usurping uncle, because he was committed to justice and acted in such a way as to ensure it.

While Hamlet is committed he justice, he is also a man of great intellectual capacity; thus his actions are many times intellectual, but they are still actions nonetheless. The Prince must act in an intelligent manner at all times, for not to do so would be against his nature. He must take the time to think his situation through and answer all of the philosophical questions necessary for him to complete his bloody revenge. In the to be or not to be soliloquy, the reader notices the deep philosophical debate going on within the hero. He contemplates whether it is better to face evil stoically, even if it means defying your morals, or should one just escape into death. While this debate is proof for Hamlets fear and melancholy, it also shows that he is both philosophical and analytical by nature, and as a result he spends much of his time in philosophical analysis.

What many Shakespearean critics fail to see is that Hamlet must complete this analysis before he can follow through with his deed. Only after Laertes publicly incriminates the usurper is the heros analysis complete, and his results make clear to him that he is morally justified in killing his uncle. As a result, the Prince is able to take Claudius life and feel no moral scruples in doing so. Thus, it is quite evident that Hamlet did not delay when he took the time to use his intellectual skills and think the situation through; he was just acting according to his nature and taking the mental precautions he knew were necessary to fulfill his deed. Hamlet also holds a high consideration for honor, which can be seen in the concern for his reputation among the people of Denmark and in his disgust toward the state of Denmark's incestuous court.

As a result the young prince directs his actions toward the maintenance of his integrity. In order to do so, he is obligated to not only find personal motives against Claudius, but also to articulate them as well, so as to make them known and allow him to maintain his reputation as an honorable man. He establishes his motives very clearly to Horatio when he says: He that hath killed my king, and world my mother; Popped in between the election and my hopes; Thrown out his angle for my proper life, And with such coinage -- ist not perfect conscience To quit him with this arm? And ist not to be damned To let this canker of our nature come In further evil? (5. 2. 64 - 70) Clearly, Hamlet voices these personal motives to Horatio in concern for his reputation. Hamlet knows that he will very soon have to make the move against Claudius, and doing so may result in his death.

So he tells Horatio every detail about the time he spent in-route to England, making sure to emphasize Claudius order to have him killed, and he articulates to his good friend these personal reasons why he has animosity toward the king. Eventually, after Hamlet knows his death is imminent, these statements to Horatio serve their purpose, for the dying prince tells his friend that it is his duty to tell my [Hamlets] story. In telling his story, Horatio can maintain Hamlets honorable reputation using the evidence that the deceased prince had already laid out. Thus the time Hamlet spends gaining and articulating personal motives against Claudius cannot be interpreted as delay, because it is necessary for the prince to take the time to do so if he desires to maintain his reputation as a man of high moral integrity. Hamlet also cannot jump into killing Claudius because of the fact that he must defy his ethical nature if he is going to kill the king.

As seen in his ability to define wickedness throughout the play, the young prince has a sweet and commendable nature, one that rejects sin (1. 2. 87). Thus he must defy his moral nature, which is an overwhelming task for any ethical man to complete. Furthermore, because Hamlet is also philosophical by nature, and because his present situation is so overwhelming, he tends to evaluate the situation from a philosophical standpoint, which in turn takes time, time that many Shakespearean scholars interpret as delay. As previously established, the hero has an obligation to completely analyze and understand his present circumstances, which takes time, but necessary time nonetheless.

If he doesnt take the necessary mental precautions, then he would not feel ultimately justified in seeking revenge. Hamlet knows that he must take physical action, but to do so, he is forced to defy his moral and philosophical nature. As a result, the prince must complete his philosophical debate within in order to complete the deed at hand. Hermann Ulrici best explains the princes necessity to complete his intellectual debates when he says, Hamlet has the desire to accomplish great things, but it must be done in obedience to the dictates of his own thoughts, and by his own independent, original, and creative energy (Ulrici, 216). According to this statement, Hamlet must mentally prepare himself to kill the king, because his situation arises from external circumstances and not from his own doing.

If the hero was not bound to kill Claudius by his fathers ghost, then such a situation would not be so difficult. But since Hamlet is bound by necessity, he feels trapped and weak, and he doesnt know how to handle the situation because hes not in complete control. Thus the hero must come to terms with his nature and realize that he does not have a full grasp on his destiny, which he does in the final scene. He finally comes to the epiphany that he has to physically act, and he puts his intellectual nature aside to perform the deed. Therefore, Hamlet must take the time to prepare himself to defy his nature.

If he had acted otherwise, then surely the prince would not be the same tragic hero that Shakespeare so brilliantly portrayed. The final reason that Hamlet cannot immediately kill the king is that he continually strives to be his own idea of a true man, and thus his actions are directed toward that pursuit. He defines the true man as a piece of work noble in reason infinite in faculties moving how express and admirable in action like an angel, in apprehension like a god (2. 2. 293 - 296). Because Hamlet, by nature, cannot ever be this idea of a true man, he must learn to accept his situation and act accordingly. He cannot try to control the circumstances as he does up until the sword-fight scene.

In this scene, the prince finally accepts that he has to physically act, and he acts feeling morally justified because he has already completely analyzed the situation. Although these are not the actions of a true man, the reader sees the heros actions as the correct ones to take. Proof of this fact lies within a comparison of Laertes and Hamlet. The poet portrays Hamlet as intellectually active, yet physically ineffectual.

Laertes, on the other hand, is portrayed as quick to action, easily duped by an immoral king, and failing in the final scene. Thus one can conclude that the young princes intellectual approach is actually more effective and therefore t...

Research essay sample on Hamlet A Man Of Delay Or Action