What reasons does Hamlet give for procrastinating over the murder of Claudius? Which reasons do you find convincing?
How are the female characters presented in the play? Are Ophelia and Gertrude merely pawns in the political world of Elsinore, or influential players in the power struggle?
Is Claudius a good King? Discuss his treatment of Laertes, Ophelia, Polonius, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and Gertude.
Discuss the significance of the graveyard scene. What comic relief does the clown bring, and how does this conflict with/or parallel Ophelia's "funeral"?
Discuss spying in Elsinore.
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What reasons does Hamlet give for procrastinating over the murder of Claudius? Which reasons do you find convincing?
Hamlet goes to kill Claudius after he witnesses his guilt by leaving the play. But as hamlet walks in to kill him he sees that he is praying and decides to wait because if he killed him now, his sole would surely be sent to heaven and there would be no revenge for his fathers death. He thinks about how his father is probably in hell also and that he can't imagine all the things his father did that he never had the chance to repent for. He decides to wait to kill him until he can catch Claudius in a sinful act, like when he is having incestuous relations with his mother. I find it pretty convincing that he wont kill him while he is in prayer and that it would be best to kill him when he is doing something wrong, however i feel like Hamlet is constantly conflicted by his own hesitation. He was revenge but seems to have a hard time following through with it. there is always something that gets in his way, and even at the end of the play when he does finally get revenge he dies also.
How are the female characters presented in the play? Are Ophelia and Gertrude merely pawns in the political world of Elsinore, or influential players in the power struggle?
As Hamlet is the focal point of everything that happens in the play, the way in which the women in this play would be judged most influential is by their impact him. Ophelia seemingly has very little influence on Hamlet, and the only positive thing that Hamlet does for her is his veiled attempts of having her run away, and much of his criticisms of her at this point (directly after the 'To be or not to be...' soliloquy) can be seen as directed at his mother, Gertrude, rather than at Ophelia. Because of this Ophelia isn't even important enough to be insulted appropiately, and she goes through the play very much as a victim of the other characters, rather than being proactive and affecting things. Gertrude, on the other hand, is the most influential living character for Hamlet in the entire play. Her immeadiate marriage to his uncle had a noticeable affect on him, as explained in the first of Hamlet's soliloquies. She could not know of Claudius' murder, so there is no sinister reasons for her trying to disuade Hamlet from bearing Claudius any ill will, but, by trying to have Hamlet move on after his father's death, she has unwittingly chosen a side in the Hamlet vs Claudius struggle. As well as an interpretable Oedipal concept within Hamlet, there are many significant ways in which Gertrude influences Hamlet, despite Hamlet eventually fufilling his wish or his father's wish for satisfied vengeance.
I'm not even sure if Gertrude has influence over Hamlet to any appreciable extent, let alone importance in the plot as a whole. Even at the beginning, especially in his first soliloquy, Hamlet seems to be relishing his chance to be miserable, frankly, and though he talks about how much he loved his father, it is difficult to imagine him genuinely loving someone (it almost seems as if he were playing a part). Perhaps, as with Ophelia, he finds it easier to express love for the dead, who cannot respond (or so he thinks). So the effect of Gertrude's remarriage seems to be over-estimated. His depression seems to be part of his character rather than the effect of outside events. This is difficult to prove of course, since we are not allowed to see Hamlet before his father’s death.
Ophelia is a passive tool. In her first scene she is instructed first by her brother, then by her father, how to conduct herself towards Hamlet, while her own belief in Hamlet’s sincerity is crushed by Polonius, who later spies on her to decide whether her rejection has made Hamlet mad. It seems only in her own madness does she play an active role in the play, ‘strewing dangerous conjectures in ill-breeding minds.’ Even in her death she is irritatingly passive, falling into the water without trying to save herself. Her death is not dramatised, instead Gertrude tells us about it- even in death she cannot represent herself. When dead she is again used by Hamlet and Laertes, who almost enter into a competition to see who can out-rhetoric the other by describing how they loved her, and neither of whom did. She is only an object for them to fight over, not concerned with her own feelings for them, but only theirs for her. They show the most love for her when she is most passive, when they can control her through how they remember her, and when she cannot make demands.
I think the main reason that Hamlet procrastinates over murdering Cladius is because at the moment Hamlet intends to kill Cladius he finds him praying. Hamlet believes that if he murders Cladius while he is praying his soul will go to heaven. Hamlet, I think, feels that if this were to happen that it would not be proper revenge for his father’s murder. I think that this is a convincing reason. We see at the start of the play that Hamlet cares a lot for his father and is devastated over his death. It seems reasonable that Hamlet would hesitate over murdering Cladius if he thought that there was a chance that his soul would go to heaven and not be properly punished for murdering Hamlet's father.
Is Claudius a good King?
Is Claudius a king at all? It is never explained in the text the reasons that he should assume power when Hamlet already had an heir, the young Hamlet. Claudius is a very plausible politician. He uses and abuses all those around him to maintain his position of power so we must assume that this is the way in which he came to power. That is overlooking the small matters of regicide, fratracide and incest.
Denmark is presented throughout the play as under threat. Fortinbras/Norway are the external threats. Inside Elsinore there is a culture of subterfuge. Everyone is spying on everyone else. It would not seem then that the state of Denmark is a happy place. The people are ready to throw in their lot with Laertes when he storms the palace to seek redress for his fathers death. Internally and externally then there are problems. Ultimatley Claudius delivers the state of Denmark up to its enemies. This is the final indictement on his tenure as king. I would not think that he is a good king.
"Discuss Spying in Elsinore"
The theme of spying in Hamlet serves to underscore the duplicity inherent in the usurping of Old Hamlet. Though Claudius is not complicit in all of the instances of spying in the play, it illustrates nevertheless the morally warped context from which his actions have sprung. In short, he is a product of the “rotten state of Denmark”
In II.i., we see Polonius instruct Reynaldo to spy obliquely on Laertes in France by probing with subtle inquiry:
"Your bait of falsehood takes this carp of truth:
And thus do we of wisdom and of reach,
With windlasses and with assays of bias,
By indirections find directions out"
(II.i.65-68)
This portrays the ideals of Elsinore as a world of subterfuge, in which the truth can only be obtained by insidious manipulation. This corrupted filial trust directly mirrors the dynamic between Hamlet and Claudius.
In II.ii. Claudius and Gertrude tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to:
"draw [Hamlet] on to pleasures, and to gather
So much as from occasions you glean,
Whether aught, to us unknown, afflicts him"
(II.ii.15-17)
Though this may not consist spying in an immediate sense, it represents nevertheless the veiled manipulation of honoured trust. It illustrates a deferral of duty; Claudius and Gertrude can only interact with Hamlet emotionally on a strictly vicarious level. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern therefore serve the cause of moral and spiritual espionage.
This notion of emotional manipulation comes again to the fore when Claudius and Polonius spy on Hamlet, using Ophelia as a marionette to provoke response:
"Her father and myself, lawful espials,
Will so bestow ourselves that, seeing unseen,
We may of their encounter frankly judge."
(III.i.35-37)
This highlights the misguided faith placed in spying as a conduit through which objectivity may be achieved. In Elsinore (as T.S. Eliot pointed out), there is no objective frame of reference - Hamlet’s cryptic effusions cannot be trusted, Old Hamlet’s ghost cannot be trusted (II.ii. 530-531 “The spirit I have seen / May be the devil”), Claudius’ concern for Hamlet’s behaviour is coloured by self-interest, Gertrude’s honour and filial duty cannot be trusted after her “o’erhasty marriage” and Polonius’ sincerity cannot be trusted after his hypocritical moralising to Laertes (I.iii.58-84). Thus, spying serves not to alleviate ambiguity and resolve suffering, but to fuel the warped moral zeitgeist of Elsinore with misconception and myopic, subjective judgement. The idea of the “unseen seer” is therefore crucial to the theme of spying in Hamlet, as it cements mistaken perceptions through the illusion of objectivity.
There is, however, one essential exception to this trend. Spying only enters once into the central plot of Hamlet, namely in The Murder of Gonzago. Hamlet and Horatio make to examine Claudius’ reactions to the altered play’s contents:
"Even with the very comment of thy soul
Observe mine uncle…Give him heedful note,
For I mine eyes will rivet to his face"
(III.ii.64-65/69-70)
Though this ingenious scheme serves only as a metaphysical probe, it is unique in the play in that it yields wholly unambiguous results. The unequivocal unveiling of Claudius’ guilt to Hamlet is crucial to the plot, as Hamlet must consequently create fresh justifications for his crushing failure to action.
A further instance of the unseen seer is thence presented to the audience: Hamlet spies on Claudius praying. This scene again demonstrates the irony of mistaken objectivity; Hamlet believes that Claudius would be granted reprieve for dying in prayer, when in reality the king cannot bring himself to pray with honest conviction:
“My words fly up, my thoughts remain below,
Words without thoughts never to heaven go.”
(III.iii.100-101)
The mendacity upon which Elsinore is founded is clearly highlighted when Polonius spies on Hamlet and Gertrude. Polonius’ death at Hamlet’s impetuous hand is a damning indictment of the play’s social construct. The insidious roots of the theme of spying therefore burgeon to reveal the palpable vices encompassed therein: violence, moral anarchy and a disregard for objective reason.
Discuss the significance of the graveyard scene.
The start of the graveyard scene reveals two clowns who are acting as gravediggers. This in itself is a contradictory concept - perhaps symbolic of Hamlet's ongoing internal contradictions. He wishes to avenge his father's death but at the same time does not - this much is clear from his incessant hesitation. The idea of having clowns as gravediggers is almost grotesque; it belittles the seriousness of Ophelia's death. Their banter about whether or not she should be buried at all also highlights a sense of disturbed thought.
This disturbing atmosphere is accentuated even more when Hamlet and Horatio arrive and the gravedigger begins to sing. Hamlet himself questions it; "Has this fellow no feelings of his business, that he sings at grave-making?"
It shows an appalling lack of sympathy and respect for Ophelia.
However, in the events leading up to this, I think that Hamlet sometimes showed that same lack of sympathy for her. I do think that he loved her in a way; but in III. 1. when the audience first sees them together and Hamlet realises from her formal tone that she's being used by her father and the King; he does not consider how Ophelia does not want to rebel; he ignores her character and immediately becomes contemptuous and threatening. He did not spare a thought for her true character; her quiet disposition. If he really loved her, he would've understood that she was as much deceived as he.
I think the significance of the gravedigger's song is that it highlights the lack of respect for Ophelia; Hamlet questions it; but does not question himself.
The significance of this entire scene is that it defines the philosophical context in which the whole tragedy takes place. It includes the most famous picture in the whole of dramatic literature. The picture of the young Prince contemplating Yorrick's skull is a universally recognised icon.
As Hamlet holds his old friend's skull, he recalls all the jester's frivolity, vitality and energy, contrasting it with the nothingness he has become;
"Not one now, to mock your own grinning."
As he handles Yorrick's skull, Hamlet sees everything in a wider perspective; he appreciates the ultimate insignificance of his father, who at the beginning of the play he compared to a god:
"Imperious Caesar, dead and turned to clay,
Might stop a hole, to keep the wind away"
Hamlet is releasing the Ghost's hold over him. If people like Alexander the Great and Caesar are now no more than dust; then his father's greatness has diminished too.
Finally Hamlet can claim his name as his own. "This is I, Hamlet the Dane."
He is no longer haunted by his father and his guilt at failing to carry out the revenge disappears.
Hamlet becomes a new man; there is clarity, coherence and confidence about what he says which contrasts dramatically with the confused speaker of the soliloquy which ended IV.4.
What comic relief does the clown bring and how does this conflict with/or parallel Ophelia's "funeral"?
The comic relief the clown brings acts as a grotesque disrespect towards Ophelia and also raises the question of her eligibility for a proper burial; they cannot decide if she died by accident or by her own hand. This comic relief perhaps symbolises the appalling lack of sympathy for Ophelia that Hamlet has; as mentioned above.
I think the comic relief parallels Ophelia's funeral in that it isn't really appropriate. The funeral does not feel like a funeral at all; at the end of the scene where we might initially expect Hamlet to be distressed and trapped at the loss of his love; he is instead liberated and confident. This in itself results in Ophelia's funeral becoming almost a parody. The comic relief too makes a discomfiting mockery of her death.
"What reasons does Hamlet give for procrastinating over the murder of Claudius? Which reasons do you find convincing?"
In Act III, Scene II, Cluadius, being overcome by the inclination to pray for his salvation for murdering his brother, is found kneeling in prayer by Hamlet, who is tempted to slay him then and there.
"And now I'll do't, and so a goes to heaven, /And so I am revenged."
Then, Hamlet realises what he has said, and pauses to reflect. For the crime of murdering his father, he would be sending Claudius to Heaven, as though it was a reward.
"A took my father grossly, full of bread,/With all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May;/ And how his audit stands, who knows save heaven?"
King Hamlet died bearing the unconfessed burden of his sins, and as such, would not be permmitted entry to Heaven lest he was purged through punishment of these sins. This the ghost of Hamlet himself revealed in Act I, Scene IV. His son sees the injustice of this; his father is doomed to suffer, for a long expanse of time, perhaps, while his killer, free from his sins, is permitted entry to Heaven. This Hamlet will not be the orchestrator of, as he would not be revenged by rewarding Claudius.
Hamlet reasons with himself that the only true justice that can be done for his father is to ensure that, not only would Claudius be punished for his crime, but that he would suffer eternal punishment. He decides to murder Claudius while he is in the midst of committing a sin, so that he will have no time to pray for salvation.
"When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage, /Or in th'incestuous pleasure of his bed,/ At gaming, swearing, or about some act, / That has no relish of salvation in't."
Thus, Claudius's soul would be "as damned and black/ As hell whereto it goes."
These are the reasons that Hamlet presents for witholding his vengence. As for which reasons one finds most convincing, there are a number of different angles at which one can view this.
The ghost of his father left a deep impression upon Hamlet. Hamlet appears to have been particulary fond of King Hamlet, and if one were to hold that as being the case, hearing that his father must suffer for an uncertain amount of time before being allowed to rest in peace would have troubled him terribly. Therefore, it was in retribution for his father that Hamlet witheld his vengence. Yet, there is also a sense of great malevolence in what Hamlet did. He was determined that not only should Cluadius be punished, but that he should never stop being punished. Then there is a moral viewpoint. Perhaps Hamlet could simply not bring himself to kill a man in prayer. As to which of these reasons I find most convincing, a combination of the first two is what I would believe.
female characters in my opinion are pawns in the political world of Elsinore. Ophelia in the begining of the play is told that the reason Hamlet is going crazy is because hamlet is in love with her. Her father Polonius will not allow this a forbides any sort of relationship to insue and even tells her she must enter the nunnery. In the case of gertrude, she is not really given any opprotunity to side with her own son, or see what is happening with him. everything about Hamlet is told directly to her from Claudius or Polonius and when she sees her sons grief she automatically asumes he has gone mad. She must agree with cluadius and polonius to send him off to england, and she has no option to really refute of disagree that this would be best for him. He is the next in line to be king but claudius' motives are to banish him from Elsinore and gertrude has no say
In both instances with these women spying also is a huge part of it. Claudius agrees to spy on hamlets and ophelias conversation. With Gertrude, after the play, Polonius tells her that he must tell hamlet that he is going to london, he hides behind the tapastry, spying on hamlet and his mothers converstation. Both women are done what they are told, they act as though they are being watched, because they are, they only act in the interest of the political world of Elsinore, adn have no real role in any power struggle within the kingdom.
How are the female characters presented in the play? Are Ophelia and Gertrude merely pawns in the political world of Elsinore, or influential players in the power struggle?
Although it’s hard to say if either woman acts as a complete pawn, ultimately neither one has much active control over the events of the play.
Ophelia, of course, does only what her position as a young, unmarried, untitled woman allows her to do, and submits to the authority above her. She fulfills her duty to her family by obeying its male members, and in doing so also fulfills her duty to her country: as she, by Polonius’ (meddling) order, breaks off her attachment to Hamlet, she opens the possibility for him to make a more politically expedient marriage.
I think, though, that Ophelia really only submits to authority on the outside. If she were purely, thoroughly passive, then this treatment would not have driven her mad.
Gertrude, of course, has a higher status and somewhat more power, though she does not seem to attempt to wield it until the end of the play. She does play a major role in that she married Claudius in the first place, though her level of self-motivation or outside coercion in doing so, like her exact reasoning for it, is unclear. Also, she more than anyone could probably get through to Hamlet, but doesn’t attempt a “one-on-one” until after the player’s performance, when her son is too far gone to be negotiated with. Finally, what’s always bothered me a great deal about Gertrude is her comment at Ophelia’s funeral that she would have liked to see her and Hamlet marry. Had she spoken up and fought harder for this earlier, much of the tragedy may have been prevented.
But Gertrude’s one highly assertive action may lie in her drinking from the poisoned cup at the end of the play. It seems unclear whether she knows the cup is poisoned, and if she does her drinking of it may be a final attempt to warn and save Hamlet, her last lines being a bout of pre-mortem theatrics to let him know exactly what’s up. Up until this point, she has for all practical purposes played along with Claudius: now, if she drinks deliberately, she’s taking a stand of her own.
How are the female characters presented in the play? Are Ophelia and Gertrude merely pawns in the political world of Elsinore, or influential players in the power struggle?
Through his presentation of the female characters in the play, Shakespeare acknowledges the power that women could wield by displaying their intelligence and cunning. Yet in spite of these characteristics, it is evident that women could never succeed in the power struggle whilst confined by the social restraints of contemporary society.
The threat that women could pose is demonstrated most clearly through Gertrude, who appears seemingly unaffected by the knowledge that both her son and husband have committed murder. She is emotionless “Like Niobe” (I.ii 149), ruthless when she declares Hamlet mad instead of compromising her position as Queen, and above all else, ambitious.
Yet Shakespeare does not only convey the message of women’s power through Gertrude but the female sex in its entirety. Hamlet claims to see through women’s makeup to uncover women’s true form and the calculating means by which women are capable of defeating men in the power struggle. In III.i, Hamlet describes how women “make your wantonness your ignorance” (146) and manipulate men so as to achieve their own ends: “For wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them” (139-140).
However, as far as Hamlet tears away the facade of women as naive and innocent victims, women are ultimately constrained by their social position, preventing them from being truly influential. Polonius speaks of Ophelia “in her duty and obedience” (II.ii 107), thereby retaining control as she declares: “I do not know, my lord, what I should think… I shall obey” (III.i 104…136).
Gertrude also utters the words: “I shall obey you” (III.i 38) to Claudius, which illustrates that in spite of her strength of character, in the end, her sex will prevent her from being a true figure of power. Even though she has reached a position of relative power as Queen, she is still nothing more than Claudius’ possession for he refers to her as “my Queen” (III.iii 55).
The Role of Women, Particularly Ophelia, in ‘Hamlet’
Of the two women featured in ‘Hamlet,’ only Gertrude has been extensively investigated and unpacked as a character. The Oedipal complex theory; the conniving and manipulative shrew theory; the heart-broken, lost female theory: they’ve been sufficiently explored. Ophelia, however, is often side-lined as unimportant. She’s categorized as a pawn in Polonius’ and Claudius’ games and never seen in the world of literary criticism again. Or, if she is, it’s as a pathetic, whining little girl. I’d beg to differ. Ophelia, as the woman in whom Hamlet is romantically interested, provides crucial insight into Hamlet’s personality. Ophelia and Hamlet genuinely enjoy each other’s company, and he finds comfort in her presence. She is a real and full character, and deserves a closer look: not as a passive by-stander, but as one of the only characters in the play who cares for Hamlet and who receives his affection in return.
The first time we meet Ophelia, she (reluctantly) attempts to explain her and Hamlet’s budding relationship to her father. Polonius, the doddering old fool, could never really understand the true feelings that exist between the two teenagers; Ophelia and Hamlet at this point are typical teenage lovers. They flirt, they spend time together, they have deep conversations about nothing in particular. Hamlet has recently gone through the horror of losing his father and seeing his mother marry his uncle; Ophelia provides a kind of calm and solace in his life. Their relationship is legitimate and tender, not superfluous.
The next time we receive an update on their relationship, it is when Ophelia comes to her father after Hamlet barges in on her in her private room, “his doublet all unbrac’d,” and stares at her without speaking. Ophelia is understandably unnerved by the encounter, but what she doesn’t realize is that Hamlet has just seen his father’s ghost and learned the truth about Claudius and the king’s murder. In Hamlet’s mind, Ophelia is a source of comfort, and so it is to her that he turns. He has no words to express his emotions – he is too confused and shocked for mere language – but he takes reassurance from looking at her face. This further reinforces our positive views of their relationship, even if Ophelia is unaware of the depth of what has happened.
Next, we hear Hamlet’s love letter to Ophelia. It is read through the misunderstanding and critical eye of Polonius, but the words themselves are heart-felt. “Doubt thou the stars are fire / Doubt that the sun doth move / Doubt truth to be a liar / But never doubt I love,” he writes. It is true that Ophelia betrays Hamlet’s trust by showing the letter to her father, but everything she does from this point forward in the play is out of love for Hamlet. He is her boyfriend and she loves him, but he has been acting very strangely. Her father, whom she trusts, has told her that Hamlet is in fact mad. Ophelia wants to do everything she can to understand what has happened to the man she loves, and it is no fault of hers that her father is a fool in league with a murdering king.
It is in this pursuit of the truth about Hamlet that Ophelia agrees to stand and talk with him while Polonius and Claudius watch from behind a curtain. This scene, the “nunnery” scene, is the first time we see the two lovers together. Ophelia, aware of her father’s presence, attempts to keep a formal demeanor, but soon she and Hamlet are back to their usual conversation patterns, discussing the nature of honesty and beauty and confessing their confusions about their relationship. When Hamlet urges Ophelia “Get thee to a nunnery,” it is not mean-spirited; he merely wishes to save her from the vicious world of men that he has come to know all too well in the course of the past few months. Hamlet loves Ophelia and believes her pure and innocent, and would rather be apart from her than see her corrupted by him and men like him. However, he hears something behind the curtain and immediately asks Ophelia where her father is. When she lies and tells Hamlet Polonius is at home, Hamlet understands what has happened, and he is understandably outraged about the situation. He lashes out at Ophelia, but much of what he says is not so much focused on her as on his mother, his uncle, and society. At the end of his rant, he still wants Ophelia to go to a nunnery for her own sake. He still loves her. However, Ophelia interprets his speech as validation of her father’s theory regarding Hamlet’s sanity.
…. At this point in writing my response, I realized I was actually writing a lengthy essay instead of a simple response. I have more, but if anyone’s still reading, they can just come to me and ask about it. Sorry about the ludicrous ramblings.
-- Carrie Leger
Discuss the significance of the graveyard scene. What comic relief does the clown bring, and how does this conflict with/or parallel Ophelia's "funeral"?
First of all, please excuse my mistakes! I am french and it is quite difficult for me to write in english about Shakespeare!
The morbid humour of the graveyard scene plays with the element of contrast (the carefree gaiety of the gravediggers in comparison to death's drama). These two characters give a grotesque counterpoint to Ophelia's "funeral" and the scene appears, in the same time, dramatic and comical, by playing down the importance of human life.
By singing, the gravediggers create a shift in tone and thereby initiate a distance from the main tragic events. This displacement of tone, the seemingly strange behaviour of the gravediggers, cause Hamlet to pounder and reflect on death and human vanity.
Life is reduced to an absurd farce and the two gravediggers, precisely because they are acting like clowns, can appear like wise men.
The comical aspect of this scene brings back the tragical heroes to their mere mortal status. The lesson Hamlet learns from this is that death is inevitable, that it affects the poor as well as the rich, the court jester as well as the emperor. Finally, it does not matter who you are in life, because essentially everyone will end up as "quintessence of dust".
Yorrick's skull is an important motif througought the play, as Hamlet frequently makes comments referring to the eventual decay of human body, noting that Polonius will be eaten by worms, and that the dust from the decomposed body of Alexander the Great might be used to stop a hole in a beer barrel.
Thanks to this direct confrontation with the skull, Hamlet recognizes his own inevitable end in Yorick's death. At the end of the scene, Hamlet is liberated and confident. He is abble to appreciate the ultimate insignificance of his father's life (whereas the latter was a king, he has returned to nothingness) and feels ready to face death.
What reasons does Hamlet give for procrastinating over the murder of Claudius? Which reasons do you find convincing?
The main reason why Hamlet procrastinates over the killing of Claudias is because when he decides to do so, Claudias is found to be praying to the heavens. Hamlet realises that if he was to murder him at this moment, it is likely that the King will be sent to Heaven. It is obvious from the beginning that Hamlet loved his Father and that his death deeply disturbed and upset him. He decides to postpone the killing of Claudias to a later date, until he catches him (Claudias) in a sinful act. Hamlet realises that this would be wiser, as there is a greater chance that Claudias will be condemed to hell.
I find this reason quite convincing. Hamlet is desperate for revenge, desperate to rid Claudias. However, he restrains himself in order to obtain the best possible revenge, and in order to save his father’s soul.
What reasons does Hamlet give for procrastinating over the murder of Claudius? Which reasons do you find convincing?
Hamlet's reasons for procrastination are rooted in uncertainty and a certain sense of hypocrisy.
While he maintains a strong belief that Claudius was his father's murderer, there is no proof to suggest that he is guilty (except his reaction to the play). Having previously doubted the Ghost, he seems to feel somewhat unconvinced of the truth until being told so by the dying Laertes. Upon this revalation, Hamlet immediately sets about avenging his father.
It would also appear that Hamlet would be somewhat hypocritical in murdering Claudius, as it was the Ghost of his father that claimed his personal denial of the last rites was unjust. The praying Claudius may have provided Hamlet with a reminder of this...
I found Hamlet's reason for not wanting to murder Claudius during prayer somewhat unlikely to be fully truthful. While it would be deemed a hypocritical and sinful act, he seems unsure of Claudius' guilt, with only his reaction to the play, and the words of a mystical spirit as evidence. However, when given concrete evidence by Laius, he has no hesitation setting about extracting revenge.
Although Hamlet’s ‘procrastination’ can be largely attributed to a desire to allow no chance for Claudius’ redemption, in the scenes leading up to that where Hamlet finds Claudius praying hesitancy may simply be a trait employed by Shakespeare to create a character that is psychologically complexed and interesting. This features a shift from the conventional emphasis on plot in tragedy to one on character as Shakespeare, seemingly, attempts to distance Hamlet from the traditional revenge tragedy.
Whereas the narrative of a traditional revenge tragedy may focus around the practicalities of the act of revenge, Hamlet concentrates on the contemplation of revenge. Although Hamlet is an erratic character he is not dogmatic and revenge cannot be straightforward for one so scholarly and inquisitive. It would not be enough for the prince simply accept the testimony of the ghost and thus we get two acts before Hamlet (and, to some extent, Horatio) are convinced enough of the king’s guilt to actually get set on the act of revenge. Arguably this is not procrastination, it seems balanced and logical of Hamlet to investigate the ghost’s story to be sure that it is not an evil spirit (nor a hallucination).
Contrastingly Laertes is a somewhat more typical avenger and spares no time bringing Hamlet to justice. He is not necessarily a flat character but is able to act near-instantaneously on the advice (not to mention support) of Claudius. We are, of course, tempted to wonder if without Laertes and Claudius’ intervention, Hamlet would ever realise his father’s revenge.
What reasons does Hamlet give for procrastinating over the murder of Claudius? Which reasons do you find convincing?
In Hamlet’ soliloquy in the latter half of 3:3, he explains that he cannot kill Claudius in prayer because in doing so he would send him to heaven, while his father remained in purgatory/hell. This would not be a just punishment for Claudius, who should be, in Hamlet’s mind, rightfully sent to hell. Hamlet explanation is thus, “…now he is praying: And now I’ll do it. And so he goes to heaven, and so I am revenged. That would be scanned: A villain kills my father, and for that, I, his foul son, do this same villain send to heaven. O, this is hire and salary, not revenge.” This shows that while Hamlet has that opportunity to slay Claudius he does not consider it the “revenge” he is seeking. It would be the end to Claudius, but not to what Hamlet’s mission is. Hamlet further goes on to explain that he will wait till Claudius is “…drunk asleep, or in his rage, or in the incestuous pleasure of his bed, at gaming, swearing, or about some act that has no relish of salvation in’t.” , before he kills him.
His reason for procrastinating is convincing if the point of view is taken that he must condemn Claudius soul while destroying his body and not just the latter.
Discuss the significance of the graveyard scene. What comic relief does the clown bring, and how does this conflict with/or parallel Ophelia's "funeral"?
There is a great irony to the graveyard scene that is first of all seen by the mere action of having the clowns/fools of the estate dig the graves for the noble persons. They dig the graves while talking about who is in them and proceed to sing songs to continue the work. To the first clown this is job that must be done, but to Hamlet, when he finds out who it is for, of course address the grave with a higher importance. When hamlet engages in conversation with the clown it leads to the discovery of Yorick’s skull, the late kings jester. He ‘knew him’, but treats it solemnly, and his remembrance of him prompts Hamlet to recall what he was and what he is now, ending the conversation with and indifferent tone. This can also be signified by the way in which Hamlet treat s the skull when he is done with it. Some play books have him ‘placing’ it on the ground, and some have him ‘tossing’ it. The clown’s comedy comes from his lack of indifference as well. He is amusing with his song, and has a quick wit about him; it eases the scene just in time to build to Hamlet finding out about Ophelia’s death. The irony here is that while Hamlet was at her grave the whole time talking to the clown, he didn’t realize the importance of what it really was.
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