Hamlet Themes: Hesitation
Hesitation – At a Glance
The Central Conflict: Hamlet is commanded to act (avenge his father's murder) but is paralysed by internal conflict, resulting in prolonged hesitation and delay.
The Core Question: Why does Hamlet delay? The play explores the philosophical, moral, and psychological barriers to decisive action.
Key Dynamic: Hamlet's intellectual hesitation is contrasted with the impulsive action of Laertes and the methodical action of Fortinbras.
The Role of Thought: The play examines whether extensive contemplation is a sign of wisdom or a weakness that leads to paralysis.
The Outcome: Hamlet's hesitation leads to significant collateral damage, but he eventually achieves a state of fatalistic readiness that allows him to act.
The Paralysis of Thought: Hamlet’s Delay
Hamlet is arguably the most famous exploration of hesitation in literature. The dramatic tension stems not from the hero's pursuit of his goal, but from his agonising inability to achieve it. Despite having a clear command from the Ghost (Act 1, Scene 5), Hamlet spends the majority of the play contemplating action rather than taking it.
Hamlet’s hesitation is rooted in his philosophical and contemplative nature. As a scholar from Wittenberg, he is predisposed to analysis rather than violence. He frequently berates himself for his failure to act, particularly when observing others.
For example, when the traveling players arrive (Act 2, Scene 2), he is astonished that an actor can summon intense emotion for a fictional character (Hecuba), while he, with a real motive, remains paralysed.
Original:
What’s Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba,
That he should weep for her? What would he do,
Had he the motive and the cue for passion
That I have? (Hamlet – Act 2, Scene 2)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
Who’s Hecuba to him, or he to her,
That he should cry for her? How would he act
If he was motivated out of passion
Like I am?
This leads him to self-reproach, calling himself "dull and muddy-mettled." The play suggests that excessive intellectualism can become a barrier to action, a concept Hamlet himself recognises:
Original:
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought... (Hamlet – Act 3, Scene 1)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
And so, awareness turns us into cowards;
And thus our natural drive to solve a problem
Recedes and fades through over-contemplation,
Reasons for Hesitation: Morality, Uncertainty, and Melancholy
Hamlet's delay is not simple cowardice; it is a complex interplay of factors:
1. Moral and Religious Concerns: Hamlet struggles with the ethical implications of murder and the fate of his soul. Christian doctrine forbids vengeance, and committing murder risks damnation. Furthermore, his desire for perfect justice complicates his action; he refrains from killing Claudius during prayer (Act 3, Scene 3) because he wants to ensure Claudius is damned, not just killed.
2. Uncertainty and the Search for Proof: Hamlet questions the reality of the Ghost. Is it an honest spirit or a devil sent to deceive him? This uncertainty necessitates a delay while he seeks concrete proof of Claudius's guilt via The Mousetrap (Act 3, Scene 2).
3. Profound Melancholy: Grief over his father's death and disgust at his mother's hasty marriage induce a state of deep melancholy and existential despair. This emotional paralysis makes decisive action difficult, as he feels the entire world is corrupt and meaningless.
Foils for Hesitation: Fortinbras and Laertes
Hamlet's inaction is highlighted by contrasting him with two key foils: Fortinbras and Laertes. Both are sons seeking to avenge their fathers, but their approaches to action are vastly different from Hamlet's.
Fortinbras represents measured, political action. He decisively raises an army to reclaim his father's lost lands, demonstrating a commitment to national honour. Hamlet observes Fortinbras's resolve with admiration and self-reproach in his final soliloquy (Act 4, Scene 4). He laments his own tendency to be "thinking too precisely on the event" while Fortinbras acts decisively.
Original:
How all occasions do inform against me,
And spur my dull revenge! …
…I do not know
Why yet I live to say ‘This thing’s to do,’
Sith I have cause and will and strength and means
To do’t. (Hamlet – Act 4, Scene 4)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
All these events denounce my own inaction
And spur me to revenge! …
… I do not know
Why I’m still here without the task completed,
Because I have the will, the strength and means
To do it.
Laertes represents passionate, immediate action. When his father is killed, Laertes immediately returns to Denmark, raising a mob and demanding vengeance. He acts without regard for moral or spiritual consequences, declaring he would "dare damnation" (Act 4, Scene 5). While Hamlet is paralysed by thought, Laertes is corrupted by rashness, allowing Claudius to manipulate him.
“He [Hamlet] is a man living in meditation, called upon to act by every motive human and divine, but the great object of his life is defeated by continually resolving to do, yet doing nothing but resolve.”
The Consequences of Delay and the Final Act
While the play focuses on Hamlet’s delay, it also explores the dangers of impulsive action. Hamlet’s only decisive act before the final scene – the impulsive murder of Polonius (Act 3, Scene 4) – is a mistake that ultimately leads to his own downfall.
However, the play ultimately suggests that prolonged hesitation is equally destructive. Hamlet's delay allows Claudius to continue his corrupt reign and orchestrate further plots. The deaths of Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Ophelia, and Gertrude are all indirect consequences of Hamlet's delay.
By the final act, Hamlet achieves a shift in perspective. He moves away from paralysing contemplation to a state of fatalistic readiness. He accepts the inevitability of death and the role of divine providence.
Original:
If it be now, ’tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come. The readiness is all. (Hamlet – Act 5, Scene 2)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
If it is now, it won’t be later; if not later, now; if not now, it will happen later on.
This newfound resolution finally enables him to act during the duel, achieving his revenge, though at the cost of his own life.
Key Quotes on Hesitation
Quote 1:
Original:
Haste me to know’t, that I, with wings as swift
As meditation or the thoughts of love,
May sweep to my revenge. (Hamlet – Act 1, Scene 5)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
Tell me it quickly so I can depart,
As fast as speed of thought can be transmitted,
And I can take revenge.
(Note: This initial eagerness contrasts sharply with his subsequent delay.)
Quote 2:
Original:
O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! ...
…Yet I,
A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak,
Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause,
And can say nothing. (Hamlet – Act 2, Scene 2)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
Oh, what a vagrant waste of space I am.
…But then, there’s me,
A pitiful, weak-minded knucklehead,
Head-in-the-clouds; toothless, despite my motives,
Remaining mute;
Quote 3:
Original:
And so he goes to heaven;
And so am I revenged. That would be scann'd:
A villain kills my father; and for that,
I, his sole son, do this same villain send
To heaven. (Hamlet – Act 3, Scene 3)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
And then he’ll go to heaven,
And I’ll have my revenge. Let me review that:
A villain kills my father; in response,
Do I, his only son, then kill the villain
Sending him to heaven.
Quote 4:
Original:
O, from this time forth,
My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth! (Hamlet – Act 4, Scene 4)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
Now, from this moment on
My thoughts will all be violent, or be gone!
Key Takeaways – Hesitation
Hamlet's famous hesitation is the central tension of the play, exploring the conflict between the duty to act and the impulse to contemplate.
His delay is driven by a complex mix of intellectual overthinking (paralysis by analysis), moral and theological doubt, and profound melancholy.
The characters of Fortinbras (calculated action) and Laertes (passionate action) serve as foils, highlighting the limitations and consequences of Hamlet's hesitation.
The play suggests that excessive contemplation can be as destructive as rash action, as Hamlet's delay leads to widespread tragedy before he finally accepts the necessity of acting.
Study Questions and Analysis
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Hamlet's delay is the central question of the play, driven by a complex mix of internal and external factors. Uncertainty is a primary cause; he questions whether the Ghost is honest or a devil sent to damn him, necessitating proof via The Mousetrap (Act 2, Scene 2).
Furthermore, his philosophical nature clashes with the violent demands of revenge. He over-analyses the moral and religious consequences of murder. His profound melancholy and grief also contribute to his paralysis. Finally, he seeks not just to kill Claudius but to execute perfect justice, leading him to reject opportunities that seem imperfect, such as the prayer scene (Act 3, Scene 3).
However, as the play progresses, the immense pressure of his grief, his duty of revenge, and his disillusionment with his mother seem to genuinely destabilise him. Moments like his cruel outburst at Ophelia (Act 3, Scene 1), the impulsive murder of Polonius (Act 3, Scene 4), and his erratic behaviour at the graveyard (Act 5, Scene 1) suggest the line between performance and genuine madness becomes dangerously blurred.
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This line from the "To be or not to be" soliloquy (Act 3, Scene 1) is crucial to understanding Hamlet's hesitation. Here, "conscience" refers not just to moral guilt, but to self-consciousness and excessive contemplation.
Hamlet argues that the act of thinking too deeply about the consequences of our actions – particularly the fear of the unknown afterlife – paralyses our ability to act decisively. The "pale cast of thought" overshadows the "native hue of resolution." In essence, overthinking inhibits action and leads to a form of intellectual cowardice.
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Laertes and Fortinbras are both sons avenging their fathers, serving as crucial foils that highlight Hamlet's hesitation by their contrasting decisiveness.
Fortinbras represents measured, effective action. He methodically raises an army to reclaim his father's lost lands for the sake of honour. Hamlet admires this resolve, seeing it as a rebuke of his own delay (Act 4, Scene 4).
Laertes represents rash, passionate action. He seeks immediate vengeance for Polonius's death, declaring he would "dare damnation" (Act 4, Scene 5) and acting without concern for morality or consequences. While decisive, his thoughtless action makes him easily manipulated by Claudius, demonstrating that impulsivity is also dangerous.
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Whether Hamlet's hesitation is justified depends on the interpretation of his character and the moral landscape of the play.
It can be justified as the behaviour of a morally sensitive individual in a complex situation. Rushing to murder based on the word of a Ghost would be rash. His desire for proof and his concern for the spiritual consequences of revenge demonstrate a sophisticated moral reasoning.
However, it can also be criticised as a tragic flaw—a failure of duty stemming from cowardice or intellectual indulgence. His prolonged delay allows Claudius to continue his corrupt reign and leads directly to the deaths of innocent characters (Ophelia, Polonius, Gertrude). In this view, his inaction is as destructive as the initial crime.
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There are two key turning points. The first is the success of The Mousetrap (Act 3, Scene 2), which confirms Claudius's guilt and removes Hamlet's uncertainty about the Ghost.
However, the definitive commitment to violence occurs in (Act 4, Scene 4). After observing Fortinbras's army marching to fight for a worthless piece of land purely for honour, Hamlet is ashamed of his own inaction despite having a much greater cause. He resolves to end his delay, declaring: "O, from this time forth, / My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!" This marks a shift towards a more ruthless mindset.
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The murder of Polonius (Act 3, Scene 4) is highly significant because it is Hamlet’s first decisive act of violence, yet it is entirely impulsive and mistaken.
It contrasts sharply with his prolonged hesitation towards Claudius. When he believes Claudius is behind the arras, he strikes instantly. This demonstrates that Hamlet is capable of action, but only when he acts impulsively, without the time for contemplation that usually paralyses him.
The irony is that this one decisive action is a mistake that ultimately seals his fate, as it drives Ophelia to madness and provides Claudius and Laertes with the motivation to destroy him. It highlights the danger of acting without thought.
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By the final act, Hamlet's attitude shifts from agonizing hesitation to fatalistic acceptance. His experiences, including his escape from the pirates and his reflections in the graveyard, lead him to believe that destiny and divine providence control human events.
He no longer tries to force the perfect moment for revenge. Instead, he embraces a state of readiness. He tells Horatio: "If it be now, ’tis not to come... The readiness is all" (Act 5, Scene 2). He has resolved his internal conflict not by becoming a decisive man of action in the traditional sense, but by surrendering control and preparing to act when fate provides the opportunity.