hamelt essay

Essay by faigyHigh School, 11th gradeA, October 2014

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English 1&2

Text Response Plan

Faigy Gross

Topic: After his encounter with the ghost of his dead father, Hamlet promises swift revenge but procrastinates. Why?

In William Shakespeare's tragic play Hamlet , Shakespeare explores the idea of tragedy and how much of an impact it can have on one's life. Hamlet is struck by the unexpected death of his father and disheartened even more so at the quick remarriage of his mother Gertrude to his uncle Claudius. After his encounter with the ghost, Hamlet promises swift revenge but procrastinates as one often does in a state of depression. Hamlet's melancholy and state of grief is a clear reason to explain his reluctance in killing Claudius as seen through his response to the murder of his father in stark contrast to Laertes who plans a quick response to his father's murder. This continues on to show another effect of depression which explains his procrastination to deliver his promise of revenge through Hamlets indecisiveness being that his mind was not set straight.

This is portrayed through the incident with Claudius praying, where Hamlet had the perfect opportunity to kill him, "Now he is a-praying … so he goes to heaven". Regardless of Hamlets state of mind, it is obvious that he had a moral conscience which caused him to procrastinate when killing Claudius which is clear through his initial inability to kill Polonius. Fanatical with avenging his father and torn apart by his own mind, Hamlet struggles to find a balance between avenging his father and what he believes is right due to his intense depression.

When Hamlet killed Polonius, Laertes was challenged with the same problem as Hamlet, a murdered father. While Hamlet takes the length of the play to act, Laertes, upon hearing his father's murder, takes immediate action.