Shakespeare’s Hamlet has been an enduring classic of modern literature, largely because of its protagonist, Hamlet, who is a remarkably human character, one who struggles against conformity in a chaotic world. Many literary scholars have focused on Hamlet’s procrastination in his revenge plot to kill King Claudius, his uncle who, Hamlet finds out, had killed King Hamlet and usurped the throne. Hamlet does have human flaws, such as his impetuousness, as when he makes the mistake of murdering Polonius in cold blood, thinking he was the King. However, what many scholars may think of as a flaw in overanalyzing his vengeance plot, leading to a delay and bringing about the tragic ending, may actually be an admirable attribute, since his delay reveals an instinctive human desire to preserve the social order and refrain from killing others at all costs. Ultimately, while Hamlet does evince flaws of impetuousness, he also shows admirable traits of rationality and critical thinking, necessary qualities of civilized human nature.
Hamlet had long been vexed by his mother, Gertrude, who had married King Claudius (her husband’s brother) soon after the old king’s death. Shakespeare illustrates Hamlet’s state of mind in an early scene with Horatio, discussing how the new king’s wedding ironically followed soon after the late king’s funeral:
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Horatio: My lord, I came to see your father’s funeral.
Hamlet: I prithee do not mock me, fellow student.
I think it was to see my mother’s wedding.
Horatio: Indeed, my lord, it followed hard upon. (1.2.176-79)
The irony here is evident. Hamlet mocks his mother’s choice to marry so soon after her husband’s funeral, to her own brother-in-law nonetheless. Moreover, Gertrude’s refusal to acknowledge her complicity in Hamlet’s disturbed state of mind further enrages her son, who acts rashly and emotionally in wrongly murdering Polonius, who he thinks is King Claudius, in a later scene. Hamlet reveals his recklessness in this case of mistaken identity in Gertrude’s bedroom. In fact, once Hamlet realizes that he has killed the wrong man, he also fails to show remorse, which is also a flaw. He is so distraught over his mother’s action that he cannot separate right from wrong and equates Gertrude’s betrayal with murder in cold blood:
QUEEN: O, what a rash and bloody deed is this!
HAMLET: A bloody deed! almost as bad, good mother,
As kill a king, and marry with his brother. (3.4.26-29)
Clearly, infidelity, even in a case this extreme, is not cause for murder, but Hamlet’s rage and impetuousness make him act without forethought. This is certainly a flaw in his character.
Ironically, Hamlet’s flaw of recklessness is offset by his admirable qualities of critical thinking and aversion to violence. Though he acts with impetuous violence in the above scene, he conversely delays in his vengeance and murder plot because he wants to be sure the events the ghost of his father (who had appeared on the battlements earlier in the play, urging Hamlet to avenge his death at the hands of Claudius) described are accurate, as any rational and critical thinking individual would do. Realistically, only true psychopaths have the ability to stage a premeditated murder without hesitation. It is hard to imagine who would not hesitate in carrying out this vengeance against a king of a sovereign state. This is different from Hamlet’s sudden killing of Polonius, where he acts out of emotion. Here, King Hamlet’s ghost asks Hamlet to kill in cold blood—a potential act worsened by the fact that this missive comes from a ghost. Here, writer A.S. Topchyan denies the notion that Hamlet is somehow flawed from his inaction: “if someone is obliged to kill but procrastinates, and we see him struggling with acute psychological problems or looking for various excuses to avoid action, this should not be regarded as something strange, morbid or unnatural, for delaying murder is human” (287).
Instead of seeming like a flaw, Hamlet’s rationality here should be viewed as an admirable quality. Like any normal individual, Hamlet is conflicted. He wants vengeance for his father’s death, but he also struggles to reconcile himself with someone who would take premeditated action and kill another human being. Instead of charging into the throne room and murdering Claudius in front of the royal court, he plots and ponders, decides who his true allies are, and stages a play that will reveal the true nature of Claudius’ guilt. However, by the time Hamlet truly decides that Claudius is indeed guilty, Hamlet had already murdered Polonius and is forced into exile.
In Hamlet, Shakespeare creates a space where the reader can simultaneously empathize with Hamlet and judge his decisions. Paradoxically, Hamlet reveals both his impetuousness, and his rationality and forethought, illustrating the complexity of his conflicted character. Clearly, the act of revenge is not nearly as easy as some readers make it out to be, especially when one truly recognizes the ramifications of killing a king. Hamlet wants vengeance; however, he also, like any normal individual, craves culture, rationality, and social order, three things that the murder of a king threatens. Hamlet’s doubt, both of the reality of the ghost of his father and the veracity of its claims, challenges his resolve in ways that readers can commiserate with. Unfortunately, these admirable and recognizable qualities bring about Hamlet’s demise, lending further visceral impact to the play’s tragic ending.
- Shakespeare. “Hamlet.” Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Ed. Peter Ackroyd.
HarperCollins Publishers, 2006, pp. 1081-1125. - Topchyan, A. S. “Once Again on Hamlet’s Procrastination.” Bulletin of PNU, vol. 32, no. 1,
2014, pp. 281-287.
