The elements of the play Hamlet are almost as well known as any modern day soap opera.
Briefly: Hamlet ponders suicide
after his mother remarries less than two months after her husband dies. After being visited by his father’s ghost, who identifies the new king (his own brother Claudius) as his murderer, Hamlet vows in turn to kill Claudius.
By mistake, he kills Polonius (his girlfirend’s father), sending her insane in the process; insults his mother; thwarts a death warrant against him; duels with Polonius’s son; is fatally poisoned; stabs Claudius; finishes him off with poison and, with a supposedly clear conscience, dies.
Hamlet has been analysed to death (no pun intended) as many have asked: why does he take so long to keep his promise? Some might suggest issues of religion, filial respect, or politics.
Note also that Hamlet has to make a major philosophical shift from suicide to murder. We see something of his struggle when he curses his own delay despite “being prompted to revenge by heaven and hell”.
However why does Hamlet prevaricate further by setting up a play to try and “catch the conscience of the King”? Is he seeking concrete evidence or just another delaying tactic?
Some considerations include:
Killing Polonius while he is hidden behind a screen suggests Hamlet’s difficulty with face-to-face murder.
Despite being fatally wounded and being informed of Claudius’s hand in it, Hamlet is barely able to prick Claudius with his sword.
Hamlet is only able to fulfil his vow when he realises that the king has also inadvertently murdered Hamlet''s mother .
Hamlet’s dilemma is a timeless enigma which shows no sign of being resolved. At the same time he forces us to look inward and ask:
Given the same situation - what would you do?