It's not fear that keeps Hamlet from acting. Hamlet delays killing
Claudius because Claudius represents Hamlet's innermost desires to sleep with his mother Gertrude
. And by killing Claudius, Hamlet would be killing a part of himself.
Why does Hamlet First hesitate to kill Claudius?
Hamlet hesitates to kill Claudius in act 3
because Claudius appears to be praying
. Hamlet fears that if Claudius dies while praying, when his soul is at its most pure, he will go directly to heaven. Hamlet wants Claudius to go to hell for his sins, so he reasons he cannot risk killing him now.
Why does Hamlet hesitate to kill Claudius while Claudius is at prayer?
Hamlet refuses to kill Claudius while praying, because
he believes that Claudius's spirit will go to heaven since he is in the process of asking God for forgiveness
.
Why does Hamlet not kill Claudius when he has the chance?
Hamlet does not kill Claudius when
he assumes that he is praying because he doesn't want Claudius to have the luxury of going to heaven while
his father, unjustly murdered, suffers in hell. … He doesn't want to do Claudius the “favor” of sending him to heaven.
What are the reasons for Hamlet's hesitation?
The main factor for Hamlet's hesitation is attributed to
his self-discipline
. He lacks of ability to act on his emotions. Hamlet is an intelligent, moral, and reserved character. He restrains himself to act rationally and not on emotion.
Why did Ophelia kill herself?
Ophelia kills herself
because the fate of Denmark is placed on her shoulders when she is asked to more or less spy on Hamlet
, her father has been murdered (by her former lover no less), from the confusion created by her father and brother with regard to the meaning of love, and her suicide is even an act of revenge.
Why this is hire and salary not revenge?
To heaven. Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge. With
all his crimes broad blown
, as flush as May; And how his audit stands who knows save heaven.
Why does Gertrude think Hamlet is mad?
Queen Gertrude, who is Hamlet's mother, speculates that the cause of this disturbance may be
that he is in love with Ophelia, daughter of Polonius
. This would be a very unequal match for a Prince of Denmark. The Queen then enlists Ophelia's aid in helping discern Hamlet's mental state.
How many times did Hamlet kill Claudius?
Hamlet tries to kill Claudius
three times
.
What is Hamlet's tragic flaw?
The word ‘tragic flaw' is taken from the Greek concept of Hamartia used by Greek philosopher Aristotle in his Poetics. Shakespeare's tragic hero Hamlet's fatal flaw is his failure to act immediately to kill Claudius, his uncle and murderer of his father. His tragic flaw is ‘
procrastination
‘.
Why doesn't Hamlet kill the king while he is kneeling?
Hamlet doesn't kill the King when he is kneeling
because he is praying to repent his sins
. Hamlet believes that King Hamlet didn't go to Heaven because he never repented for his sins. He wants to wait for the King to sin again before killing him so that Claudius will go to hell instead of heaven.
Did Hamlet really love Ophelia?
It is likely that
Hamlet really was in love with Ophelia
. Readers know Hamlet wrote love letters to Ophelia because she shows them to Polonius. … He professes his love for Ophelia again to Laertes, Gertrude, and Claudius after Ophelia has died, saying, “I loved Ophelia.
Did Hamlet sleep with his mother?
No, Hamlet did not sleep with his mother
. There's no evidence in the text to suggest that he did. However, this hasn't stopped successive generations of literary scholars from using Freud's concept of the Oedipus complex to put forward the notion of an incestuous relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude.
What was Hamlet's biggest problem?
Hamlet has the problem of
procrastination
and cannot act from emotions due to a lack of self-discipline. He is a man of reason and denies emotions so that his search for the truth of whether Claudius killed his father is satisfied.
What does Hamlet say about revenge?
Commanded by his father's ghost in Act 1 to ‘Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder' by his brother Claudius, who has robbed him of his wife and throne as well as his life, Hamlet swears that
‘with wings as swift / As meditation, or the thoughts of love
,' he will ‘sweep to [his] revenge' (1.5.25, 29–31).
What are the reasons of Hamlet's delay in taking revenge?
Hamlet's true anger and feelings towards Claudius are conveyed here, and
his desperation for Claudius' suffering
provides the reason for the delay in Hamlet's revenge, as he wants to ensure that Claudius' soul has the greatest chance of going to hell. Hamlet's feelings towards his mother also play a part.
