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AP English 12

TEACHER

Period 2

4 March 2017

Hamlets Dilemma

In Shakespeares play, Hamlet, the titular character is put into a terrible situation

when his father dies mysteriously and his mother, Gertrude, remarries her husbands

brother, Claudius, only a month later. The ghost of his father then appears to him and

reveals that Claudius is his murderer and that he must avenge his wrongful death,

which leads to Hamlets issue.

The main conflict of the story is Hamlets hesitation and indecision to kill his

uncle. This is mainly because Hamlet has a tendency to overthink situations. He

purposely delays his actions, allowing Claudius to live longer than he should have.

Hamlet questions his conversation with his fathers ghost, needing proof for assurance.

Claudius is also a beloved family member whom Hamlet grew up with like a second

father figure and does not want to kill him himself.

The conflict is resolved when Hamlet stages a play similar to his situation to

determine if his uncle is guilty, stating The plays the thing Wherein Ill catch the

conscience of the King (III.ii.633-634). He makes his friend, Horatio, the judge over the

issue and has him watch Claudius reaction. Hamlet says, If he do blench, I know my

course, meaning that he will commit to his mission if Claudius shows guilt while
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watching the play (III.ii.617-627). When Claudius abruptly stands up and leaves, it is

evident that he indeed murdered Hamlets father. The play is the storys climax because

it is the point when he knows for certain that Claudius is responsible, as well as when

Hamlet actually does something towards getting revenge instead of hesitating and

overthinking.

Hamlets actions consequently lead to the downfall of the royal family. After the

play, he has a violent confrontation with his mother in her room and stabs a lord,

Polonius, through the curtain, thinking it was his uncle eavesdropping on their

conversation. This gets him sent to England to be executed, but through cleverness and

trickery, Hamlet sends his ex-friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to their deaths.

Polonius daughter, Ophelia, drowns herself out of insanity after her fathers death. This

causes her brother, Laertes, to duel Hamlet and get stabbed. Hamlets uncle attempts

to poison him with a drink that Gertrude takes instead and dies. Hamlet then stabs

Claudius and shoves the poisoned drink down his throat, killing him and finally

completing his mission. However, Hamlet himself is dying as a result of Laertes

poisoned tip and because he is technically king, declares Norwegian prince, Fortinbras,

who is invading his country, as his heir to avoid conflict between Denmark and Norway.

By the end of the play, everyone but Horatio dies. Had Hamlet taken earlier

action against his uncle, the outcome would be much different. However, his problem is

that he is indecisive. Unlike his foil, Fortinbras, Hamlet avoids and prolongs confronting

his problems, which causes them to escalate and result in his eventual downfall.