Revenge in Hamlet

Shakespeare's Hamlet revolves around the title character's undeniable obligation to immediately avenge his father's death by killing Claudius. Yet much time elapses before Hamlet finally does slay his evil uncle, leading to a fundamental question: what causes the hero to delay before eventually managing to salvage some retribution? The answer is that Hamlet's reoccuring state of impractical contemplation renders him incapable of any decisive action that could have brought quick revenge. A key moment in …

…revenge, ensuring that the Ghost of his father will continue to suffer. In the end, Hamlet does kill Claudius, but this revenge is bittersweet, for it comes too late. Hamlet's tendency to think more about impractical matters than practical ones thwarts his attempt to ease the pain of his tormented father. The prince's numerous soliloquies, though immortalized and treasured in literary history, render him incapable of any decisive action, prolonging his bid for quick revenge.