Essay Sample about Indecisiveness in Hamlet

Hamlet bears a burden in William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet: the responsibility of avenging his father. Several external causes in Hamlet's writing make him more human than other characters throughout literature. Shakespeare depicts Hamlet's internal problems in the play Hamlet by accentuating characteristics: his indecisiveness, his contrast to human weakness, his frequent rethinking of his ideas, and demonstrating that his environment was against him.

There isn't much to look at when it comes to Hamlet's decision-making. Almost every decision has been hastily made or contrary to one another. In Hamlet's monologue he claims, “One may smile, and smile, and be a villain.” (Act 1 Scene 5), which solidifies the claim of the hypocrisy that Hamlet has on making decisions and the outlook on other people. In this scene Hamlet becomes the textbook definition of “all bark and no bite” and a hypocrite by calling out all of the everyone else besides him. Later on in the same scene Hamlet says, “So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word. It is “adieu, adieu, remember me.” I have sworn’t.” (Act 1 Scene 5), which is the first time that he finds out who the murderer of his father is and claims that he will exact revenge and kill his uncle. Yet, as seen in the rest of the play, Hamlet was unable to do so because his mind wasn’t made up and he was weak-willed decision making wise. That being said, Hamlet’s horrible decision making wasn't his own fault but rather due to his inexperience. If an ordinary person were to walk in Hamlet's shoes, they would most certainly behave similarly. However, due to his expertise as a monarch, someone like King Hamlet should be able to make a swift and definite choice. Hamlet will never be able to make the same decisions as his father because he has never had this experience. 

The argument that Hamlet's indecisiveness stems from his inexperience is a very viable thought. Even more so because of how he didn’t have as much time nor opportunities to bring up his ability to make decisions. Another argument that could be made is that his reasoning for not being able to make decisions could derive from his mental cloudiness. If put into perspective, indecisiveness usually has instability attached with it, and it is perfectly clear that there is nothing stable about Hamlet in a big portion of the play. Everything he does as well as every action he takes revolves around the death of his father which accompanies his thirst for revenge. “O, from this point forth my thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!” (Act 4 Scene 2). Here the author is trying to emphasize that the only thing on his mind is the revenge that he is striving for. To the point that he doesn’t care what the consequences are which causes him to make decisions that are rash and indecisive.

Shakespeare uses Hamlet's lack of experience in the game of life to demonstrate humanity. For example, even though Victor Frankenstein had so much skill in his field, he was virtually considered as inhuman in novels like Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. Regardless of what anyone else thought, Frankenstein studied and observed for years in order to put all of that information into an inhuman practice. Hamlet, on the other hand, has never had such a large duty before, and he is unsure what to do with it throughout the play. This emphasis is brought on by Shakespeare to solidify his understanding of humanity. He builds up all of these emotions in the characters like Hamlet to not only show weakness of the human heart but also the strength of it. That is displayed multiple times throughout the play by his wit and intelligence but also showing the weakness of indecisiveness.

When Hamlet’s surroundings are looked at, something is seen that wouldn't be noticed if only the text is read. This insight stems from the fact that practically every character in the play has their gaze fixed on him. While some are staring at him with adoring eyes and others are looking at him from afar, attempting to figure out what his next move will be, it's still difficult to ignore the intense focus on him. Although part of the attention isn't regarded as negative or positive, it could be classified as outer conflict. When it comes to the negative attention on Hamlet, there are individuals in the background, such as the King and Polonius, who are continuously monitoring him to see what he will do. Despite the fact that Hamlet has no idea who is observing him and who isn't, he is aware that he is the center of attention in the eyes of those around him, which has a significant psychological impact on him.

One of the main people keeping an eye on him is the newly anointed King Claudius, who is considered to be exceedingly cunning and manipulative. A monarch, according to Italian political philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli, should be a combination of cunning and strength, like a fox and a lion. Those who lack both attributes will never be able to rule successfully. Claudius, on the other hand, is more like a fox in his manipulative methods, but he lacks the strength to match his cunning. On the other hand, Claudius' predecessor, King Hamlet, is the polar opposite of Claudius. King Hamlet had the might, but he lacked the cunning to match it, which led to his demise by the hands of Claudius. In his book The Prince, Machiavelli also believes that "it is better [for a ruler] to be feared than to be loved if one cannot be both" (Ch. 17), which might be projected onto Claudius in this scenario. It can be inferred from how the residents in the castle felt about King Hamlet that he was more loved than feared, whereas Claudius was more feared than loved, which Machiavelli believes is better for a monarch.

To summarize, in William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet, it is seen that Hamlet is overtaken by the burden of avenging his father. In Hamlet's writing, there are many attributes that Hamlet has that contribute to the flaws of humanity . These are his uncertain actions, constant rethinking of ideas, and the difficult environment in which he finds himself. The emphasis of these traits bring on a sense of reflection and a generalized outlook of the concept of being human. In the end the play had a bittersweet ending which is possibly the outlook of what Shakespeare wanted; a play that is played but humans not by fictional characters.