Hamlet - a Master of Introspection

"The time is out of joint. O cursed spite, that ever I was born to set it right..."

Explain in what way the "time was out of joint" in Denmark, and why Hamlet delayed in setting things right. Include moral, social, political and cosmic dimensions.

Hamlet - A master of introspection

This essay outlines the various reasons as to why Hamlet delays his revenge over Claudius, and how his thought process ultimately leads him into such a state of procrastination. In order to gauge an insightful understanding of Hamlet's mind, an awareness of his circumstances should first be made clear. Here are the ways in which Hamlet's "time is out of joint":

With the appearance of the ghost in Act 1 Scene i, a general sense of "rank" and "rotten" eeriness is immediately established within the kingdom of Denmark. This, coupled with the death of King Hamlet, results in a complicated political situation within the nation. The only heir to the throne is considered too young and inexperienced for the position, and with his uncle's recent marriage to his own mother, the queen, young Hamlet's chances of becoming the next King are made all the more improbable. Adding further salt to the political wound within Denmark, an imminent attack from neighbouring Norway is ever-looming. Their king has also fallen prey to an unnatural death after being killed in battle by the late King Hamlet. Norway is thus seeking out to avenge the death of their king and regain the territory they lost to Denmark after his death.

From the beginning, it is immediately clear that the muddy intentions of the ghost are a great cause of uneasiness for Hamlet. Whether the intentions are "wicked or charitable", Hamlet has to know the purpose of the ghost, for it is in his nature to make his decisions based on knowledge and reason. Also politically, the strife between Denmark and Norway and the unnatural deaths of both their leaders have caused Hamlet to intellectualize his position in life and whether it is worth living or not - "How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world!". He is too preoccupied with his melancholia at this point to even contemplate the idea of revenge. It is only after visiting the ghost that he begins to consider his revenge, and only after validating the ghost's speculations that he finally decides to act on them.

After meeting the ghost at the end of Act 1 Scene v, Hamlet's worst fears surrounding his father's death have manifested themselves into reality. He has just been told that his father was murdered by his own brother and that he was "unhouseled, disappointed and unaneled" - meaning that he had not shared the last sacrament and that he was thus 'unprepared' for death. This fuels the hatred Hamlet feels towards his uncle, after already having disapproving feelings for Claudius regarding his hasty marriage to Gertrude after the death of his father. After a quick and zealous promise to carry out his revenge on Claudius, it seems that just moments later, he is already beginning to have his doubts - "O curséd spite, that ever I was born to set it right". This point of the play marks the first of many instances to come where Hamlet second-guesses his purpose and where he delves into the depths of his moral being to find the answers to guide him to salvation.

It is two months later within the play before the audience reencounters Hamlet. It is evident that nothing has happened with regards to his plan of revenge and that the validity of the ghost's claims is still questionable within his mind. Practically, revenge does not seem feasible to him at this point, because the act of revenge was regarded as a mortal sin during the Elizabethan era. Despite being a 'Renaissance man' (by virtue of his questioning nature), Hamlet would still feel afraid of the eternal consequences that he could face if he did choose to take revenge. Moreover, as a highly regarded prince in the Danish court, who happens to be next in line to the throne, only justified cause for revenge would seem appropriate for Hamlet. Another 'practical' reason for delay arises from the restrictions that have been placed on him. He has been instructed to "Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive against thy mother aught" - limiting his options for possible retribution.

Hamlet's indecisiveness peaks during Act III Scene i when he cannot decide whether to act or not - "To be or not to be". He still seems to think that there is enough doubt surrounding the ghost's allegations for him to be uncertain of their truth. Though there are many other reasons up to this point about why he delays, it is his fundamental inability to balance his reason and passion, his thought and his action, his 'being' and his 'not being' that cause him to procrastinate for the duration of the play. With all of the above into consideration, Hamlet finds sufficient reason to proceed to the plan of the 'play-within-a-play' as he attempts to ascertain the guilt of Claudius. (Another form of delay ;-)

After finally establishing the guilt of Claudius, the second phase of Hamlet's delay begins. At this stage of the play, Hamlet has just witnessed Claudius' 'admission' to murder. He experiences a sense of enthusiasm at the success of his plan, and spurred on by his passion, he decides that this is the ideal moment for action. (It is interesting to note at this point how Hamlet has completely disregarded the ghost's instruction