Timing Is Everything
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Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, is a well-known revenge tragedy of the Elizabethan era. It follows one young princes pursuit of revenge against his murderous, incestuous uncle, King Claudius. After being visited by his fathers spirit, he learns that his uncle, who is now married to his mother, murdered his father. This occurs shortly after the marriage of Hamlets mother, Gertrude, and Uncle Claudius, making Claudius the Danish King. Learning of his fathers murder – and still grieving over Gertrudes quick-willingness to marry after his fathers death – Hamlet formulates a plan to seek his revenge. Hamlets tragedy is his delay in killing Claudius for it leads to the death of his friends, his family, and ultimately, himself.
Hamlets hesitant planning results in the loss of many of his friends: Polonius, Laertes, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and, most notably, Ophelia, the love interest. Many of these characters fall to Hamlets own hand. Hamlets delay caused all of these people to fall like dominoes, death leading to death, leading to more death. Once Polonius falls to Hamlets zeal, Ophelia goes mad and commits suicide, “[falling] in the weeping brook. Her clothes spread wide / And, mermaid-like, awhile they bore her up; / which time she chanted snatches of old tunes, / As one incapable of her own distress, / Or like a creature native and indued / Unto that element; but long it could not be / Till that her garments, heavy with their drink, / pulled the poor wretch from her melodious lay / to muddy death” (IV, vii, 177-184). She eventually drowns herself in the river, as her brother, Laertes, returns to avenge his fathers murder and lackluster burial ceremony. Then, for working with his Uncle, Hamlet has Rosencrantz and Guildenstern beheaded, sending the tainted message stating: “Without debatement further, more or less, / He should the bearers put to sudden death, / not shriving time allowed” (V, ii, 45-47). Finally, Laertes loses life in the final scene. All of these characters were friends of Hamlets, and all of them fell due to Hamlets delay in killing Claudius. Had Hamlet killed Claudius when he was praying, or any time prior to that, he would not have killed Polonius – the initial killing that sets all the other deaths in motion, including his mothers and, eventually, his own.
Hamlets delay in killing Claudius tragically leads to his own mothers death. After his heart-to-heart with his mother, she seems regretful of her actions. However, it is already too late. His delays have already set the wheels in motion, because at that very moment Polonius is eavesdropping. If he had killed the praying king on his way to speak with