Today's Topic: Hamlet's Dilemma

Finally! A break from movie adaptation analysis! Instead of our usual discussion on the interpretations of various scenes from Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, we will be looking at the text itself and answering some important analysis questions.

In specific, we will be looking at Hamlet's hesitation over killing his uncle-now-step-father, King Claudius. 

But first, some background. Our favorite Fresh Prince of Bel Air hatched a scheme at the end of Act 2 to prove (mostly to himself) that King Claudius had indeed killed the late King Hamlet. The plan was rather simple- Hamlet constructed a play called The Mousetrap that would be performed before the court. The play would mirror the events that the Ghost had told Hamlet had happened: There's a king and a queen who are very much in love and happy. The jealous brother of the king kills the him and steals his crown and his wife. Hamlet's goal was to show the play to Claudius and observe him- watching for any reaction that would tell our prince that Claudius was guilty.

And it worked. We never get to read the end of The Mousetrap because as the brother kills the king in the play, King Claudius rises from his seat, declares that he needs light, and sends everyone away. It's clear evidence of his guilt, and Hamlet knows it too.

Fast forward a bit, and we find ourselves in the King's private chapel. After having sent everyone else away, King Claudius is in the chapel alone and confesses to his crimes. He openly says that it was true, that he killed his brother in cold blood and took everything from him. Clearly guilt-written, Claudius struggles the fact that he cannot possibly be forgiven for such a horrible crime, especially when he still has all the spoils that he gained from it. Nonetheless, he hopes for any possibility of forgiveness, gets down on his knees, and starts to pray.

And here enters Hamlet. He clearly has come for any idle chit-chat with his uncle, and has every intention to kill the king where he kneels. Hamlet knew for sure that Claudius was guilty of murdering his father and then, because he has no doubts, came to the chapel to finish the job.

Except, he hesitates. Not because he any qualms over killing or anything of that sort, but because Claudius is praying. Hamlet reasons to himself that it would be unfitting to kill Claudius right then and there for one main reason- he doesn't want to send Claudius to heaven. Should he kill Claudius as he prays, Hamlet will have killed him while he was making peace with his wrongdoings, thus making him fit for a passage into that great big basement in the sky. And our prince doesn't anything short of eternal damnation for his dear uncle, so he stops himself and resolves to kill Claudius while he is in the middle of doing something evil. 

Now this is where the questioning starts. This scene says a lot in terms of the characters and what should or shouldn't have been done. Let's start with the basics: whether Hamlet should have hesitated at all. Many people will and have criticized Hamlet's lack of action within the play, as he does a lot more talking than walking so to speak. It's a common belief that it would have been better for everyone had he just killed Claudius right then and there in that chapel. And what's more, these beliefs are not entirely without some truth- a lot less people would have died and a lot more problems could have been avoided (or not depending on how you look at it).

However, in my personal opinion, I don't really blame Hamlet for hesitating and I also think he's not wrong for doing what he does. Sure, I'm more of an action-before-thinking sort, but I'm also not Hamlet's situation. Killing Claudius isn't about just killing Claudius, it's more so about what it means to Hamlet. Hamlet isn't just looking to kill his father's murderer, he looking to avenge his father- to settle the score. If Claudius dies and Hamlet knows he killed him while he was repenting, the prince has ever reason to believe that Claudius will not suffer the same fate his father did and not be doomed to an eternity of regret. It would make things even between everyone, and that matters to Hamlet- who has to live with what he's about to do. 

What's at stake here is Hamlet's ability to move on. He may not ever be able to be at peace with himself knowing he didn't do all he could to carry out his father's final wishes- which was extremely valuable to people then (and to a great extent even now). Hamlet is more a symbolic sorta guy, always comparing two and two together and pointing out the meaning in things (which was proven with both the recorder incident and Ophelia). In the end, I honestly don't believe is going to care what happens to himself after Claudius is dead. What matters to him is peace of mind, which he clearly hasn't had since his father died. If he dies because everyone assumes he's crazy or never gets the throne, he doesn't strike me as the type to care- he even disregarded both in his 'To Be or Not to Be' speech and in his interaction with Guildenstern and Rosencrantz. 

Claudius on the other hand is a bit more complicated. Is he guilty? Yes, he killed his brother and took his stuff. Pretty messed up stuff. But is he sorry? It's clear he not a heartless monster, because he did show guilt and remorse over his actions. He certainly human, granted not a good one, but human and therefore has a conscience. A lot of people don't like to see their villains like that- they like to see them in the exact way they see them in their heads. They like to see them cruel, unloving, unforgiving, and without a heart- but that's not how the real world works. I'm not implying that Claudius deserves Brother of the Year 2015 here, but it is worth pondering whether or not he can be sorry about what he did.

On that note, I don't think imagine Claudius's situation in the same way as a bank robber apologizing for his crimes while keeping the money is the right way to view this. From what I can predict, Claudius evening the odds isn't going to solve very many things. Instead, it might just make things worse for everyone- because if no one's noticed, the next in line is unstable Hamlet in the face of a not-so Norwegian invasion. Not only that, but to not only have your king die but have just been told your new king killed the old one? Not very good for the public. What I'm trying to say is that Claudius has a lot more to consider than just himself, and it can hinder his decision to turn himself in (and I'm trying to give Claudius the benefit of the doubt here and assume that he's more 'big-picture' oriented). Therefore, he doesn't have to take immediate action just to feel sorry- which has been proven by everyone's favorite prince himself.

Now if only people would stop dying who aren't Claudius.

-Chrislynn Idis

P.S. - Saw Age of Ultron this weekend- that was cool. Liked Scarlet Witch more than I thought I would. Didn't like the Black Widow and Banner romance. Why the felt the need to make them an item, I have no idea. Thoroughly enjoyed Vision's appearance. Did NOT thoroughly enjoy Quicksilver's death. Believe in Jarvis, don't accept Friday.

Um, spoiler?