“Thou com’st in such a questionable shape,” Hamlet says (1.4.43). In Act II, he further questions the identity of the ghost saying to himself,...The spirit that I have seenMay be a devil, and the devil hath powerT’ assume the pleasing shape, yea, and perhapsOut of my weakness and my melancholy,As he is very potent with such spirits,Abuses me to damn me. (2.2.610-615)However, Hamlet devises a plan to solve this case of missing identity. He continues to say, “I’ll have grounds/More relative than this. The play’s the thing/Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King” (2.2.615-617). The play begins, in Act III, with players acting out The Murder of Gonzago, whose plot is extremely similar to what has gone “rotten” in Denmark. Hamlet, after observing the reaction of Claudius during the play, is satisfied that the ghost was his father, and in turn will “take the ghosts word for a thousand pound” (3.2.292-293). After learning this, Hamlet still delays in accomplishing his task of killing Claudius. Instead, he questions himself as to the consequences of such an act..Towards the end of Act III, after the play, Hamlets walks in on Claudius as he is kneeling and praying. Presented with the perfect opportunity to kill him, he backs off once again. His reasoning being that if he murders Claudius while he is praying, he will go to heaven. Certainly, Hamlet wants him to go anywhere but heaven, considering what he has done. However, Hamlet seems to be either looking for the right time or trying to delay it, possibly due to cowardice.Another explanation of this delay could be Hamlet’s nature and values. “Our moral impression of Hamlet derives primariily from what he says rather than what he does. It is an almost intuitive awareness of the beauty, depth, and refinement of his moral nature, upon which is thrust a savage burden of revenge and of disall...
