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When Was Hamlet Unable To Kill His Father

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Arguably one of William Shakespeare’s most complex plays, Hamlet chronicles the story of a Danish prince who must avenge his father’s death by murdering the man who killed him and usurped the throne, his uncle Claudius. According to English literary scholar, A.C Bradley, Hamlet’s inability to kill his uncle is due to his constant hatred of life and himself, and because of this feeling, he is subconsciously unable to fulfill his promise. Hamlet’s inability to uphold his promise throughout the play can be attributed to his hatred of practically everything he encounters. Hamlet’s inner turmoil with himself impedes him from completing his task, to murder King Claudius. Hamlet shows anger at himself for being too cowardly to kill his uncle many …show more content…

Throughout the play, Hamlet spends more time complaining and plotting revenge on King Claudius than actually doing anything about it. When the ghost of his father appears to him and explains the truth behind his untimely death, Hamlet vows that “Haste me to know 't, that I, with wings as swift/ As meditation or the thoughts of love, / May sweep to my revenge” but doesn’t do anything until his life is at risk (1.5.35-37). When Hamlet shows hesitation about listening to the ghost of his father, he is subconsciously unable to fulfill his promise when he says “The spirit that I have seen/May be the devil: and…hath power/To assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps,/Out of my weakness and my melancholy,/As he is very potent with such spirits,/Abuses me to damn me”, showing his distrust of his own surroundings (2.2.627-632). On his way to England, Hamlet encounters the army of Fortinbras, the prince of Norway, who is on their way to invade Poland. As he looks upon the large army marching and regards that “How stand I, then, / That have a father killed, a mother stained, / Excitements of my reason and my blood,” while witnessing “The imminent death of twenty thousand men…My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!” (4.4.59-61,69). In this moment, Hamlet realizes that if Fortinbras can lead an immense army

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