Shakespeare shows in the action of Hamlet, the prince of Denmark that when taking revenge, to act with excessive contemplation will not result in the desired outcome as effectively as possible. For example, Hamlet doesn’t even know if the ghost of his father was real and doesn’t know if his plan for revenge is justified. So, in order to prove the ghost is true, he vows to feign madness in order to act in secrecy. When Hamlet says, “As I …show more content…
While Claudius is praying, Hamlet has the chance to exact revenge but rather reconsiders and “[Ups his] sword; and know thou a more horrid hent: then he is drunk asleep, or in his rage….” (3.3) Once again, this shows how Hamlet finally has the chance to kill Claudius but hesitates, for thinking that to kill Claudius during prayer is as bad as how Claudius killed his own father. By making up an excuse such as this, Hamlet prolongs his revenge and this allows for the meeting with Gertrude to take place and Polonius’ death to occur as if Hamlet knew Claudius was dead, it’s possible he may not stab the curtain, knowing it isn’t Claudius hiding behind