Why Hamlet delays in avenging the death of his father The tragic play "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare tells the story of the enigmatic prince Hamlet who has the task of avenging the murder of his father at the hands of his uncle, King Claudius. Although it is clear that Hamlet harbors deep resentment toward his uncle and is ultimately certain of his mission, Hamlet continually delays completing his task for various reasons. Whether because Hamlet is a fundamentally pensive character who always thinks before he acts or because he is paralyzed by his intelligence and moral scruples, it can be argued that Hamlet's prolonged delay results in his eventual destruction. Near the beginning of the play, Hamlet is confronted by an apparition who claims to be the ghost of his deceased father, the old king. The sprite explains the details by which Claudius murdered him and how he is now in purgatory until his death is avenged and old Hamlet's honor is restored. However, having been given the task of killing the new king, Hamlet is unsure whether the ghost is in fact the spirit of his deceased father or an evil demon and is therefore unsure of the validity of the ghost's testimony. Thus, his contemplative nature leads Hamlet to devise an elaborate means to establish Claudius' guilt. He uses a group of traveling actors to play out a scene that closely resembles the means of old Hamlet's murder. He then plans to observe Claudius' attitude, if it changed during the scene, his guilty conscience would be established. “The coin is the thing by which I will take the conscience of the king.” Therefore, part of Hamlet's delay can be attributed...... middle of paper ......antz and Guildenstern. Unbeknownst to them, they carry instructions from the king ordering Hamlet's immediate execution upon his arrival in England. Having discovered these orders shortly before being rescued by a pirate ship, Hamlet secretly modifies them to read that his two friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern be executed. This confusing behavior highlights Hamlet's complexities and demonstrates that, although he is slow to complete his task, he is not always indecisive and contemplative in nature. Although Prince Hamlet's intentions are just and honorable, his fundamentally introspective attitude results in a long delay in avenging his father's death. His grief, distraction by philosophical ideas, and excessive rationalization of his thought process lead to his prolonged procrastination and eventual demise..