Roots of Hamlet's Procrastination and Intensity

“Overthinking leads the way to self destruction. Mind your mind or it will make you go out of your mind”. Hamlet, written by English dramatist, William Shakesphere, tells the story of a grief stricken young man who returns home from college only to find that his father is dead, and his mother is now married to his father’s brother, Claudius. After a visit from his late father’s ghost, he learns that the death of his father is no accident, but rather a murder caused through the malicious intent of none other than Claudius, himself. He finds his father has appeared to demand revenge through him, only making matters worse. His mind is in a constant battle with itself, leading to his own self destruction. Though at length, the wish of revenge is accomplished, it is to no true avail. Tragically, Hamlet's overthinking leads to the ultimate demise of his character.

Foremost, throughout the novel, Hamlet’s tragic flaw of overthinking leads him to take a drastic measure ultimately causing a process of self destruction. As two of the castle guards, Horatio and Marcellus, witness the altercation of Hamlet and his father’s ghost, they are left unsettled. Horatio believes that the situation is unbelievably strange; to that Hamlet replies, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy…I perchance hereafter shall think meet. To put an antic disposition on”. Hamlet is mad with emotion; he does not know who or what to believe. He is confused and rightly so; his life is spinning out of control. Since the act of murder Hamlet is being asked to accomplish is in such opposition with his conscious mind, he is left to rely solely on his overthinking. Consequently, he creates this version of himself as if he has gone mad and is no longer in control of his actions or words, to supposedly find out the truth. However, by doing this, he is not only losing those closest to him, but he begins to lose himself. He finds that no one is really for him, and even his closest childhood friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, turn to the side of Claudius and spy on him. In a meeting with his friends, he tells them, “I am but mad north-northwest. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a hand saw”. Hamlet makes clear that in reality his madness is all part of a cunning strategic plan. He expresses that he is in fact in control of his mind and can discern a friend from an enemy. However, in reality this plan is just causing him to lose himself. His supposed acting leads him to have no stability and creates a weariness and uneasiness within him, draining himself in his pursuit. His constant overthinking leads him to dig deeper and deeper only putting himself into more devastating chaos.

Moreover, Hamlet’s indecision, stemmed from his overthinking, only causes further destruction. Hamlet has a perfect opportunity to kill Claudius, while he is praying. Instead of taking action, he creates an excuse, saying, “Now might I do it pat. Now he is a-praying. And now I’ll do ’t. And so he goes to heaven. And so am I revenged.—That would be scanned”. On the surface, it may seem that Hamlet is in fact genuinely concerned with a justified punishment for Claudius. Because, should Hamlet decide to kill him amidst prayer, it allows him to go to heaven, a chance not given to his beloved father. However, Hamlet in reality is only full of words to excuse his inability to make a decision and follow through with it. He retreats to words rather than taking action. By avoiding this, it creates a domino effect leading to not only his demise but seven others. It is a paralyzation caused by over analysis. He is so caught up in his own emotions and thinking, which leaves him numb to act. Later in the story, Hamlet has an encounter with a Norwegian captain, where he realizes his inaction towards his father's wish and says, “Of thinking too precisely on th' event—A thought which, quartered, hath but one part wisdom. And ever three parts coward—I do not know. Why yet I live to say “This thing’s to do,” Sith I have cause and will and strength and means”. Hamlet is in absolute awe of the people’s willingness to risk countless lives to merely reclaim land. Hamlet, in a way, admires the forcefulness and power the army is using. He sees the devotion for their cause and has a moment of self reflection; he is indecisive and unsure. Besieged with guilt, he sees the soldiers conquer lands upon lands without regret, yet, he can not even conquer his own internal conflict. Hamlet is filled with melancholic discontentment, all due to his inability to make a concise decision.

Conclusively, Hamlet resorts to cowardice and fear from overthinking furthering his self inflicted demise. He falls into a downward spiral, and begins to question himself and his true motives and decisions. While an actor is performing, Hamlet notices the amount of emotion and feeling he is expressing. Feeling conflicted, he says,“Yet I, A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause, And can say nothing—no, not for a king, Upon whose property and most dear life damned defeat was made. Am I a coward?' Hamlet begins the destructive mind game of comparison. He lacks bravery and is stuck immobilized in inaction. The actor is expressing this seemingly real and profound emotion, for something not real. Yet, Hamlet is still hesitating in his very real dilemma. Even if everything is pushing him to act, he still is in a constant state of overthinking rather than doing. His determination or lack thereof roots from the fears of the consequence of his action, rather the initial motivation of his pursuit. In a self reflective moment he states, “Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of resolution sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pitch and moment. With this regard their currents turn awry. And lose the name of action”. Hamlet's mind is constantly filled with intrusive and wearying thoughts, leading to a cowardly approach. He lacks a sound mind and is constantly at war with his head. His fear does not allow Hamlet to make a decision that would stop any further damage. All leading to a folding of a series of events resulting in his ending.

While it could be argued that Hamlet’s overthinking is a good thing stemming from his God-given consciousness, that is just not the case. To an extent yes, a conscious is there for a reason. In Hamlet’s case, his overthinking reaches far past normal reason and consideration before taking action. His acting, or rather lack thereof, internally and externally harms him and others. Hamlet, further in his encounter, with Fortinbras even states, “How all occasions do inform against me, And spur my dull revenge!...Sure, he that made us with such large discourse, Looking before and after, gave us not That capability and godlike reason. To fust in us unused. Now, whether it be Bestial oblivion, or some craven scruple”. Hamlet expresses that the Creator of man has given the ability to be discernible and take action. Hamlet is blessed with his mind, however he turns his blessing into a curse. Ultimately his revenge occurs in a bloody altercation, with many unnecessary deaths including his own; which could have all been avoided should he have taken action, and not over analyze.

All in all, Hamlet's tragic ending is a result of his immobilization caused through overthinking. Whether it is his extreme resolution to finding the truth, his indecisive pursuit to avenge against Claudis, or his fear towards acting on the wish of death upon someone, his mind constantly furthers the point of action. There is a lesson in it all. One should always take notice of their God-given conscious, and rely heavily on it. Continually, one should learn the ability of discernment and action. Ask, is it worth it? Will this be pleasing to the Maker? Is this for selfish gain or selfless pursuit? Be mindful of the consequences of actions but never lose the desire for risk. Make decisions not based solely on emotion, learn how to discern, and have courage. But most importantly learn how to forgive. If forgiveness lies in the motivations of the heart, countless amounts of pain and heartache can be avoided.