The theme of procrastination is very important as it is portrayed through the main character in the play Hamlet. Hamlet procrastinates the vengeance of his fathers death after he returns from university in Germany to find his father dead; his mother married to the kings brother Claudius, and Claudius newly self-crowned King.
Hamlet cannot come to terms with the situation he has come back from school to meet. Not only is his father dead, but his mother instead of mourning her husbands death as she should, has gone ahead and married her brother-in-law only a month after her husbands own death. After the funeral, the spirit of King Hamlet appears to Bernardo and Marcellus while they are guarding the palace. Hamlets friend Horatio investigates the unrest of the former kings spirit. They inform Hamlet about the spirits pacing on the battlements. Hamlet decides to join them so he can actually see if this spirit is his dead father for himself. Hamlet eventually encounters the spirit and asks the reason for its return. In private, the spirit tells Hamlet that Claudius is responsible for his death and how he killed him through the quote Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole, with juice cursed hebona in a vial, And in the porches of mine ears did pour (1.5:61-63). He also tells hamlet why his spirit is not at rest. This is so because Claudius killed him when he ...blossoms of my sin (1.5:76) therefore not giving him enough time to repent. This earned him imprisonment in purgatory. King Hamlet wants Hamlet to seek revenge for his death though Hamlet already swore to avenge his death in the quote I have swornt (1.5:112) but he wants to investigate if the accusations are true.
To investigate this, Hamlet brings his favourite acting troupe to re-enact the scene of the murder of Gonzago from the play. He calls it The Mousetrap because his intentions for this play are to see Claudius reaction because he sees this part of the play as a dramatization of the murder of his father. He calls it The Mousetrap because he sees it as a trap for Claudius. At this time, Hamlet also reveals his doubt that the spirit he saw was his father. He thinks that the spirit May be the devil (2.2:604). Here, for the first time, he also reveals his fear and possible cowardice and that is why he thinks that the ghost is possibly the devil taking a different shape just to fool him. ...and the devil hath power to assume a pleasing shape; yea and perhaps out of my weakness and my melancholy (2.2:604-606). In between the planning of the play and the play itself, Hamlet debates vengeance and suicide. In act 3 scene 3, he reveals to us that he is a man of many words and little action as he quotes To be or not to be: that is the question (3.1:56) which refers to vengeance. And to die: to sleep; no more; and, by sleep to say we end the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to, tis consumption devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep (3.1:60-64) which refers to suicide and putting an end to his supposed suffering. Hamlets behaviour just shows how afraid he is and that is why he keeps on procrastinating killing Claudius.
After all preparations had been made, everybody sits to watch the play. A few minutes into the play, Claudius turns and asks Hamlet Have you heard the argument? Is there no offense in it? (3.2:236-237). by asking this question, Claudius shows that he feels uneasy. Hamlet replies him saying your majesty we that have free souls, it touches us not: let the galled jade wince, our wither are unwrung (3.2:245-247). Hamlet does this to see if Claudius will eventually feel the guilt and soon after, the king leaves his chair. Claudius eventually goes to pray for forgiveness. He starts by saying O! My offence is rank, it smells to heaven (3.3:37). He then compares it to the murder in the book of Genesis where Cain killed his brother Abel. While he is praying, Hamlet walks in. At this point, in the play, Hamlet has all the evidence he needs to prove Claudius guilty but when he is most vulnerable, he does not kill him. He says why this is hire and salary, not revenge. He took my father grossly, full of bread, with all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May; and how his audit stands who knows save heaven? (3.3:80-83). Once again, Hamlet is talking too much instead of just taking action. His reason this time being that Claudius is praying for forgiveness therefore it will be pointless to kill him now because he will go to heaven and not suffer and Hamlet does not see this as revenge. He eventually takes the decision not to kill Claudius saying, up sword, and thou a more horrid hent; when he is drunk or asleep, or in his rage, or in the incestuous pleasure of his bed, and gaming swearing or about some act that has no relish of salvation in it; then trip him that his heels may kick at heaven, and that his soul may be as damned and black as hell, whereto it goes. (3.3:89-96) and then leaves the room.
Hamlet, at this point in the play, is so scared that he thinks and talks more than he acts. He eventually tells his mother Gertrude that Claudius killed Hamlet and mistakenly stabs Polonius who is eavesdropping from behind the drapes. For the first time here, we actually see Hamlet take an action in the line of death. When Claudius hears about this, he sends him to England. Before Hamlet leaves, he encounters Prince Fortinbras who is marching an army of men to Poland to fight for a small piece of land his father lost to them. After he encounters Fortinbras, he begins to ponder his failure to avenge the murder of his father. He realises that his behaviour has been very cowardly in the quote a thought, which quarterd hath but one part wisdom, and ever three parts coward, I do not know (4.4:43-44). The thought of young Fortinbras fighting for the little piece of land his father lost whereon the numbers cannot try to cause, which is not tomb enough and continent to hide the slain? (4.4:63-65) makes Hamlet really look at his past actions and realise that he has actually not made any effort all because of his fear. After thinking his past behaviour through, he decides that O! From this time forth, my thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth! (4.4:65-66). Hamlet, by saying this has confirmed that he will finally take action and kill Claudius when he gets a chance. At the end, he ends up killing Claudius, his mother ends up getting poison by drinking from the cup he was meant to drink from, he kills Laretes, son of Polonius and then he eventually dies.
Procrastination, as we have seen was used as a tactic by Hamlet to shield his fear. After everything, he still ends up killing Claudius, something he could have done right from the beginning.
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