Summary of Hamlet, the Pseudo-Procrastinator

Hamlet, the Pseudo-Procrastinator by Robert R. Reed, Jr.

Introduction

  • The essay addresses the paradox of Hamlet's behavior, noting that many existing criticisms either ignore external obstacles or downplay Hamlet's self-accusations.
  • The author aims to reconcile these viewpoints to create an intelligible understanding of Hamlet’s actions.

Traditional Schools of Thought

Internally Motivated Delay
  • Goethe: Hamlet's delay is due to weakness of will.
  • Schlegel and Coleridge: Hamlet's meditative nature paralyzes his ability to act.
  • Hermann Ulrici: Christian ethics and moral scruples deter Hamlet from seeking blood revenge.
  • These critics generally ignore or minimize external obstacles and focus on Hamlet's self-reproaches.
Externally Motivated Delay
  • J.L. Klein and Karl Werder: They emphasize external obstacles but struggle to explain Hamlet’s self-accusations.
  • They correctly identify external obstacles to Hamlet's revenge but awkwardly explain or ignore his self-accusations of delay.
Compromise Viewpoints
  • Ernest Jones and Oscar J. Campbell: These critics attempt to reconcile internal and external factors.
  • Oscar J. Campbell:
    • Views Hamlet as a manic-depressive whose emotional state is always ill-timed for the situation.
    • Campbell's theory is criticized for relying too heavily on coincidence or "adverse fate".
  • Ernest Jones: Argues Hamlet has an Oedipus complex.
    • Hamlet identifies with Claudius (who married his mother) because of his repressed desire for his mother.
    • This identification prevents Hamlet from acting against Claudius.
    • Criticized for requiring acceptance of two hypotheses:
      • Shakespeare had an Oedipus complex.
      • External obstacles are insufficient to explain Hamlet's delay.

External Obstacles to Vengeance

  • Public Vengeance: John Ashworth points out that it is unrealistic to expect Hamlet to kill Claudius in public due to the presence of courtiers and bodyguards.
  • Lack of Evidence: Only Hamlet and Horatio know of Claudius's guilt; the ghost's testimony is insufficient to convict a king.
  • Doubts about the Ghost:
    • Protestant and Elizabethan belief contrasted with Roman Catholic belief: Souls of the dead went directly to Heaven or Hell, not Purgatory, and could not return to the world.
    • Ludwig Lavater and King James I: The Devil could impersonate the dead.
    • Hamlet initially refers to the ghost as a “goblin damned.”
  • Hamlet's Doubt: Expresses serious doubt about the ghost's authenticity: "The spirit that I have seen / May be the devil [who] … / Abuses me to damn me" (II. ii).
  • Play Within a Play: Hamlet discusses his misgivings about the Ghost with Horatio before the play, planning to use the play to gauge Claudius’s reaction.
  • Opportunity Missed: Hamlet finds Claudius alone at prayer but hesitates, fearing Claudius will go to heaven if killed in a state of repentance. From the Ghost, Hamlet's father was slain “with all my imperfections on my head.