What is procrastination? Procrastination is simply the act of repeatedly delaying or postponing a task. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a play that questions this action, and demonstrates some extreme effects that it can have on others. The murder of King Hamlet, and his brother Claudius taking the throne, along with the former King’s wife set the play in motion, but it is Hamlet’s lack of actions, otherwise known as procrastination, that lead to all of the dying that is witnessed in the play, including Polonius’ accidental murder, Ophelia’s demise, and even the death of Hamlet himself. To begin, Hamlet’s inaction during the play makes him responsible for the death of Polonius, King Claudius’ advisor. Hamlet is ordered to avenge his father
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Laertes, the son of Polonius returns to Denmark, preparing to avenge his father by killing Hamlet, soon to hear that his sister had died as well when Gertrude says, “One woe doth tread upon another’s heel / So fast they follow. Your sister’s drown’d Laertes” (IV, vii, 63-64). Throughout the novel, it is apparent that the women in the play did not stand up for themselves. Ophelia is ordered around, and never argues. When she is told to end her relationship with Hamlet, she obeys, but unfortunately for her, Hamlet gives her a hard time. Once deciding to go mad, Hamlet continuously bothers and roundly insults her, saying things like, “Get thee to a nunnery” (III,i,121), implying that she should stay away from men, and he continues to insult her virginity. Once Hamlet murders her father, Ophelia meets her breaking point and goes completely mad. One can conclude that when Gertrude tells Laertes the story of how Ophelia dies, it sounds an awful lot like she committed suicide because she could not take it anymore. Whether Ophelia’s death was an accident or not, Hamlet is clearly the one to blame, for he was the reason her father died, and the reason she became mad, causing her inability to think clearly when she was facing death. Due to Hamlet’s fantastic procrastination skills, by this point in the play he managed to kill two people, but none of whom were
Laertes, the son of Polonius returns to Denmark, preparing to avenge his father by killing Hamlet, soon to hear that his sister had died as well when Gertrude says, “One woe doth tread upon another’s heel / So fast they follow. Your sister’s drown’d Laertes” (IV, vii, 63-64). Throughout the novel, it is apparent that the women in the play did not stand up for themselves. Ophelia is ordered around, and never argues. When she is told to end her relationship with Hamlet, she obeys, but unfortunately for her, Hamlet gives her a hard time. Once deciding to go mad, Hamlet continuously bothers and roundly insults her, saying things like, “Get thee to a nunnery” (III,i,121), implying that she should stay away from men, and he continues to insult her virginity. Once Hamlet murders her father, Ophelia meets her breaking point and goes completely mad. One can conclude that when Gertrude tells Laertes the story of how Ophelia dies, it sounds an awful lot like she committed suicide because she could not take it anymore. Whether Ophelia’s death was an accident or not, Hamlet is clearly the one to blame, for he was the reason her father died, and the reason she became mad, causing her inability to think clearly when she was facing death. Due to Hamlet’s fantastic procrastination skills, by this point in the play he managed to kill two people, but none of whom were