Uncertainty and Action Hamlet

In the tragic play of Hamlet, the themes of uncertainty and action are directly related. Throughout the play Hamlet continuously questions himself, delaying him from taking action against Claudius that he seems to want so desperately. In Act I, scene v, Hamlet speaks with the ghost of his dead father, who is stuck in purgatory, and can only rest after revenge is taken for the “foul and most unnatural murder” (I.v.25) that Claudius committed to usurp the crown. As the ghost of his father disappears, Hamlet appears intensely motivated to avenge his father. As this is the end of Act I, the audience expects Hamlet to act quickly to uncover the truth about his Uncle Claudius, formulate a precise plan, and take action against him for the rest of the play. However, when Hamlet does act, he does so recklessly and violently. More questions arise as the play continues, for Hamlet cannot know for sure if the ghost was real or just a figure of his imagination. He has no concrete evidence to warrant killing his Uncle Claudius, so he devises a plan to use a play reenacting his father’s murder to judge if Claudius is truly the killer. Even though it is obvious that the play makes Claudius uneasy about the play, this offers no factual evidence to prove Hamlet’s point. How can Hamlet what happened by just judging Claudius’ reaction? Hamlet decides to kill Claudius without actually knowing the facts about the murder of his father. He does not take into account rational considerations or consequences of his actions. The other characters in the play seem to be certain of their own action and do not think about it as much as Hamlet, but each of them in someway delays action. Laertes vows that nothing will prevent him from getting his revenge, but he is easily manipulated by Claudius to serve his goals in the end and never truly avenges his father. Uncertainty and action are two themes that go hand in had within the play and are what motivate the characters.