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In Act III, Hamlet is presented with an ideal opportunity to kill Claudius that he fails to capitalize on. Hamlet justifies his inaction by claiming that his uncle was praying, thus it would have been immoral to kill him during the act of prayer: "now might I do it pat, now a is a-praying" (Act III, Sc III). This obscure logic troubles most readers who struggle with Hamlet's procrastination and lack of passion in fulfilling his deceased father's request. Hamlet's jumps back and forth debating a suitable course of action and then struggles with the implementation of carrying forth a plan. The result is that the audience is left in agony as Hamlet oscillates between grief, contemplating revenge and inaction. Hamlet is called a psychological thriller but in actuality it is more accurately psychological torture. Hamlet's inaction frustrates the audience who cannot understand why he takes so long to do what he should have done straight away.
Many critics of Hamlet argue that the protagonist's failure to act stems from a deep insecurity and a lack of self-knowledge. When Barnardo poses the question "Who's there?" in Act I, Sc III, it can be construed as a question not merely of Hamlet's identity, but of his psychological makeup. Hamlet's most famous line in the play, "to be, or not to be" in Act III Sc I, encapsulates the confusion that occupies Hamlet's mind. He cannot decide if he wants to be an avenger or a coward. He does not want to act without irrefutable evidence of Claudius' guilt. He cannot decide if the ghost is really representing his father or whether it is a trick. The end result of Hamlet's indecision is that he opts to do nothing. He waits until his opportunity for vengeance has passed and his inaction ends up killing virtually everyone he comes into contact with.
The reason for Hamlet's delay is a fundamental struggle with the morality of seeking vengeance. Shakespeare himself appears to be opposed to revenge and uses Hamlet to demonstrate the dangers associated with revenge.