In the early 1600s William Shakespeare wrote the world-renowned play, Hamlet: Prince of Denmark. Shakespeare portrays a revenge tragedy, in which the protagonist, Prince Hamlet, is instructed by his father's restless spirit to avenge his murder committed by the spirit's brother, King Claudius. Despite the bizarre appearance of the ghost, Hamlet encounters many obstacles that delay his ability to get revenge.
At first, the appearance of the ghost aroused an internal conflict, in Hamlet, of whether or not the ghost was the devil in disguise. Although Hamlet finally realizes that the ghost is not evil another obstacle delays Hamlet's revenge. The townspeople along with Hamlet's relatives believe he has gone crazy, which thwarts Hamlet's plan to disclose what the spirit told him. Hamlet knows that he must prove to someone trustworthy, Horatio, that Claudius is responsible for his father's death. After discovering that the king is guilty, Hamlet decides to listen to the spirit and kill the king. Although he has the perfect opportunity to kill Claudius, Hamlet hesitates; he believes that killing him now will allow Claudius to go straight to heaven because he has just asked the Lord for forgiveness. Hamlet's revenge is again delayed when Claudius sends him to England after discovering that Hamlet mistakenly murdered Polonius, thinking it was Claudius. On Hamlet's journey to England he observes the Prince of Norway, whose ambition motivates Hamlet to successfully avenge his father. Hamlet states, "O, from this time forth / My thoughts be bloodily or be nothing worth" (4.4.68-69), which indicates that Hamlet is now willing to lose his own life in exchange for his father's revenge. Hamlet manages to escape from his escorts and return to Denmark. Realizing that he has not done anything yet, Hamlet acts immediately and loses his own life while killing the king.
Although Hamlet is portrayed as having tremendous ambition, Shakespeare depicts him as one who thinks without acting.