Hamlet's Delay

" If Hamlet knew what to do without having any struggle in his mind, then he wouldn't be human, because it is nearly impossible for man to make an entirely unbiased judgment. Naturally, he needs to expose Claudius as being a murderer, and he should do this without substituting his own good name and judgment. To fully understand Hamlet's inaction, it is important to realize revenge is not exacted until the evil deeds of the offender are revealed and the public knows the truth (Reed 179). Under this light, Hamlet cannot kill Claudius until he can prove that he poisoned the late king. Hamlet would suffer in the eyes of the people if he were to murder Claudius, the reigning king, and claim his motive was the words of a ghost. Thus the first two acts are not only for the reader to understand Hamlet's character, but also to allow Hamlet to gather needed evidence against his uncle (Wagenknecht 189).
             In the visit that Hamlet receives from his dead father, the ghost specifically tells Hamlet to "revenge his [father's] foul and most unnatural murder The serpent that did sting thy father's life Now wears his crown" (I. v. 25-40). The reader thinks that this is adequate evidence and it is Hamlet's time to go and seek revenge. However, this is not the case. Hamlet does seem eager to try and take the life of Claudius in the name of his father, but before he can do so he has a notion, what if that was not my father, but an evil apparition sending me on the wrong path? Hamlet says, "The spirit that I have seen / May be a devil, and the devil hath power / T" assume a pleasing shape" (II. ii. 627-629). The Elizabethan perception "that ghosts were masquerading devils was widely held among intelligent people in Shakespeare's day" (Wagenknecht 192). Horatio suggests to Hamlet that the ghost may lead him astray and then "assume some other horrible form / Which might deprive your sovereignty of reason / And draw you into madness.