Hamlet

Moore conveys this point very nicely by saying that "when we first see the Prince of Denmark, his posture is defensive. Hamlet's reaction to the incidents that have occurred is rather passive and resentful" (www.allshakespeare.com/hamlet). Then, when Hamlet talks to his father's apparition he turns into an introspective character, who does not know whether to trust the ghost or not, and is thus slow to the conviction that the ghost actually is his dead father and that Claudius is guilty of wanton slaughter, thus this also prevents Hamlet from going straight to the task at hand. Hamlet then decides to behave like a lunatic to find out the "inside story" on his father's death. Hamlet is very unhinged by his father's death and is utterly disgusted by his mother's free fall from grace by marrying her brother-in-law immediately after her husband's death. Hamlet portrays his true intellectual self only in front of Horatio, who is his friend and student. Thus Hamlet's character is that of the ultimate tragic hero who has to give up his love to avenge his father's death. .
             It is very true that, "Hamlet has been subjected to numerous interpretations and studies over the centuries, and his actions and thoughts have been analyzed and reanalyzed. This, probably more than anything else, is the reason for Hamlet's enduring appeal" (www.classicnotes.com/classicnotes/titles/hamlet). However, I feel that the basic psychological motivation behind Hamlet's actions was his desire for revenge. While reading the play, Hamlet's obscure words truly hide his intentions and sometimes we begin to think that the mountain of grief has taken its toll on Hamlet and he indeed is insane, but the coming of Horatio at regular intervals help us resolve the doubt. Hamlet is immensely grief stricken and it is his emotions that further provide fuel to his plans of taking revenge. .
             All of Shakespeare's plays comment on certain inevitable factions of the society.