Hamlet has only been able to kill on impulse, but when it comes to Claudius he is only able to reflect. He constantly second guesses himself. Time after time, he does not pounce on the opportunity to finish Claudius once and for all. Hamlet plays with the idea that the spirit may not be his father's, but could be a malicious ghost disguising himself as the king. "The spirit that I have seen, May be a devil, and the devil hath power, t'assume a pleasing shape" (2.2.562-563). Hamlet is fearful that the devil is taking advantage of his despondent state of mind by appearing as the King and addressing inaccurate accusations. Hamlet refuses to take any action until he can confirm that the ghost was, in fact, his father. He decides to test Claudius's conscience by putting on "a play within a play." Hamlet is being moral by taking caution in trusting the ghost. .
Hamlet has the gift of philosophical thought. He can be considered an intellectual mastermind, proven in his four major soliloquies. Hamlet overanalyzes every situation around him, taking up his energy and preventing him from taking action. Hamlet has the chance to kill Claudius in Act 3 Scene 3, but as Hamlet enters the room, Claudius kneels to ask for forgiveness. Hamlet lets this opportunity pass when he gets the idea that Claudius may go to heaven if he is killed while praying. "And so am I reveng'd. That would be scann'd: A villain kills my father, and for that I, his sole son, do the same villain send to heaven. Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge." (3.3.75-79) At this point, Hamlet makes the decision to kill Claudius later when he is acting sinfully, in order to be positive that his spirit is not able to experience the paradise of Heaven. Others in Hamlet's position would act quickly out of detestation towards Claudius. Hamlet, on the contrary, uses his gift of intelligence to think about the whole situation in great depth.
