A question that baffles great minds who are not alike is still being debated even four hundred years after its arrival. Why does Hamlet delay? Not only has he created a dramatic and suspenseful work that captures the audience's attention, but it also reveals what kind of character William Shakespeare wants to create for his young tragic hero, Prince Hamlet. This Hamlet is a man who suffers from his own words that "the native color of resolution / Is made sickly by the pale tinge of thought" (III, I, 85-86). Being an intelligent and thoughtful man, he keeps making excuses for his sick mind with thoughts which ultimately delays the resolution of the play, Claudius' death. Hamlet agonizes over action after action and develops issues within him that give reason to why his mind has led him astray. His obsession with just revenge, as well as the internal conflict to maintain the balance that resides within him, coincide with this reflective nature. First, consider Hamlet's statement that he will avenge his father "with swift wings / Like meditation" (I, VI, 29 -30). He says “meditation,” something that isn’t all that quick and signals to the reader that Hamlet is prone to thinking about things from various angles before taking an action, which can take time. He does not intend to make this a quick conclusion with a quick and timely death of Claudius; he needs to take time and think through all matters before taking any action. The Prince of Denmark states that “time is out of phase; O cursed spite, / That I was ever born to set things right! -” (I, VI, 190-191) and maintains this statement until the last act when he dies of poison. Hamlet has to calculate every single detail, including the consequences, and the… medium of paper… takes away much of his energy and ability to act and so none is taken away from him. In his nature of overthinking, he finds excuses in himself to not act yet, such as the need to make revenge perfect as well as his inability to find stability in himself. Hamlet spends much of his time and energy getting rid of seemingly harmless people and little on the person who is really out to get him, Claudius. His new acceptance of what is to come, no matter what, allows him to think that his destiny is already predetermined and that he will be the one to fulfill his father's wish. Furthermore, since he is not given the chance to reflect on things to the extent that he usually does, he second-guesses these thoughts of acceptance and thus kills Claudius. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Marilyn Eisenstat and Ken Roy. Hamlet. Toronto: Harcourt Canada, 2003. Print.