Enjoy my little poll philosophers. (and lovers of Hamlet in particular) Plus justify your argument

[Clever Wrench]

What are your thoughts on the matter?

[Amy96]

I have had mixed results with that approach. That is the sensible starting point

[Undertaker]

I am always wary when something sounds amazing at first glance. I set a calendar reminder to check rates every three months and it saves me a fair bit.

Cheers for sharing that

[Warden]

Bit fiddly but that is the right approach. Buy slightly more materials than you need, you will always use them.

Happy to answer questions if you get stuck

[Daemon]

Interesting poll because Hamlet is one of those characters where everyone thinks they have the answer until they remember the man spends most of the play trying to figure himself out. My vote would be that he is more tragic than simply indecisive. The hesitation is part of the tragedy, not the whole reason for it.

A character who acts instantly would probably have avoided half the problems, but we would not still be discussing him centuries later.

[Jason99]

The fun thing about Hamlet debates is that both sides can build a pretty strong case. Calling him a coward misses the point, but calling him completely powerless does too.

He is intelligent enough to see the consequences of every choice, which is both his strength and his downfall. A classic case of thinking so much that action becomes harder.

[RonaldoNazario68]

Going against the popular view here and saying Hamlet's delay is exaggerated by modern audiences. In that world, accusing someone of murder based on a ghost's word is not exactly a straightforward situation.

Everyone wants him to rush in like an action hero, but Shakespeare was writing a character study, not a revenge movie with dramatic music every ten minutes.

[Owl19]

The part that always gets me is how much Hamlet performs for other people. The madness, the jokes, the wordplay, it is all layers.

That makes the poll difficult because are we judging what he feels or what he chooses to show? Shakespeare definitely made him a puzzle on purpose.

[EdgeRatedR20]

My vote goes to Hamlet being responsible for his own downfall. Other characters do terrible things, but he makes choices that push events further into disaster.

The tragedy works because he is not just a victim. He has intelligence and opportunities, but he cannot escape his own doubts.

[StarKnight36]

Could never understand why some people find Hamlet boring. A prince talking himself into circles sounds dull on paper, then you actually read the play and realise the arguments are still relevant.

Replace the castle with an office and the sword with emails, and half the problems would probably still happen.

[Arty Leah]

Love these kinds of polls because they reveal how differently people read the same text. Some see hesitation, others see caution and intelligence.

Either way, Shakespeare created a character who can still start arguments hundreds of years later, which is a pretty impressive achievement.

[Sophie86]

Not sure I buy the idea that Hamlet simply cannot make decisions. He makes plenty of decisions throughout the play, some of them very deliberate.

The issue is that he does not act on the timeline everyone else wants. That is a different thing entirely.

[BrightRunner]

I always found the play more interesting when Hamlet is viewed as someone struggling with grief rather than just revenge.

The revenge plot gets attention, but the emotional side is what gives the story weight. Losing a parent and feeling betrayed by everyone around you would change anyone.

[EdgeNodeCoder]

My take is that Hamlet's biggest enemy is not Claudius, it is isolation. He stops trusting almost everyone and starts carrying the entire burden himself.

Once that happens, every choice becomes heavier and the situation spirals.

[Mick88]

The arguments around Hamlet remind me why old literature survives. People still disagree because the character feels human rather than neatly explained.

A perfectly rational hero would probably be easier to understand, but much less fun to discuss.

[Teal Sparrow]

I lean towards sympathy for him. Imagine being told by a supernatural figure that your father was murdered and everyone around you might be involved.

Most people commenting from the comfort of the modern world would probably struggle to handle that situation too. \

[Cheugy]

The poll needs an option for 'Hamlet is clever but also his own worst enemy'. That feels like the middle ground.

He sees through other people's lies, but sometimes his own mind creates another maze for him to get lost in. A frustrating character, but a brilliantly written one.

[BankHolidayBlues87]

One thing worth mentioning is that Hamlet is surrounded by people who are also hiding things. His suspicion is not coming from nowhere.

The tragedy is that his search for certainty comes in a world where certainty is almost impossible to find.

[Erin82]

The best answer might be that Hamlet is both a thinker and a man who thinks too much. Those are not opposites.

His ability to question everything is what makes him interesting, but it also stops him trusting his own decisions. There is a reason every literature class eventually ends up arguing about this.