You're not in a hurryTo do or not to do? This is the question. People are notorious for putting off what they set out to do and for various reasons. Hamlet is no different. His postponement in killing his uncle is one of many Shakespearean debates to which critics lend their time. Therefore, there are a diverse number of opinions and theories that speculate on the exact root of his inertia, some names more popular than others, such as Goethe, Coleridge, Klein and Werder. There is no concrete ruling on the matter. There is nothing in the text that follows to suggest a new discovery, but a narrowing or elimination of false and contradictory ones. Although simplistic in nature, Hamlet delays taking his revenge because he thinks too much. What would happen to “Hamlet” if Hamlet marched towards the king after his encounter with the ghost and achieved his revenge? Edward Wagenknecht seems to believe that the delay in action was due to dramatic necessity. “The main, most important reason why Hamlet does not kill the king first is that the king's death must involve the end of the play” (189). Contrary to many beliefs, Wagenknecht recognizes that Hamlet's tardiness is not caused by cowardice. Wagenknecht also argues, despite widespread belief, that Hamlet's delay is not due to Hamlet's tragic internal flaw and Wagenknecht rejects this “totally”. Hamlet's self-condemnation in his soliloquies can be said to be a tragic flaw in itself. However, Hamlet is the only one who speaks ill of himself and not once in the text is it mentioned that anyone except Hamlet speaks ill of him. Wagenknecht further notes: “Hamlet's withdrawal from his task does not, therefore, imply any weakness on his part; it is simply meant to impress us with the magnitude...... middle of paper...... incredulous. If only one thing is certain it is that no one will ever know Shakespeare's true purpose for Hamlet's delay. Works Cited Conrad, Bernard R. "Hamlet's Delay: A Restatement of the Problem." PMLA 3rd ser. 41 (1926): 680-87. JSTOR. Network. November 06, 2013. Reed, Robert R., Jr. “Hamlet, the Pseudo-Procrastinator.” Shakespeare Quarterly 9.2 (1958): 177-86. JSTOR. Network. 06 November 2013.Shakespeare, William, "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark". Literature: An introduction to reading and writing. Edgar V. Roberts and Robert Zweig New York: Pearson Education, 2012. Print.Shaw, A B. “Depressive Illness Delayed Hamlet's Revenge.” (2002): 92-6. Web. 10 November 2013. Wagenknecht, Edward. "Hamlet's Delay a Reconsideration." College English 10.4 (1949): 188-95 Web 2013.