Hamlet's delay The question of why Hamlet delays taking revenge on Claudius for so long has puzzled both readers and audiences. Immediately after Hamlet's conversation with the Ghost, he seems determined to fulfill the Ghost's wishes and swears his companions to secrecy about what happened. Hamlet's next appearance in the play reveals that he has not yet avenged his father's murder. In Scene Two, Act Two, Hamlet provides a possible reason for his hesitation. “The spirit I saw / May be a devil, and the devil has power / T' takes a pleasant form” (2.2.627-629). With this doubt clouding his mind, Hamlet seems completely incapable of acting. This indecision is somewhat resolved in the form of the show. Hamlet has the idea of ​​a play similar to the events told by the ghost regarding his murder to prove that Claudius is guilty or innocent. Because of the king's reaction to the play, Hamlet comes to believe that the Ghost was telling the truth on the night of the apparition. In Hamlet's mind, it is now his duty to avenge his father's murder. This is where the real problem of inaction comes into play. Later that night, Hamlet has a perfect opportunity to kill Claudius when he sees the king kneeling in prayer. She wonders if it's time to kill him and be done with it, but decides against it. He states that he doesn't want Claudius to go to heaven, so he would rather kill him when he commits a sin. If so, then why doesn't he simply wait until Claudius has completed his prayer, accuse him of the murder and kill him in his sin of denial. Instead, Hamlet goes to his mother's room and misses his best opportunity for revenge. It can be argued, however, that it is not the fear of killing that causes this inaction. He does not show an inability to end someone's life when he kills Polonius. He neither hesitates nor capitulates in sending Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their execution. Why then would the Prince of Denmark hesitate to kill the only man he rightfully could? Many literary figures believe that his inaction is the result of a vicarious Oedipus complex. Those who agree with this theory say that Hamlet, in his subconscious, has the desire to do exactly what his uncle did; that is, to get rid of the king so that he can have Gertrude for himself.