Character is Destiny

" (1,2,133-4) Though his faith in the value of life has been destroyed by this double confrontation with death and human unfaithfulness, he feels impotent to effect any change in this new reality: "It is not, nor it cannot come to good. / But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue." (1,2,158) All he can do in this frustrated state is to lash out with bitter satire at the evils he sees and then relapse into suicidal melancholy. .
             Such a mind as Hamlet's is near akin to madness. That greatness of genius, which led Hamlet to a perfect knowledge of his own character, which, with all strength of motive, was so weak as to be unable to carry into act his own most obvious duty. Hamlet seizes hold of a pretext for not acting, when he might have acted so instantly and effectually: .
             Now might I do it pat, now he is praying;.
             And now I'll do't. And so he goes to heaven;.
             And so am I revenged. That would be scann'd. (3,3,73-5).
             Hamlet demonstrates his over-analytical nature in line seventy-five of the speech when he says "That would be scann'd:" meaning that he should examine his situation more closely. Instead of simply killing Claudius while he had the chance he over-analyses and eventually decides to postpone Claudius' murder, missing the best chance he will obtain in the play. Hamlet is also a procrastinator and this is demonstrated many times in the play: "Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge". (3,3,79) He knows that he must kill Claudius but he postpones it.
             What Hamlet has learned is that man cannot carve out his own destiny but that this is ultimately shaped by fate. Such an idea is not new to him or to the play, for he had earlier expressed it in the following lines given to the Player King: "Our wills and fates do so contrary run / That our devices still are overthrown; / Our thoughts are ours, their ends none of our own." (3,2,203-5) The "devices" and "deep plots" by which man attempts to shape his fate cannot achieve final success since man is and must recognize that he is dependent upon divine fate.