In the 8th century there was a prince in Denmark. The old king was murdered and usurped the throne by his brother. The prince was told the truth by the ghost of his father. In order to revenge for his father he and his uncle started a fierce struggle. Finally he died in the trap being set by his uncle. Before he died he killed his uncle to avenge for his father. This is Shakespeare representative work---Hamlet. The classic image of the hero Hamlet is undoubtedly the focus that the world concerned.1.1 Research Background Hamlet is seen as the highest artistic achievements of Shakespeare. This work is a typical story of revenge. The book describes the story of Prince Hamlet. Hamlets most famous traits of character are depression and delay. The success of this literary image of Hamlet is closely linked to the social background. In the 1600’s at the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth when Shakespeare was writing Hamlet it was the period of transition of power between ElizabethⅠand JamesⅠ. With the intensification of various contradictions of the society in British the social evils were increasingly exposure. During this period Shakespeare’s thoughts and arts have become mature but his humanist ideals fierce collided with the social reality. Facing this brutal war as the representative of humanism the author had completely lost the confidence of the reality. It had been difficult for him to achieve the ideal. So he had to change his writing style from the praise of the early ideals of humanism into the exposure and the criticism of the community’s dark. Through creating Hamlet’s character of depression and delays cleverly Shakespeare poured his disappointment and even despair as a humanist and the crisis of Humanism was reflected. Hamlet this typical image of the tragic hero is a concentration and the generalization and also he is a contradiction of the collision between the ideal and the reality.After comprehending the creative background of Hamlet we will have a better understanding about the character of Hamlet.1.2 Study Implications In this paper the main target is to analyze the character of Hamlet. Through the overview of the plot of Hamlet we can analyze the main characters of Hamlet in Hamlet that were shown---melancholy and delay. Procrastination not only complicates the plot of the tragedy but enriches its characterization. Hamlet delayed his revenge over and over again mainly because ofhis complicated character. This thesis also analyzes the causes and the background of the formation of Hamlet’s character. In conclusion in order to achieve a better understanding and excavation the literary value of Hamlet the thesis summarizes Hamlet has melancholy delay of the personality traits. Deepening the analysis and understanding of the character in the British and American literature we can have a better understanding about the social background at that time. 2 2 Background Knowledge of Shakespeare and Hamlet Being one of the world’s greatest writers William Shakespeare was recognized as the pinnacle of English Renaissance. Hamlet has always been considered the highest achievement of Shakespeare. The drama owns everything that the most outstanding works should have: the impressionistic portrayal of the character the suspension in play the horror death and the poetics and so on. Shakespeare has the most incisive and the most profound thinking on the nature of life throughout the full-text. This made the reader with a strong shock.2.1 A Brief Introduction about William Shakespeare William Shakespeare 1564-1616 is one of the most remarkable playwrights and poets the world has ever known. With his 38 plays 154 sonnets and 2 long poems he has established his giant position in world literature. He has also been given the highest praises by various scholar sand critics the world over. In the past four hundred years or so books and essays on Shakespeare and his works have kept coming out in large quantities. William Shakespeare was born probably on April 23 1564 into a merchant’s family in Stratford-on-Avon. His father John Shakespeare who was variously described as glover wool-dealer farmer and butcher was a man of some importance in the town repeatedly serving as a member of the town council. Shakespeare spent his childhood in that beautiful market town and attended the Stratford Grammar School. His real teachers were nature and its people that surrounded him. In 1582 Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway a woman several years his senior. She gave birth to three children: Susanna and the twins Judith and Hamnet. It was probably because he had to support his growing family that Shakespeare left Stratford for London in 1586 or 1587. Shakespeare went to London which afforded a wonderful environment for the development of drama. Shakespeare worked both as actor and playwright. He acted with and wrote for the LordChamberlain’s Men which was later renamed the King’ Men. Shakespeare established himself so well as a playwright that Robert Greene one of the “University Wits” resentfully declared him to be “an upstart crow.” From about 1591 to about 1611 Shakespeare was in the prime of his dramatic career and his plays come out one after another. Shakespeare did not confine his genius merely to the theatre. In1593 and 1594 he published two narrative poems Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece both of which were dedicated to the Earl of Southampton. He also wrote sonnets which were published in 1609. By 1597 Shakespeare was so prosperous that he bought the largest house in Stratford known as New Place. About 1610 Shakespeare left London and retired to Stratford 3thought he continued to write for some time. He died on April 23 1616. As the precise dates of many of Shakespeare’s plays are still in doubt critics hold different views to the division of his dramatic career. But generally his dramatic career is divided into four periods. The first period of Shakespeare’s dramatic career was one of apprenticeship. He wrote five history plays: Henry ⅥPartsⅠⅡandⅢ Richard Ⅲ and Titus Andronicus and four comedies: The Comedy of Errors The Two Gentlemen of Verona The Taming of the Shrew and Love’s Labour’s Lost. In the second period Shakespeare’s style and approach became highly individualized. By constructing a complex pattern between different characters and between appearance and reality Shakespeare made subtle comments on a variety of human foibles. In this period he wrote five histories: Richard Ⅱ King John Henry ⅣPartsⅠandⅡ and Henry Ⅴ six comedies: A Midsummer Night’s Dream The Merchant of Venice Much Ado About Nothing As You Like It Twelfth Night and The Merry Wives of Windsor and two tragedies: Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar. Shakespeare’s third period includes his greatest tragedies and his so-called dark comedies. The tragedies of this period are Hamlet Othello King Lear Macbeth Antony and C leopatra Troilusand Cressida and Coriolanus. The two comedies are All’s Well That Ends Well and Mearsure for Measure. The last period of Shakespeare’s work includes his principal romantic tragicomedies: Pericles Cymbeline The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest and his two final plays: Henry Ⅷand The Two Noble Kinsmen. Hamlet is considered the summit of Shakespeare’s art. The story comes from an oldDanishlegend. Under Shakespeare’s pen the medieval story assumed a new meaning.2.2 Introduction about Hamlet Hamlet the first of the great tragedies is generally regarded as Shakespeare’s most popular play on the stage. The play was probably written around 1601 based on a widespread legend in northern Europe. The play is about Hamlet the prince of Denmark who tries to avenge his father’s murder. The scene of the play is laid in Denmark. Gertrude Queen of Denmark widowed by the sudden death of the King within two months marries the late king’s bother Claudius who thus becomes the new King. Prince Hamlet son of the late king returns home from the University of Wittenberg. He suspects foul play on the part of Claudius his uncle. Then his father’s ghost appears to him at the castle of Elsinor and confirms Hamlet’s suspicion. He undertakes to 4avenge the murder. To dull Claudius’ vigilance Hamlet pretends to be an emotional disturbance due to his passion for Ophelia daughter of Polonius. At this moment a company of players visits the castle and Hamlet has a play acted which resembles the late king’s murder. The guilty Claudius starts up in fear before the play ends and goes out. Gertrude sends Hamlet to her chamber where he reveals Claudius’ baseness and expresses his indignation at her hasty marriage which renders the queen heart-broken. Then Hamlet becomes aware that he is being overheard in the conversation. Thinking it is Claudius that is in hiding he runs his sword through the arras but finds the eavesdropper thus killed to be Polonius. The king now determines to de stroy Hamlet. He sends Hamlet to England intending to have him killed there. But pirates capture Hamlet and send him back to Denmark again. Heart-broken at the death of her father poor Ophelia goes mad and then is drowned in a stream. Hamlet returns just at the time of herself.。