Hamlet: Social and Psychological Influences In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the influence of Hamlet's psychological and social states shows his fear of death as well as his need to avenge death of his father. In turn, these influences illuminate the meaning of the play by revealing Hamlet's innermost thoughts on life, death, and the effect of religion. Despite the fact that Hamlet's first instincts were reluctance and hesitation, he knows that he must avenge his father's death. While Hamlet is conscious of avenging his father's death, he contemplates all aspects of death itself. Hamlet's decision to avenge his father is influenced by social, psychological, and religious influences. Once Hamlet learns of his father's death, he is faced with a difficult question: Should he succumb to the social influence of avenging his father's death? The Ghost tells Hamlet to "avenge his disgusting and unnatural murder" (1.5.31) which Hamlet vows to "remember" (1.5.118). Hamlet's immediate response to this command to avenge his father's death is reluctance. Hamlet shows his reluctance by deciding to test the validity of what the Ghost has told him by staging for Claudius a “representation similar to the murder of (his) father” (2.2.624). Hamlet will then “watch his countenance” (2.2.625) and “if he grow pale” (2.2.626) Hamlet will know that he must avenge his father's death. By the time Hamlet avenges his father's death, he is very hesitant, “thinking too precisely of the event” (4.4.43). “Now I might do it…and he will go to heaven…No” (3.3.77-79) and Hamlet decides to kill Claudius while “he is drunk in his sleep, or in his anger, or in the incestuous pleasure of his bed” (3.3.94-95). As seen here, Hamlet's contradictory thought that Claudius “goes to heaven” (3.3.79) influences him to change his plans for revenge. Hamlet eventually realizes that he must avenge his father's death and states "henceforth my thoughts shall be bloody or worth nothing" (4.4.69). Because of this, Hamlet succumbed to social influence and vowed to avenge his father's death. Hamlet's psychological influence demonstrates his fear of both death and life. In Hamlet's famous soliloquy, "To be or not to be" (3.1.64), he relates "being" to life and further asks "whether it is nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" (3.1 .65.66). With this Hamlet poses the question of whether to live or die.