Hamlet's procrastination In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Hamlet's tragic flaw is his procrastination. From the first performance of Hamlet until today, critics have fought over the reason for Hamlet's procrastination. Some argue that the cause is due to Sigmund Freud's theory that Hamlet has an "Oedipus complex", which is his love for his mother. Others say he never finds the right moment to carry out revenge for his father's murder. The Oedipus complex theory regarding Hamlet's situation seems more likely due to the number of times Hamlet has to kill Claudius but always finds a reason not to kill him. If not, the cause of procrastination remains a mystery. There is no reason why Hamlet should not kill Claudius, who he hates and who he was ordered by a higher power to destroy, other than the fact that subconsciously, Hamlet needed Claudius to keep him away from his mother. Hamlet only procrastinated because of his fear. of intimacy with his mother, knowing that Claudio was the only person separating him and Gertrude. Although Hamlet has a pious duty to avenge his father's murder, his desire for his mother is too strong to leave an open path for her. He tries to find excuses to postpone killing Claudius. First, he tries to find out whether Claudius really killed King Hamlet or not, which gives him some time. After being convinced that Claudio is to blame, he tries to kill him only twice. The first time, he finds Claudius praying and uses him as a scapegoat so he can put off his pious duty again. Later, when he is alone with Gertrude, he thinks that Claudio is behind the curtains and kills the man there. Unfortunately, Polonius becomes a victim of Hamlet's dagger. The only time Hamlet does not hesitate to do his pious duty is when he is in the bedroom with Gertrude. Unfortunately, by pure coincidence, the man behind the bedroom curtain is Polonius, not Claudius. Hamlet stabs Polonius instinctively because he is where he truly wants to be, with his mother. This is the only time Hamlet actually has the courage to try to kill Claudius, thus paving the way for Gertrude. All other times in the play, Hamlet is alone or with people from whom he needs to hide his desire.