Hamlet
Hamlet is a classic play of conflict, revenge, and indecision. Hamlet, the son of the deceased former king, has been told by the ghost of his father that his uncle, Claudius, killed him in his sleep in order to take the throne of Denmark. After learning of this Hamlet plots to murder Claudius although when given a clear chance to do so he decides not to for fear that Claudius may not suffer should he die while praying. This is a tragic character flaw as his indecision leads to the death of nearly all the characters in the plot. Had Hamlet killed Claudius, the story would have been over, and all would be set right but instead, a tragic set of events are put into motion as Hamlet accidentally kills a family friend, sending Hamlet’s lover into despair, causing her brother to attack Hamlet. One of the central themes to Hamlet could be that indecision is a downfall of man, and as the foil to Hamlet, Prince Fortinbras of Norway comes in just as every person has died and takes hold of the throne. The story is told in order to exemplify how thinking too much can lead to your downfall, if Hamlet had been more direct in his actions, he would not have died and there would not have been a bloody mess the size of a royal family. I owe it to William Shakespeare for leaving us with these blood-smeared tales meant to teach us life lessons.