A Serious Procrastinator

   As stated in the BBC article "Viewpoint: Why do we procrastinate so much?", procrastination, or leaving everything for the last minute, is wired into every human's brain. This is not surprising, since I imagine most people have procrastinated at some point like I have (in fact, I procrastinated a little on doing this blog, but that is not the point). This is seen in Shakespeare's play Hamlet. He procrastinates on his decision of avenging his father's ghost and killing of his uncle Claudius. But due to the circumstances, one must question: was Hamlet really procrastinating, or is it just pure indecision lead by feelings and morale?

   The procrastination seen in Hamlet is of a very severe kind, if it is considered as procrastination. He lets the vengeance of his father's memory for another day all throughout the play, and if it was not for the opportunity that Claudius' and Laertes' plan gave him, he may have never killed his uncle in revenge for what he did. This proves that Hamlet is a serious procrastinator; not a chronic one, or not that we know of because we can´t know this based only on the play, but he has a very grave condition in this department. Avenging your own father is not something that many people would procrastinate on. This is exactly what TS Elliot meant by saying that his actions were disproportionate to the circumstances; a normal person would not hesitate that much on taking action on something related to a parent's memory. Sure, this action would not be murdering your father's brother but still, the passion for a father makes people do horrendous things. He is surely procrastinating on a subject that is clear as crystal.

   There is also another side to this argument. One that states that his procrastination on the subject is lead by his over-thinking mind, which makes him consider things one too many times before doing them, and his morale, which inhibits him of making such a horrible act. This second one is not so present, but it is a big part of it. This proves that Hamlet was not procrastinating, he is just processing his thoughts on when is the best time and way to do it. He is planning it out, something a procrastinator would not do until the last moment. His head is clearly in the game throughout the play. This argument shows that Hamlet is not a procrastinator, he is just thinking it through and planning it out thoroughly.

    In my opinion, the first argument is the correct one. Hamlet had no point in thinking something so basic and so instinctive so much. He is procrastinating because he is afraid of committing avunculicide (killing one's uncle) and its consequences. As the photo states, I believe Hamlet puts the "pro" in procrastinate. 

Continuing Big Hutch's Metaphor

   The podcast Act V, by Jack Hitt for The American Life, is about an enactment done by prison inmates of the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center of Shakespeare's famous play Hamlet. He not only follows the development of the play, but he also gets into a deeper level with them. He interview the cast, which are actual inmates from the facility, and talks with them about their motivation, their understanding and their past life to get a better and more profound grasp of what the play means to them. The part that caught my attention the most (of the topics related to the play, of course) is the one where he interviews Big Hutch. Big Hutch plays Horatio in the prison production and he introduces a new location for the play with new circumstances for Hamlet to act under. This makes podcast's followers wonder: what if this play were really true? What would be other things that would have to change?

   Big Hutch sets his play in a prison, more specifically in the prison yard and involving the whole society that surrounds it. He says that Claudius would be an inmate that loves power and wealth, that Polonius would be someone who adores people with power and that Rosencratz and Guildenstern would be rats who go to the prison administration snitching on everybody else. Aside all the new plot turns that surround Hamlet's situation with Claudius, many other things would change. For example, the royalty of Denmark could be extrapolated and played as the top members of the gang that rules the prison. England, place where Hamlet is sent to be left for dead, could be some kind of reclusion room, or even an unjust death penalty sentence set up by Claudius and his gang. Basically the entire play could be set up using these parameters.

   There are still some elements in Hamlet that are very difficult to insert in this new prison environment, or some that would require a little change. For example, Gertrude would not be able to appear since most prisons are for men or women only; the same would go for Ophelia's character. They may fit into it by being outside the prison and visiting it regularly or whatever. Also, the gravedigger would not fit in in his original role, but it would be interesting to see how they play it out. This would be especially interesting in order to see the element of comedy and sanity that he possesses and how it develops in another gloomy environment like the correctional facility. Many other tiny aspects can also be complicated to insert into this new setting.

   Fortunately, Shakespeare's plays possess that universal quality that makes it adaptable to any new situation. We have seen Hamlet adapted to a lion kingdom (The Lion King), Romeo and Juliet put into a jail setting or in a New York City setting (West Side Story), and so on. This has not been a problem for many artists who can twist Shakespeare's stories into their own, leaving out some details for their and their audience's good. 

Hamlet vs. Prufrock

    The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, by T.S. Elliot, is a magnificent poem about the thoughts of the afore mentioned character, who goes back and forth in his mind about his love towards a woman. He has many us and downs (mainly downs) throughout the poem and ponders upon his self appearance and his future acts to impress her, diminishing his self-esteem and self confidence. Hamlet, the main character in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, is referred to in this poem. Towards the end of it, Prufrock compares himself to Hamlet, or even better, he discredits himself with Hamlet's image. He states that he is "... not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be;" (111) From my point of view, Prufrock actually is a lot like Hamlet according to his thoughts in the poem. 

    T.S. Elliot does a great job in revealing Prufrock's thoughts in his "love song", and thanks to this we can see Prufrock's resemblance to Hamlet. When Prufrock is deep in his spiraling mind, he says: "And indeed there will be time To wonder, “Do I dare?” and, “Do I dare?” Time to turn back and descend the stair" (37-39) This thought is very much something that Hamlet would think, as he actually does in Shakespeare's play. He doubts between obeying the king's orders and continue on his journey to England or go back and avenge his late father by killing Claudius. In fact, most of the play after the player's act in the castle goes by with Prince Hamlet still not deciding if he should obey Hamlet's ghost. Finally, he decided to go back, as Prufrock pondered upon in this quote, which shows that they are indeed very equal to each other. The difference here is that the reader knows that Hamlet went back, but he or she never knows if J. Alfred Prufrock had the guts to take such an action. 

    Prufrock is also similar to Hamlet in another aspect. As T.S. Elliot writes in his poem, Prufrock felt: "At times, indeed, almost ridiculous—Almost, at times, the Fool." (118-119) This is a clear resemblance between Elliot's character and Shakespeare's hero. Although Hamlet doesn't demean himself as much as Prufrock, like thinking he: "should have been a pair of ragged claws Scuttling across the floors of silent seas." (73-74), they both share this quality of thinking they are of no value and "almost ridiculous". This is seen in Hamlet when he is acting like a mad man and also when he encounters Fortinbras and his army heading to battle. Here, he doubts about his own bravery and of his life's value; he certainly feels ridiculous in this moment. Prufrock also has this tendency to think less of himself and, as mentioned before, his case is more extreme than Hamlet's. Throughout the poem, he doubts of his self value and his acts in a border-line schizophrenic way, and he often feels like a joke, a fool. 

    Hamlet and Prufrock are very much alike in the way they hesitate about their moves and how they both feel like fools in their reflections. Although they share these qualities, the reader may see that Hamlet has a moderate deviance in the way of thinking we have analyzed and that Prufrock symbolizes a hyperbole in the expression of these same feelings. They both possess these characteristics, but one is different from the other in the degree of severity.