The most important part of the process of revenge is the part where the act of vengeance is committed upon the target. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the main character Hamlet is tasked to seek revenge against his uncle, who took the throne from his father. Throughout the play, Hamlet was given multiple opportunities to fulfill his task, but he doesn't act upon it. In contrast, the son of the king of Norway, Fortinbras, is marching his men to Denmark to avenge his father. Although Hamlet and Fortinbras have the same objective, the difference between the two is their speed of action, and it is obvious that Fortinbras had that valuable trait where Hamlet did not.

 

       Hamlet has many chances to kill Claudius and complete the revenge which he was tasked, but never took them. The biggest example of which is when Claudius was praying in his chambers and Hamlet sneaks up behind him ready to kill him, but he doesn’t. He over-thinks and says: “Now might I do it… And so he goes to heaven…” He needlessly overcomplicates the revenge to the point that he is letting Claudius go, and therefore allowing him to act against him. In the last scene, Hamlet still has not killed Claudius, and is now having a duel with Laertes after the death of Polonius and Ophelia. This gives Claudius a chance to strike on Hamlet. However the plan goes sour, and in the resulting climax Laertes, Hamlet, Gertrude, and Claudius are killed. If we just looked back at the scene with Hamlet sneaking up on Claudius, this all would’ve been avoided if he just killed him right then and there.

 

       Fortinbras serves as a character to contrast the difference between speed of action and Hamlet’s lack of action. He is a very determined man whose thoughts are filled with the desire to avenge with whatever means necessary. And because of his direct speed of action, his invasion allowed the preservation of his own life. Unlike Hamlet, who further delayed his revenge because of his overthinking and procrastination, allowing his enemies to strike back, something Fortinbras never allowed.

 

       It is only when Hamlet crosses paths with Fortinbras’ army that he realizes how ridiculous he has been acting. Fortinbras is a man of action, and for whatever reason it is he will get the job done. Like the captain says to Hamlet, they brought an army to Denmark because “We go to gain a little patch of ground that hath in it no profit but the name.” As Hamlet listens to the captain say these words while watching the army he so commands, he realizes that he has been lying to himself. Hamlet had sworn to kill over vengeance, a very personal reason. But as he watches Fortinbras lead an army to Denmark with the purpose to overthrow the King, all over what he thinks is pride and ego, it is until then he realizes he was doing it all wrong. When Fortinbras army left Hamlet swears to himself that: “My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth!”

 

       The difference between Fortinbras and Hamlet is their speed of action. And Hamlet knew this, so as he thought about Fortinbras he swore to do better, but it was too late. He had missed his opportunities, which led to the deadly ending where he and many others were killed in what could have been an avoidable situation. And because Fortinbras decided to act, his life was spared. Hamlet is a heartbreaking tragedy that shows the effects of a lack of action. By passing up on the opportunities given to us can have serious consequences, the worst of which is that you will never have those opportunities again. And thus, you will have to tread through a heavier and worse past to get to where that opportunity led. Hamlet didn’t know this, and unfortunately not only Claudius had to die in this quest of his, but himself and his friends also had to for this conquest of revenge.