To Be Brave or To Be a Coward, What Was Hamlet’s Character In the 1996 film version of Hamlet, Kenneth Branagh portrays Hamlet in the pivotal scene in the fourth act where Hamlet ponders whether or not he has been a coward when it came to avenging his father’s death and killing King Claudius. Majestic snowy mountains stand in the distance, as thousands of tiny Norwegian soldiers march in the distance and Hamlet launches into a monologue desperately trying to find his inner strength. Hamlet takes notice of the young Norwegian prince leading his troops fearlessly into battle and finds strength in this, vowing to do what he originally set out to do. The question in mind, was Hamlet smart and cunning, a strong character waiting for the right time to kill Claudius? Or was Hamlet confused and timid who delayed in killing Claudius out weakness? Hamlet needed the time to put all the events from his father’s death, to his mother marrying…show more content… Hamlet uses the aid of a playgroup to prove the king’s guilt, “The play’s thing, wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king” (Ham.2.2.544-545). This again shows Hamlet’s strength in his character because he does not crumble under the truth behind his father’s death but instead conducts a plan to prove his guilt. Though Robert Hapgood points out that unfolding the truth in Hamlet is always marked by delay and while Hamlet seems ready to avenge his father’s death immediately after hearing it from his ghost, he fails to do so (139-140). Of course it can be thought that Hamlet was weak upon finding out his father was killed by Claudius and not immediately going to avenge his death but taking the time to prove his guilt shows a strong character with a conscience. Though Hamlet would like to take care of Claudius once he knows of his guilt he has to consider all consequences before he does