Why does Hamlet delay his revenge?

... Why does Hamlet delay his revenge? The play Hamlet centres around the delay made by the central character in taking his revenge. Without this delay Shakespeare would simply not have had a play to write and Hamlet would not exist. It is therefore important that we understand the reasons why Hamlet did delay his revenge. These reasons do vary greatly but many centre around Hamlet's character as that of a thinker. Hamlet's reasons for delay differ from his own fear of death, and damnation due to his insecurity as to where the ghost has come from, to the theory of the Oedipus complex. Many of these reasons focus on the religious and is therefore representative of the period and the way in which the audience would be wrestling with two desires. To follow the basic need for revenge and the desire to follow the Church's teachings. Shakespeare's Hamlet is a typical revenge

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