Alan DengAP American LiteratureMr. LeungMind GamesIn the play Hamlet, Hamlet mentions to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that "Denmark is a prison." (Act 2 Scene 2 line 262) Throughout the play, it is made evident that there is no physical entity that is imprisoning Hamlet. Rather, Hamlet is mentally imprisoned by his mind. Throughout the play, Hamlet is physically free to do many things, but his mind traps him from acting on some things and prevents him from doing other things. He does not wish to kill Claudius but is bound by vow to commit the act. Every time he wants to commit suicide, his beliefs prevent him from doing so. Throughout the play, Hamlet feels as if he is in a prison, as he is constantly being watched by everyone. Hamlet's actions leave him no choice but to take revenge on King Claudius. In Act 1 Scene 5 Lines 117-119, Hamlet says “I have sworn,” swearing to his father's ghost that vengeance will be sought against his father's murderer, Claudius. For much of the play, Hamlet is reluctant to kill Claudius, but this vow forces him to continue taking some sort of action to further his revenge. This is shown in Act 3, scene 3, when the king is praying. As he prays, the king is defenseless and could have easily been killed, but Hamlet takes his time and finds an excuse not to kill the king. However, he must continue to pursue the path of revenge. He tries to make excuses to kill Claudius, but when Hamlet confirms that Claudius is the murderer in Act 3, Scene 2, Lines 12-13, stating that he will "bet [Horatio] a thousand dollars that the ghost was right" about the identity . of the murderer, he can no longer leave Claudio alive. Although Hamlet continues to hesitate until Act 4, scene 4, when he sees... halfway through the sheet... the consequences of death, and this uncertainty creates enough fear to prevent him from committing suicide. Both fear and the fact that he is a Christian prevent him from committing suicide, which means that his mind imprisons him in the realm of the living. Throughout the play, Hamlet is inside a mental prison. Although he is physically capable of doing many of the things he wants to do, Hamlet thinks that he cannot or should not. These thoughts make him unable to act on his desires, effectively making his mind a prison that inhibits and/or forces his actions. These thoughts make Hamlet feel trapped in the castle and in Denmark. His words to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern about Denmark being a prison reflect what he felt when he realized that his friends had betrayed him: that Denmark is a prison not of the body, but of the mind..