That we would do, / We should do when we would; for this ‘would’ changes, / And hath abatements and delays as many / As there are tongues, are hands, are accidents;
Act IV, Scene 7 · Claudius
Context
Claudius lectures Laertes on the danger of delaying revenge, arguing that the will to act weakens over time and is vulnerable to endless obstacles and second thoughts.
Analysis
The repetition of 'would' and 'should' enacts the very slippage it describes—the modal verbs pile up without ever arriving at action, mimicking procrastination through syntax. The catalog 'tongues, are hands, are accidents' omits conjunctions (asyndeton), making the list of impediments feel infinite and overwhelming, as though obstacles multiply faster than one can name them. Ironically, this is a perfect description of Hamlet's paralysis, yet Claudius delivers it to manipulate Laertes, showing he understands the psychology of delay even as he himself constantly schemes rather than acts openly.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that Claudius cynically diagnoses in others the flaws he embodies himself—his speech on procrastination describes Hamlet's tragedy with eerie precision, yet he uses this insight not for self-awareness but as a rhetorical tool to goad Laertes into becoming his weapon.