Claudius' Soliloquy in Hamlet
Claudius' soliloquy about his remorse over his murder of Hamlet's father is important to the play because it's the one place where we learn how Claudius feels about what he has done. The rest of the play is all about how Hamlet feels about what Claudius has done, and I think it rounds out the play to get it from a different perspective.
From the soliloquy I can see that Claudius feels sorry for the murder, but not sorry enough. He says, "Oh, my offense is rank, it smells to heaven." He wants to pray for forgiveness of his offense, but laments, "Pray can I not," because "I am still possessed of those effects for which I did the murder - My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen." He murdered Hamlet's father in order to get those things and he is not willing to give them up. He realizes that true repentance would be willing to give then up, and therefore, he is not really repentant. This is why at the end of his prayer, he says "Words without thoughts never to heaven go." There's no point in saying he is sorry because God knows he doesn't really mean it. So, the best he can do is pray that God will make him sorry, by pleading, "Heart with strings of steel, be as soft as the sinews of a new-born babe."
All of this shows that Claudius is introspective and honest with himself. It also does contradictory things to my opinion of him. Depending on how I look at it, this prayer can make me feel sympathetic towards Claudius as I learn about the inner torture he is going through and how awful he feels about killing Hamlet's father. On the other hand, it also makes me more angry with him because I realize he fully understood how terrible what he did was, but he chose to do it anyway, and now he knows he should repent, but refuses to. As terrible as his guilty feelings are, they obviously aren't bad enough to make him change.
Claudius still holds out some hope for himself, though, saying "All may be well." But he shows there really isn't much hope left, when, a few acts later, he plans Hamlet's murder to preserve the same things he killed Hamlet's father to get.
The tone that is portrayed before line 51 is beseeching because Claudius attempts to ask for redemption from God. The tone shifts to dismal because Claudius starts to realize there is no way to be pardoned for his crime. Although Claudius’ offense was in the past, he uses a rhetorical question and asks heaven what kind of prayer can forgive someone for murder. Claudius is aware of how ludicrous it is to ask God to forgive him for a foul murder. At this point, Claudius realizes that he cannot ask for such a vast favor from God. Claudius conceded that he has benefitted from his brother’s death by acquiring the crown and his wife. Claudius is in conflict because he wants to be forgiven and also wants to maintain the benefits he has gained by murdering King Hamlet. Claudius shows that he is in conflict with his ego because he is greedy enough to want to keep the crown and his queen, while also wanting to be pardoned for his crime. Claudius’ eyebrows should be raised to express confusion as he tries to decide between what he has acquired by murdering or gaining repentance. Claudius uses a personification by giving offense a human attribute, a gilded hand, in line 58. Claudius indicates how the desire for wealth, social status, and personal desire can cause someone to commit crime, ultimately pushing morality aside. Although in a corrupt world where one can find their way to break the law, Claudius is aware that in heaven, everyone is forced to face the truth of their actions. Claudius realizes that one must own up to every crime that is
Jasmine describes her cousin Ruby’s eyes as being “a million miles away'; (p.7). But when Ruby’s mind is set on saving the pony, her determination comes shining brightly through.
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By most accounts, this passage would be taken to mean that he does not kill Claudius because at this time the King is praying, and when praying one's soul will ascend to heaven if one should die. Hamlet wants Claudius to burn in hell; for him to go to heaven would make his revenge void. He will avenge his father's death when Claudius is engaged in some other less holy act, in order to insure the King's place in hell.
He who attempts to get another man into his absolute power, does thereby put himself in a state of war with him; it being understood as a declaration of design upon his life….The injury and the crime is equal, whether committed by the wearer of a crown, or some petty villain (Locke
In the prayer scene, Hamlet misses his best opportunity to kill Claudius and avenge his father’s death. With no guards around, Claudius is alone and he is unaware that Hamlet is lurking in the shadows. The scene is set for Hamlet to take vengeance for his father’s unsettled spirit. However, Hamlet does not kill him, because Claudius is repenting for his sins, allowing him to go to heaven when he is to die. As one’s religion often dictated the afterlife of one’s soul, King Hamlet is doomed to an eternity in purgatory. Hamlet does not feel it is fair for Claudius to go to heaven, while his father is at unrest, so he decides instead to kill Claudius while he is doing something sinful. This is ironic because Claudius says he is not really praying; he is just going through the ...
In this essay I examine the soliloquy-approach which the hero uses. If Hamlet’s personality seems abnormally vague, if his different performer can award him with such widely differing characteristics, it is because his part is presented personally, much of it confided to us through soliloquies.
...ilst he is praying is heavily ‘underpinned’ by religious reasons, as I have already mentioned religion was a very important part of people’s lives at the time. There are several other reasons why Hamlet didn’t kill Claudius in Act III Scene III, which Hamlet reveals himself in his soliloquies. I think it is fair to say that the most valid reason for Hamlet’s delay in avenging his father is the lack of the right situation. This is most apparent when Hamlet kills Polonius, showing that he has the ability and the courage to kill Claudius. However, the right situation took so long to arise because it must involve Hamlet being in the right, hot-blooded, passionate state of mind as well as Claudius being in the right situation.
That would be scann’d” (Act III: Scene iii, 74-76). After watching Claudius’ reaction to the play, Hamlet is convinced of Claudius’ guilt. Hamlet is on his way to Gertrude’s bedroom when he sees Claudius kneeling down. Because Claudius is kneeling, Hamlet mistakenly thinks that Claudius is praying for forgiveness and decides not to kill Claudius. This is the most important quote in the play that proves Hamlet’s tragic flaw is procrastination. One can argue that the cause of Hamlet’s downfall in the rest of the play results when he does not kill Claudius when given the perfect opportunity. The importance of the quote is extended with its dramatic irony. The audience knows that Claudius is not praying for
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