My initial reaction to the act was how much action it had compared to the previous act. With the play and Hamlet's hidden meanings within it, I felt that the Act was set up for some sort of confrontation. The whole idea of trying to get the truth out of Claudius must have been original for Shakespeare's time and has been used in literature even to this day.
The character that deserves most of the analysis this chapter is Claudius. He is really the focus on this act, the play around him and his admission to God about the murder. Claudius seems to feel guilt because of his act and because he is confessing to God, Hamlet spares his life for the moment. Claudius obviously brings this on himself as he did kill his brother just so he could be king, but some small part of me feels a little sorry for him. It's probably to Shakespeare's credit that he made a murderer have some redeeming qualities.
I'll go with the theme of Heaven/Hell as being a major theme of the Act. The very fact that Hamlet does not want to kill his uncle when he is vulnerable because he would go to Heaven changes the entire course of the story. Also since we have our first on Stage death with Polonius and Hamlet shows little to no remorse at a killing that should have never have happened. I think that this is because Hamlet is so numb to what life means at that moment and doesn't care what happens to him even after death as long as his uncle does not go to Heaven. I think that it shows Hamlet's character that even death would not be good enough for Claudius if he does not go to Hell. The total belief of Heaven/Hell makes me wonder what part the ghost fits in. Did he die and is in limbo or something like that?
I believe that by Hamlet not killing Claudius while he is praying it shows that Hamlet is concerned with more then just killing his uncle, he wants to make him suffer. Hamlet could have easily killed Claudius at this point in the plot and the story would have been over. Instead Hamlet decides to wait for the perfect time to strike when Claudius will suffer the most. And he is not concerned as much about how he suffers in this life, as he is more concerned about what happens to him after he dies. I found this aspect of Hamlet very interesting and I believe it adds some depth to his madness.
ReplyDeleteI can see how Shakespeare supports the theme of heaven/hell also. As far as the ghost goes I don’t think he made it to heaven based on how he told Hamlet that Claudius murdered him before he could confess his sins and ask for forgiveness. This is one reason that Hamlet didn’t want to murder Claudius while he was praying. Hamlet felt that since Claudius didn’t give his father a chance to ask for forgiveness of his sins and make it to heaven then neither should Claudius be allowed to.
ReplyDeleteI felt that Claudius' confidence was slipping away. He probably didn't think that he would feel guilty for murdering Hamlet, seeing that his motives are selfish, and he eventually regretted that decision. The idea of heaven and hell definitely fits in with this act. Hamlet was overwhelmed by not knowing whether or not he would go to hell for acting on his revenge, or if Claudius would go to heaven. This worry was probably another contributing factor to the delay of killing Claudius.
ReplyDeleteI agree about how much more action this act had compared to the last ones. It made this part of the play much more interesting and enjoyable to read.
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