Literary Devices
Imagery
ARM you, I pray you, to this speedy voyage;
(v) Prepare
“That would be scann’d: A villain kills my father; and for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven.”
Hamlet
“Pray can I not, Though inclination be as sharp as will.”
What is the significance of Claudius’s attempt to pray?
Claudius wants to repent but can’t truly pray because his guilt and attachment to his crime’s rewards (the crown and the queen) make his repentance insincere.
Who in this scene confesses a crime?
Claudius
"My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.”
Repetition
But to confront the VISAGE of offence?
(n) The overall appearance or aspect of something; Expression
“My words fly up, my thoughts remain below.”
Claudius
“Now might I do it pat, now he is praying.”
What is Hamlet considering here, and why is this moment important?
Hamlet sees Claudius praying and considers killing him to avenge his father but he hesitates which reveals he often overthinks things.
Who is Claudius speaking to at the start of this scene?
Guildenstern and Rosencrantz
“My words fly up, my thoughts remain below.”
Personification
To keep itself from noyance; but much more
(n) Annoyance
“Bow, stubborn knees; and heart with strings of steel, be soft as sinews of the newborn babe!”
Claudius
“A villain kills my father; and for that, / I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven.”
What does this reasoning show about Hamlet’s moral conflict?
Hamlet refuses to kill Claudius while he’s praying because he doesn’t want Claudius’s soul to go to heaven. This reveals Hamlet’s complex morals and twisted mind.
Why does hamlet decide not to kill Claudius.
Because he is praying and doesn't want him to go to heaven.
"The primal eldest curse upon't, A brother's murder!"
Allusion to Cain and Abel
Now might I do it PAT, now he is praying
(adv) At exactly the right moment or in the right way; Aptly
“Do you see yonder cloud that’s almost in shape of a camel?”
Polonius
“My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: / Words without thoughts never to heaven go.”
What does Claudius realize about his prayer here?
Claudius admits his prayer is hollow. Shakespeare uses this irony to show Claudius’s corruption and to highlight that Hamlet could've killed him and his soul would not have gone to heaven.
What does Claudius fail to do in this scene?
Pray and repent for his sins
Behind the ARRAS I'll convey myself,
(n) A rich tapestry, typically hung on the walls of a room or used to conceal an alcove.
“Behind the arras I’ll convey myself to hear the process; I’ll warrant she’ll tax him home.”
Polonius
“O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven; It hath the primal eldest curse upon’t A brother’s murder.”
What does Claudius mean here, and how does this deepen the play’s themes?
Claudius compares his sin to Cain’s murder of Abel, showing both his awareness of the gravity of his crime and the play’s recurring themes of guilt.
What is the dramatic irony in Hamlets decision to not kill Claudius?
The audience knows Claudius' prayer is not genuine.