Act 3 Scene 3 Notes

- Claudius has decided to send Hamlet to England, and he doesn't plan on having him return.

- Rosencrantz's reference to the whirlpool and spoked wheel have to do with the Great Chain of Being and how if the king is killed everything begins to fall apart.

- Rosencrantz believes that he and Guildenstern will be preventing this, however, it has already happened with the death of King Hamlet.

-Claudius confesses in his soliloquy, but is confused on what to do. He wants to know if it is possible to be pardoned and still keep the things he has obtained. We know that it is not possible.

-The only way Claudius could be pardoned is if he would confess publicly, give up all that he has gained, and be killed.

-When Hamlet comes upon Claudius he sees him alone and as a chance to finally end this. But, he then realizes that this would be a bad thing because this wouldn't be the right way to carry out Vengeance. Hamlet finally makes his first real kingly decision when he decides to wait to kill Claudius.

-Plus, when Hamlet comes upon Claudius he is either praying or is in a church praying. Either way killing someone while they are praying is against a very sacred rule. Churches are sanctuaries and by extension so is the process of praying. Killing Claudius now would be a free pass to heaven, which is exactly what Hamlet doesn't want. He wants Claudius to rot in purgatory for his sins. Which is what Claudius made King Hamlet do when he killed him before King Hamlet had the chance to repent. So Hamlet decides to until Claudius is in the process of committing a sin or after he has committed one.

-Hamlet is shown here as having an inner struggle between rationality and emotion.

-Directors have done this part of the scene differently. Film versions usually don't have Hamlet being in the same room when this goes on, that way it can be a true soliloquy by Claudius. Stage versions do it differently. One version had a cone of light around claudius and had Hamlet circling around Claudius while he did his soliloquy. Although the actor playing Hamlet was actually walking around Claudius it was meant for a metaphorical purpose.

-Much to Hamlet's ignorant chagrin, Claudius never really is praying and he never really repents because he doesn't believe enough in his words to make them have effect.

-Matt