Act 3 Scene 3 Flashcards
What happens in 3.3?
-Claudius attempts to pray because he is in a conflicted state where he wants absolution but he is still in possession of the rewards of his crime.
-Hamlet draws his sword and fails to act again as if he killed him after repenting he will go to heaven.
Hamlet’s father died with…
‘All my imperfections on my head’
What is Claudius referring to when he says ‘my offence is rank, it smells to heaven/it hath the primal eldest curse upon’t’
-Claudius is aware that his actions are sinful and is now remorseful
-Intertextual referance to Cane and Abel, the first murders in the bible.
How does Shakespeare present Claudius when he speaks of being ‘like a man to double business bound’
Claudius is in inner conflict as he feels remorse for his actions but still wants to remain on the throne.
What does Shakespeare suggest that Claudius desires when he asks whether there is ‘rain enough in the sweet heavens/to wash it white as snow’. Claudius then later refers to his ‘bosom black as death’
Claudius wants his sins to be washed away but this desire conflicts his true nature.
