Hamlet 3.3-3.4

     In Act III scene iii, Hamlet for a moment seems like he is finally ready to avenge his father's death by killing Claudius. He feels that Claudius's reaction to the play has proved his guilt, and at this point the audience is also sure of his guilt given his spontaneous confession. The pictures in our book show that in some stagings of the play, Hamlet even has his sword raised above Claudius, ready to strike. Yet, he is unable to see the murder through, further delaying the task the Ghost has charged him with.

    Hamlet rationalizes his delay by saying he wants more complete revenge--he does not want to kill Claudius while he is praying and thus send his soul to heaven. But is Hamlet truly concerned with the fate of Claudius's soul, or is he merely finding something else to be uncertain about now that he is sure of his guilt? Is it possible for Hamlet to ever be sure of such a fate? In scene iv, Hamlet admits to not being sure of the fate of his father's soul: "how his audit stands, who knows, save heaven?" (line 82). Given this, it seems more likely that Hamlet, though at surface level looking for total revenge, is merely finding more reasons for delay.

    Also in scene iv, Hamlet has a lengthy exchange with Gertrude after he rashly murders Polonius, mostly on the subject of how vile he finds her relationship with Claudius. Gertrude shows a range of reactions throughout the scene, having earlier accused Hamlet of offending Claudius but eventually conceding that she has sinned: "Thou turn'st my eyes into my soul,/And there I see such black and grained spots/As will not leave their tinct" (lines 89-91). But has Hamlet really gotten through to her? It's possible he has, but it also seems that Gertrude as a character generally submits easily to powerful men, and she could be merely going along with what Hamlet is saying given his potent behavior. Additionally, Gertrude seems convinced of Hamlet's madness when the Ghost appears and he converses with it, as she cannot see or hear it. It's possible she's frightened by both this and his earlier violent behavior, and so she appears to agree with/side with him out of fear.

    Lastly, towards the end of their dialogue in scene iv, Hamlet persistently urges Gertrude to not sleep with Claudius, saying he wants to keep her from sinning (and we know from various other lines and scenes that Hamlet is generally repulsed by their relationship). Hamlet earlier in scene iii says that one of the scenarios in which he would kill Claudius was while he was being lustful, as his soul would then be sent to hell, so this urging to Gertrude perhaps also serves the dual purpose of further delaying Claudius's murder.