Explication of Hamlet Act 3 Scene III
← Oedipus the King | Alice Walkers Life and Her Novels → |
The scene opens with King Claudius asking Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to accompany Hamlet to England, and deliver a letter with orders to have Hamlet killed. Later on, King Claudius is lest alone, and, perhaps as a consequence of his guilt, starts to pray for forgiveness for killing his brother, the late King Hamlet, and marrying the queen. Hamlet finds him praying, and changes his mind about killing him while in prayer because he believes Claudius will go to heaven instead of hell. He wants to avenge the death of his father, but he reckons that killing Claudius in his state of repentance is like “hire and salary, not revenge” (Act III. scene iii.95). Consequently, he postpones his plans with the intention of catching him when he is drunk or in rage, so that he will die in a state of sin and, accordingly, get condemned to hell.
This scene portrays human nature in relation to revenge and self-promoting interests. In terms of self-promoting interests, King Claudius is worried about his own condition after killing his brother. Yet, he is planning to have Hamlet killed so that he will rule Denmark without any opposition.
On his part, Hamlet wishes for the full damnation of King Claudius. For a long time, he had intended to avenge the death of his father by killing Claudius, his murderer. However, it took so long to execute this decision, because he wanted to expose his guilt beyond any doubt. Consequently, upon finding Claudius in player, he was held in check, not as a matter of cautiousness (he had earlier stabbed Ophelia’s father without any caution) but after contemplating the ineffectiveness of killing a person whose soul might be saved after all.
A moral issue that arises is the nature of retributive justice in society (punishing the offender through punishment without benefiting the victim). The fact that Claudius was praying suggested that his sins might be forgiven and he goes to heaven. On his part, Hamlet wanted even his soul to be tortured in hell. He figures that if he kills Claudius and his soul goes to heaven, then his revenge would be useless, because instead of condemning him to eternity in hell, he would have helped in sending it to heaven. It questions the moral relevance of retributive justice, such as revenge the offender, which does little to improve the condition of the wronged.
Therefore, Hamlet’s delay could be seen as a calculation aimed at delivering a blow that would give his adversary no chance of salivation. It reflects the destructive nature of human hatred, because Hamlet wishes for the worst that could happen to Claudius. In his reasoning, a villain who killed his father should not go to heaven. Regardless, at this very moment, he doubts the position of Claudius as regards to salivation. For that doubt alone- the uncertainty that his prayer and repentance may afford him remission of past deeds, he decides to postpone meting the punishment, so as to catch him when he is in a situation befitting condemnation to hell.
And indeed, he eventually did when he (Claudius) commissioned the poisoning that led to the death of Gertrude and Laertes. Only then was Hamlet certain that the soul of his father’s murderer will descend to the bottomless bit of hell.
![]() |
Mike G.
Rochester, NY
|
|
Your writing service is different from other writing services. Yours is the only one I have ever dealt with that I can truthfully say is legitimate. The staff is very professional. The writers are the best in the business. I am pleased with the results of my last three orders and plan to return for more soon. |
![]() |
Willow P.
Park City, UT
|
|
You guys do top-notch work. Time after time, I have had to rely on your help and I can say honestly that you have never let me down. Thank you so much for coming through for me every time. I am not a good writer. I try. I study hard, but when I need help, you are always there to give it to me at an affordable price. |
![]() |
Josef H.
Houston, TX
|
|
The topic for my assigned essay was very intense. It involved a lot of research and knowledge of the subject. The writer who took care of it for me seemed to be a real expert. I found that so impressive! I just had to drop a line to let you know how much I appreciated the work he did. |
![]() |
Bruce B.
Purcell, OK
|
|
I had a hard time articulating what my professor wanted, so I was able to speak straight to my writer. After I had explained a little bit, I could tell he understood everything. He then took the ball and ran with it, so to speak. He wrote my paper in two days and it was the picture of perfection! I am very grateful that he knew what to do and how to do it so perfectly. |
![]() |
Mark C.
Mexico City, MX
|
|
Thanks to EssaysEmpire.com, I was able to keep my GPA up and will be graduating soon. I really needed assistance with my writing. I aced everything else, but I have always had problems expressing myself in writing. The writers at EssaysEmpire.com took the ball and ran with it! Because of them, I am going to graduate. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all of the valuable assistance. |
![]() |
Ramona R.
Sparks, NV
|
|
Thank you for doing such stellar work on my paper. How anyone could write a paper this well on a subject this boring, is beyond me. When I tried to write it myself, I thought it would have put my professor to sleep! Your writers made it sound so interesting! I really appreciate that. Thanks a million! |
![]() |
Tricia A.
Calabasas, CA
|
|
Thanks for everything. I like your writing service a lot. Your staff is friendly and they’re always open. The papers that you’ve written for me have been very good. |
![]() |
Anne A.
Cambridge, MA
|
|
You dudes are awesome! Wow! I can’t believe I got an A+ on my paper! At best, I expected a B or C! |
![]() |
Langley R.
Los Angeles, CA
|
|
One of the things that I appreciate most about EssaysEmpire.com, is that they don’t resell your paper. Only you own it, if you hire them to write something. Other writing services that I have used, just circulate the same paper over and over, and if you get caught turning one in, too bad. You are expelled. EssaysEmpire.com will even give you a plagiarism report after they run it through their anti-plagiarism check. Such details set EssaysEmpire.com above the rest. |
![]() |
Mary R.
New York
|
|
Writer #48376 was very easy to work with. My professor made some changes to his requirements after he had assigned the paper. All I had to do was call your customer service and request to speak with the writer directly. Was able to relay the changes that my professor wanted, and he (writer #48376) accommodated them with no problem. I thought that was great. No headaches and perfect work. I couldn’t ask for a better experience! |
![]() |
Quincy S.
Cambridge, MA
|
|
You guys did a super job on my paper. The work definitely exceeded my expectations and eased my anxiety. This was the first time I had hired a writing service. The transaction was seamless. I would use you guys again in a heartbeat! No questions asked. You’re the best, hands down. |
![]() |
Barry M.
Seattle, WA.
|
|
BRAVO! EssaysEmpire.com has done it again. I have just received another A+ for an EssaysEmpire.com paper! Thanks!Thanks! |
![]() |
Louise O.
Oakland, CA.
|
|
The A+ that I got on the paper that I ordered from you, helped boost my grade up an entire letter grade! Thanks, EssaysEmpire.com! |
![]() |
Grace T.
Purcell, OK
|
|
Thank you for assuring that only the best writers work for you. It doesn’t matter which writer has been assigned to my projects since I started using your services. Every time I get a paper written, it is perfect. |
![]() |
Kaylie B.
Casper, WY
|
|
Thank you, EssaysEmpire.com, for being the one writing service that I can always depend upon. You are reliable, honest and you do great work. I have been happy with every order I have placed with you |
![]() |
Terry M.
Sparta, NJ
|
|
I got an A+ on the paper that you guys wrote for me. I can’t believe it! THANKS!!!! Many, many thanks! This A+ added those few extra points that I needed to stay on the Dean’s Honor List. You’re the greatest, EssaysEmpire.com! |
![]() |
Fred H.
Berkeley, CA
|
|
Thank you for doing what you do. You helped a lot of my friends, and now you have helped me. You provide a valuable service to students who need to get over writing hurdles. |
![]() |
Sharon S.
Dallas, TX
|
|
I greatly appreciate your assistance. Writing has never been my strong point. When I needed help, EssaysEmpire.com gave it to me. I am completely satisfied! |
![]() |
Steve Y.
Ft. Worth, TX
|
|
I would just like to say that I am tremendously happy with the two papers that were written for me by the EssaysEmpire.com writers. They were just what I ordered….only better. |
![]() |
Marcus H.
Eugene, OR
|
|
You’ve done it again! Every time I order a paper from EssaysEmpire.com, you top the last one. This latest one was the best yet. I truly do appreciate the fact that you offer such high quality writing. It never fails. With some of the other writing services online, you ever really know what you are going to get. Sometimes, they just sell you a paper that someone else has already bought. I never have to worry about things like that happening when I use EssaysEmpire.com. |