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"primal eldest curse" Line 37 Discussion "It smells to heaven" Line 36 - 38 Discussion Claudius's soliloquy Line 38 - 45, Line 46 Discussion "what's in prayer" Line 46 - 51 Word Nerd: "gilded" Line 58 Discussion "May one be pardoned and retain th' offense?" Line 56 - 60 Discussion "'tis not so above" Line 60 - 64 Discussion "Try what repentence can" Line 65 - 66 Discussion "Oh limèd soul" Line 68 Discussion "heart with strings of steel" Line 70 - 72 Word Nerd: "scanned" Line 75 Discussion "hire and salary, not revenge" Line 79 Discussion "how his audit stands" Line 80 - 82 Discussion "know thou a more horrid hent" Line 82 - 87 "horrid hent" Line 88 Discussion "My mother stays" Line 95 - 96 "Words without thoughts never to heaven go" Line 97 - 98 Discussion What's Happening? Discussion What's Happening? Performance Claudius Confesses Discussion What the Critics Say Discussion Why It's Cool Hamlet, Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Claudius confesses; Hamlet restrains himself. Characters:The prince sees Claudius confessing but hesitates to kill him because he is praying. He continues on to his mother’s chamber.
RosencrantzAlong with his buddy Guildenstern, Guildenstern is ordered by Claudius to travel with Hamlet to England.
GuildensternAlong with his buddy Rosencrantz, Guildenstern is ordered by Claudius to travel with Hamlet to England.
The courtier decides to hide in Gertrude’s room while Hamlet speaks with her, hoping to finally uncover the truth.
Disturbed by the contents of the play, Claudius orders Hamlet to be sent to England, and, once he thinks he is alone, confesses to the murder and begins praying.
Scene Summary:Claudius and Polonius plot some more. Claudius wants to send Hamlet to England immediately, but Polonius tells him that he plans to spy on Hamlet’s conversation with Gertrude. He leaves to do just that. Left alone—or so he thinks—Claudius confesses to his crime and tries to pray for forgiveness. Hamlet, on his way to talk to Gertrude, stumbles upon the scene. He’s tempted to kill Claudius right now--after all, he has proof that the king is a murderer—but he realizes that if he kills him while he’s praying, Claudius will go to heaven, and that’s not what Hamlet wants. He wants to wait to kill him while Claudius is committing a sin—that way Hamlet will know for sure that he will go to hell.
