Grommersoft

Act 3, Scene 3 Summary

Claudius now wants Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to take Hamlet to England on a political mission. They accede to his command and leave. Polonius now enters. He tells Claudius he will hide behind a curtain while Hamlet speaks to his mother. Now Claudius, believing he is alone, confesses his crime to heaven. There is a futility in his gesture. Does he not have the crown, the wealth and the Queen? What good is repentance with all these things? Hamlet comes, knowing Claudius' guilt. But he does not wish to kill him at the moment, while he is praying. For if he did, perhaps he would send Claudius to heaven. He would rather choose a less spiritually propitious moment and dispatch him to Hell forthrightly.

Act 3, Scene 3 Analysis

Hamlet now has all the knowledge he needs—a personal confession from Claudius. Shall he kill him when he is praying? If we did not see it before, we see it now. Hamlet wants not just justice, but dire vengeance—so much he is willing to withhold his sword until the right moment. The Ghost's story has been vindicated and Hamlet's oath is on its way to fulfillment. The tragedy of Hamlet is not what has happened to Hamlet's father but will happen to Hamlet when he puts revenge above love to Ophelia, his public image as the sole an heir to the throne of Denmark and his covenant with Heaven to respect its wishes and purposes.