Tragedy Scripted and Staged

After reading the script of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, I decided to analyze Act III, Scene iii. This scene really captured my interest because it shows Hamlet questioning his morals of whether to kill Claudius or to wait until a ‘better’ time. This scene also displays Claudius showing remorse for what he had done to his brother by asking for God’s forgiveness.

To me, this scene is pivotal and significant because it shows that Claudius is confessing to King Hamlet’s murder, and is asking for forgiveness from God. Hamlet enters the chapel and finds Claudius kneeling down and praying. This would be the perfect time to kill Claudius and avenge his father’s death, but Hamlet goes back and forth on a decision. Hamlet is stuck. He ultimately decides that killing Claudius would not be worth it because since he is praying, Claudius would immediately go to heaven, which is not Hamlet’s ideal plan. After Hamlet leaves, we learn that Claudius’ prayers were not genuine, meaning Hamlet could have killed him and he would not go immediately to heaven or live in purgatory. If Hamlet had acted out while he had the chance, his plan would have worked and he could have prevented many deaths of his loved ones.

After watching a live adaptation of this scene, I agree with the interpretation. This particular interpretation gave insight into Claudius and Hamlet’s thoughts without the other knowing. The adaptation was nearly word for word of Shakespeare’s original writing. While I read the script, I did not realize how deep Hamlet’s thought process went. I figured he thought it was just the wrong place and the wrong time. I realize it was more than that. He deeply cared for his father and was willing to risk his life and his honor to avenge his father’s gruesome death. The two main characters are brought to life in a seemingly normal way. Although Hamlet was royalty, he seemed to care in a way most portrayed royals don’t. The two don’t seem villainous at all; they seem like they were regular people in a heated feud, although that was not the case. The stage was not used very much in a visual perspective. The stage was bland and dark, not like a chapel is supposed to be. I saw Hamlet to be indecisive in this particular scene. He thought he was doing the right thing by sparing Claudius’ life, but it ended up hurting him in the end.