Hamlet 15

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

way. The Christian thoughts of the time stated that vengeance was a sin. Hamlet wants to avenge his father's death but if he were to kill Claudius his soul may not be saved. Hamlet wants to be a better person than his Uncle, but if he were to become a murderer he would be just like Claudius.
One more place in this play that focuses on the Christian influence is in Claudius's bedroom. Hamlet argues with himself that he cannot kill Claudius at the end of Act III scene iii. Hamlet surmises that if he killed Claudius while praying he would be sent to heaven. "A villain kills my father, and for that, I, his sole son, do this same villian send to heaven." (III.iii., 76-78) Hamlet would much rather send Claudius to hell for his crimes, but can anyone go to hell when they are killed while praying. Therefore to kill his Uncle at this point would be pointless. Hamlet wants him to suffer for everything that he has done wrong to the family.
When the ghost of his father tells Hamlet ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

While watching the play, Hamlet has Horatio watch the new king to see if he will act guilty when certain scenes arise in the play.
As the play moves on, the king becomes more perturbed and acts more like a person who has guilt and something to hide. This idea is brought to a climax when the king ends the play prematurely and says, "give me some lights. Away!" (III.ii., 275) This act alone gives Hamlet more of a reason for revenge because he is pretty sure that Claudius killed his father, but Hamlet hesitates once again.
There must be other reasons for this delay of revenge. Another theory is that Hamlet did not want the responsibility that would come with killing Claudius. ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library. Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports, and research papers in 2 minutes or less.

CITE THIS PAGE: