HAMLET

The Prayer Scene

Act 3, Scene 3, lines 36-98
SUMMARY
PLOT
DEVELOPMENT
 This scene foreshadows Hamlet’s plan
to kill Claudius while leaving room for
the audience to use their imagination
to figure out how Hamlet might kill
Claudius



character
analysis
Claudius


 Guilty
 Greedy
 Stubborn
 Indecisive
 Hopeful

Guilty


 “O, my offense is rank, it smells

to heaven” (line 36)


 Showing that Claudius thinks the things he did

are so terrible that even Heaven can see how
terrible they are.

Guilty


 “My stronger guilt defeats my

strong intent” (line 40)


 Literal guilt
 He thinks his guilt is stronger than what he
thought it would be, and his actions don’t seem
as necessary because of all the guilt he is feeling



Guilty


 “What is this cursed hand were

thicker than itself with
brother’s blood” (lines 43-44)


 Reminds us of Macbeth where the

blood-stained hand is a dominant image
 Showing guilt where it’s not physically
there, but mentally there



Greedy

“But O, what form of prayer
can serve my turn? “Forgive
me for my foul murder?” That
cannot be, since I am
possess’d of those effects for
which I did the murder. My
crown, mine own ambition and
my queen. May one be
pardoned and retain the
offence?” (lines 51-56)
Greedy


 He is saying that it feels like he is being

rewarded for the murder he has committed
because he is a King now and has a queen.

Stubborn


“Bow, stubborn knees, and,

heart with strings of steel, be
soft as sinews of the new-born
babe.” (lines 70-71)


 He is trying to convince himself to just hope

for the best and stop feeling guilty for
murdering his brother.

Indecisive


 “What then? What rests? Try

what repentance can: what
can it not? Yet what can it
when one cannot repent?”
(lines 64-66)


… and other rhetorical questions


Indecisive


 Rhetorical questions imply his uncertainty of his

next step.
 He is unsure of what to do next.

Hopeful


 “All may be well.” (line 72)




 He is hoping for the best.

Hamlet


 Determined
 Indecisive
 Intelligent
Determined


 “Now might I do it pat, now a’ is

a-praying; And now I’ll do it,
and so he goes to heaven, And
so I am reveng’d.” (lines 73-
75)


 Draws out his sword.


Determined


 Hamlet is saying ‘now I’m going to do it, this is

my chance right now. I have to avenge my
father since the opportunity has arisen.’

Indecisive


 “But in our circumstance and

course of thought, ‘tis heavy
with him: and am I then
reveng’d to take him in the
purging of his soul when he is
fit and seasoned for his
passage?” (lines 83-86)

Indecisive


 Hamlet reasons with himself and decides

that it isn’t really revenge to kill Claudius
when he is confessing his sins and in perfect
condition to go to Heaven.

Intelligent

“No, up, sword, and thou a
more horrid hent, When he is
drunk, asleep, or in his rage,
Or in the incestuous pleasure
of his bed, At game, a-
swearing, or about some act
that has no relish of salvation
in’t, Then trip him, that his
heels may kick at heaven, And
that his soul may be as
damn’d and black as hell
whereto it goes.” (lines 87-95)
Intelligent


 Hamlet decides that it is smarter to kill Claudius

when he is doing something bad, like swearing
while he gambles or another act that has no
good so that Claudius will not go to Heaven.
IMAGERY
Shakespeare was talented at painting a bigger
picture for readers using imagery and portrays
it well in this scene with Hamlet and Claudius.
Imagery


 “Oh, my offence is rank. It

smells to heaven” (line 37)


 This is the first line Claudius says in his

long winded speech, and it immediately gives
you the image that what Claudius has done is
so horrible, how his crime smells all the way to
heaven. This line also shows Claudius’ feelings
about his crime, and shows a little bit of
remorse for his murder.

Imagery
 “What if this cursed hand were
thicker than itself with brother’s
blood? Is there not rain enough in
the sweet heavens to wash it
white as snow?” (line 44-45)


 When Claudius says this it really signifies

Claudius’ situation and how he feels. There`s also
imagery in how it refers to Claudius’ hands being
covered with blood, and how Claudius is trying to
justify his actions by saying isn’t there enough
rain- or forgiveness, by praying- to clear himself of
his sins.

Imagery


 “Bow, stubborn knees, and,

heart with strings of steel”
(lines 71-72)


 Claudius is trying to convince himself

to kneel, and to try to pray, but can’t
because his legs are hard to move. And by
referring to his hearts as having strings of
steel, is showing- through imagery- that it`s
hard for him to make this decision.

Imagery


 “When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage,`

Or in th' incestuous pleasure of his bed at
game a-swearing, or about some act
That has no relish of salvation in ’t—then
trip him, that his heels may kick at
heaven, and that his soul may be as
damned and black as hell, whereto it
goes.” (lines 90-91)


 When he says that, Hamlet is making the

decision to kill Claudius when he isn`t doing
something good, that will get him into heaven. He
is going to kill him when he is doing something
that isn`t going to have any ``salvation” in it, so
Claudius will go to hell and not heaven. These lines
really put an image in the readers mind, and gives
Themes
 Greed
 Indecision
 Corruption
 Dramatic Irony
Themes
 Greed was a main reason Claudius killed
Hamlet`s father and on lines 56-57 Claudius
says,


 “My crown, mine own ambition, and

my queen. May one be pardoned and
retain th' offense?”


 This refers to how Claudius is still reaping

the rewards of his crime, and that he wants to
be able to keep them, as well as be cleared of
his sins. This shows the greed of Claudius, and
that even after admitting to his crimes, and
acknowledging how awful they were, he still
wanted to keep what he gained from killing his
Themes
 Indecision is a large theme throughout
the Prayer Scene, and when Hamlet says,

 “To take him in the purging of his soul
when he is fit and seasoned for his
passage? No. Up, sword, and know thou a
more horrid hent.”

 He is showing his indecision about killing
Claudius. He realizes that killing him wouldn’t
yield salvation to him if Claudius was praying
when Hamlet killed him, and he puts his sword
away.

Themes
 Corruption is another theme throughout
this scene. When Claudius says,


 “What if this cursed hand were thicker

than itself with brother’s blood?” (line
44-45)


 the corruption of Claudius is shown, and

in this scene, it`s the first time we get proof
that Claudius commits the crimes when he
admits it, showing that it wasn’t just Hamlet’s
fantasy, and that he really did kill Hamlet’s
father.

Themes
 Dramatic Irony appears in this scene
constantly. Hamlet doesn’t kill Claudius
because is praying to God. What Hamlet
doesn’t know is that although Claudius does
feel guilty, he isn’t ready to give up those
things for which he did the crime. He wasn’t
really praying to God, but just pretending.
Therefore, Hamlet would have killed him and
sent him to Hell, but instead delays because
he doesn’t know what Claudius is thinking.
