Claudius begins his soliloquy by describing his ‘offence’ –
killing his brother, Old Hamlet
What Offence does Claudius think he has committed?
Claudius’s guilt in the regicide is clear here. He admits that he has committed
murder
and then finds that he cannot ask for forgiveness because he still holds onto the victories of that murder; he is king and is married to his brother’s wife. Hamlet enters and finds Claudius kneeling in a position of prayer.
What does Claudius mean when he says his offense has the primal eldest curse?
SARAH: When Claudius says that his offense has the primal eldest curse upon it, he’s referring to
the biblical story in Genesis where God places a curse on Cain for killing his brother Abel, just as Claudius has killed his brother, King Hamlet
. … But it was also an eldest curse because Cain was the eldest of the sons.
How does Claudius feel about his offense that is murdering his brother?
Claudius
wants very badly to pray and to ask for forgiveness for his heinous crime
. He murdered his brother, and he knows his “offense is rank,” so foul and terrible that the stench of it reaches heaven (3.3. 40).
What does Claudius mean when he says O my Offence Is My words fly up my thoughts remain below Words without thoughts never to heaven go rank it smell to heaven?
What does Claudius mean when he says O my Offence Is My words fly up my thoughts remain below Words without thoughts never to heaven go rank it smell to heaven? In this quote,
Claudius argues that his murdering his brother was marked by this notorious curse.
Why is Claudius not guilty?
Claudius kills his brother
mainly because of jealousy
, the crown, the queen and a hatred of his brother. Therefore Claudius is guilty of the murder of his brother. Claudius killed his brothe mainly because,he was jealous that his brother had it made. … Claudius feels guilty about killing his brother.
What does Claudius say when he is praying?
He longs to ask for forgiveness, but says that he is unprepared to give up that which he gained by committing the murder, namely, the crown and the queen. He falls to his knees and begins to pray. … Claudius rises and declares that he has been unable to pray sincerely:
“My words fly up, my thoughts remain below”
(III.
Why can’t Claudius be forgiven for his sin?
54-55). He knows that he cannot be forgiven
because he is “still possessed / Of those effects for which [he] did the murder
” (3.3. 57-58). In other words, Claudius killed his brother, the old king Hamlet, because his ambition tempted him to take his brother’s crown as well as his brother’s wife.
Why can’t Claudius ask for forgiveness from God?
Claudius does not expect forgiveness because he is not entirely remorseful. … Claudius, however, can’t seem to find the words he needs to pray and ask forgiveness because
he knows that his prayer will be insincere, since he is overjoyed with his good fortune as a result of his ambition
.
What is Claudius referring to when he says O my offense is rank it smells to heaven?
In this soliloquy, Claudius
confesses the deed and recoils at its smell
. It is “rank” (that is, “rancid”), so rank that the vile odor wafts all the way to heaven. … So while Claudius is metaphorical about the “smell” of his deed, he is grimly literal about heaven’s reaction.
Why this is hire and salary not revenge?
Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge. With all
his crimes broad blown
, as flush as May; And how his audit stands who knows save heaven. … He realizes that if Claudius dies while praying (i.e., repenting for his sins), he’ll go to heaven.
Did Claudius really love Gertrude?
Claudius can also be sensitive and gentle. He is genuinely sorry for Polonius’ death, and
he truly loves Gertrude
. He must kill Hamlet, but he refuses to do so with his own hand for Gertrude’s sake. He also sincerely likes Ophelia, and treats her with the kindness that she should receive from her great love, Hamlet.
How is Claudius selfish?
He has no qualms about manipulating people, and
he is unapologetically selfish
. Hypocrisy barely bothers Claudius: he pretends to be a loving stepfather to Hamlet even while sending him off to be killed. Claudius doesn’t let his conscience get in the way of the job that needs to be done.
Does Claudius reconcile his guilt?
Claudius is overcome by guilt in Act lll, Scene 3
. Before he kneels down to pray for redemption, he utters a long-winded monologue in which he confesses his crime. He states that he cannot pray, for his guilt is too great.
Is Hamlet innocent or guilty?
Hamlet. In a sense,
Hamlet is both guilty and not guilty
when it comes to the murders of Claudius and Polonius. In a literal sense, technically he did kill both of these men although the word guilty can mean several things.
Why does Gertrude think Hamlet is mad?
Queen Gertrude, who is Hamlet’s mother, speculates that the cause of this disturbance may be
that he is in love with Ophelia, daughter of Polonius
. This would be a very unequal match for a Prince of Denmark. The Queen then enlists Ophelia’s aid in helping discern Hamlet’s mental state.
