Reasons To Kill The King In Hamlet

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Hamlet The king kneels in front of a cross praying, repenting for his sins. Now is the perfect time to kill him and finally avenge the death of his father. But no he must wait… if he kills him now he’ll go to heaven, he king deserves to suffer. Throughout the play “Hamlet”, Hamlet has many opportunities to kill his uncle, King Claudius, but he puts it off until the end of the play. The reasons for doing so are never directly expressed but can easily be seen as you read or watch the play. The first reason Hamlet delays killing the king is because after the death of his father he becomes depressed. In scene one act two Hamlet says “Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into dew, or that the everlasting had …show more content…
In scene two act two Hamlet says “The spirit I have seen may be a devil, and the devil hath power t’ assume a pleasing shape” (Shakespeare 2, 2. 627-629). Hamlet thinks to himself that maybe the devil is trying to trick him into murdering his uncle who may actually be an innocent man so he hesitates. In order to find out whether or not he can trust the ghost he makes the King watch a play that reenacts the murder of his father. During the play Hamlet watches his uncle ever so carefully to see if he shows any signs of guilt. When the play reaches the point where the “King” is murdered King Claudius yells “Lights, lights, get us some lights” (Shakespeare 3, 2. 254) and jumps out of his seat stopping the play. Now Hamlet knows that he is guilty and exact his revenge. After seeing his reaction, Hamlet tells his friend Horatio “O good Horatio, I’ll take the ghosts word for a thousand pound” (Shakespeare 3, 2. 260). Not completely trusting the ghost Hamlet decides to wait on killing the King until he has more proof. Once getting this proof he can avenge his father’s death… At least that’s what he …show more content…
The first chance he has after knowing the King is guilty is when he is praying. Shakespeare writes “Now might I do it pat. Now he is a-praying. And now I’ll do’t” (Shakespeare 3, 3. 74). It seems like the perfect opportunity. Claudius is unknowing and vulnerable but Hamlet thinks to himself, “And so he goes to heaven. And so am I revenged. That would be scanned. A villain kills my father, and, for what, I, his soul son, do this same villain send to heaven” (Shakespeare 3, 3. 77-79). If Hamlet kills him now than the King will go to heaven but he feels that he deserves to go to hell and to suffer so he delays it once again. Later into the play Hamlet kills Polonius, The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius’s court, while talking to his mother. From this point on Hamlet is on the run because he knows that the King will have him killed for what he has done. As Hamlet expected, the king is going to have Laertes, Polonius’ son kill Hamlet. The king tells Polonius one night, “Strengthen your patience in our last night’s speech” (5, 1. 281). It is in this speech where Claudius tells Laertes the plan on how to kill Hamlet. Towards the end of the book Hamlet has a perfect chance to kill the King while he is praying but knows that he deserves to go to hell and not heaven. In accidently killing Polonius, Hamlet has to stay on the run until he can safely make it home without being killed by the
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