So far the audience has been shown Claudius’s typical character in the play, that he is a wicked, evil, crafty man. However, the audience do not fully understand how any man can live peacefully with knowing that he has committed the oldest sin “It hath the primal eldest curse upon’t”.
Therefore, Shakespeare takes the audience’s understanding further of Claudius, by staging Claudius expressing his guilt and grief over his sin.
Firstly, in Claudius’s confession, he claims that he wishes to repent but still wishes to persist in his guilty situation,
“And like a man to double business bound”
Basically he is prepared to carry the guilt for murdering his brother, for he now has what he initially desired; i.e.
“My crown, mine own ambition, and my Queen.”
Claudius only wants to confess and be forgiven, because he wants to go to heaven, he does not regret the reason he sinned;
“May one be pardoned and retain th’offence?”
It was believed that if you die before you have chance to confess to any sins you may have committed during your life, you will end up in hell when you die.
In Claudius’s confession, the repetition of the letter “F” emphasises each word that contains these assertive “F’s”. He is dwelling over his “offence”, whilst questioning the “twofold force”, admitting his “fault”, but asking for forgiveness of his “foul” sin, and wishing to be “free” of guilt. Claudius dwells over his guilt, desperately wanting to be able to go to heaven, feeling scared of going to hell;
“O limèd soul, that struggling to be free
Art more engaged! Help, angels! Make assay.”
He wants to make a vigorous attempt at becoming free of his sins, but all he can do is pray for forgiveness. The audience feels disgust over Claudius, for they now know that he is aware of exactly how foul his sin is, but still thinks that he could be forgiven for it, and that he feels capable of being free of his guilt one day. This adds onto the audiences understanding of Claudius being wicked and selfish.
When Hamlet eventually walks in on Claudius, and finds him praying for forgiveness he debates whether he should have his revenge on Claudius there and then. But it occurs to him that if he kills Claudius while he is praying, he will end the king’s life at the moment when he is seeking for forgiveness for his sins, sending Claudius’s soul to heaven. Therefore, Hamlet postpones his revenge upon Claudius, he waits till Claudius commits another sin,
“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.”
This heightens the dramatic tension, the audience sense that the climax of the play is due to arrive.
Act 3, Scene 3 proves to the audience that King Claudius is guilty of murdering King Hamlet by his spontaneous confession. It helps the audience know how Claudius feels about his sin, that he is feeling remorse for murdering his brother, but is still wicked enough to be able to enjoy what he gained from his sin, the crown, and the Queen. Act 3, Scene 3 develops the dramatic tension effectively when Hamlet decides to take revenge upon Claudius, while Claudius is praying, but then creates even more tension when Hamlet postpones his revenge.
