On top of this, Claudius even tries to ask directly for god’s help as he shouts “Help angels! Make assay!” The short sentences quickened the pace and create a tone of panic. Furthermore, the use of the exclamation marks emphasizes the line and implies that he is desperate, whilst the use of the word “assay” meaning attempt again shows that he is in despair and fear. He is in such a state that even just an attempt would be enough. The fact that he seems so desperate to be forgiven create a slight pity in the audiences, especially when he wishes to “be soft as sinews of the newborn babe!” The sibilance here helps to soften the sound whilst the repetition of the word “new” reveals his regret and hope to renew everything.
However, through his attempt to pray, the audience will has the opportunity to see his genuine thoughts and feeling; his desire and his assertion for power.
The beginning of the soliloquy, Claudius says “O, my offense is rank it smells to heaven.” Although this line evokes a sense of despair, ultimately the tone is of the desperation and fear. The repetition of the word “offence” throughout the soliloquy helps to emphasize his crime and this is supported by the used of the word “smell” a metaphor for corruption. Claudius knows that what he has done is wrong; however “my strong guilt defeats my strong intent.” The repetition of the word “my” throughout the whole soliloquy again reveals his desire; that he himself comes before all. The use of personal pronoun in this soliloquy also contrasts with Hamlet’s soliloquy whereby generalizing his ideas, making his thought universal. Claudius concerns for himself is further supported by the list of triad of “my crown, mine own ambition and my queen.” This is self revealing irony as the order from this list is that the crown comes before anything else. Claudius knows that he is corrupted such that his “bosom [is] black as death.” The simile here helps to convey the darkness of his heart, while the alliteration of the plosive ‘B’ helps to emphasize the corruption in himself.
Claudius tone shifts throughout the play. His ideas vacillate as his tone oscillates.
This soliloquy is firstly started with a feeling of despair and at this point, his language is controlled and slowly paced. However as Claudius continues, the pace quickened and ultimately by the end, there are many short sentences with exclamations conveying his panic and fear.
Although there are times when he genuinely wishes for redemption, he sometimes shift the tone immediately, such as in the middle of his soliloquy where he suddenly says “then I’ll look up.” The change in tone suggests Claudius’s confusion towards his next move. The word “look up” which opposes to the looking down of praying, helps to support the sentence “my stronger guilt defeats my strong intent.” However, the fact that the sentence was quickly followed by “but O” which reveals a sense of despair reflects his confusion and the fact that Claudius is yet unaware of how he should respond to Hamlet’s action.
On top of this, there are times when Claudius says “I stand in pause where I shall first begin” and the panic of “what then? What rest?” adds on to the feeling of confusion and desperation for answer. Furthermore, the line “to be forestalled ere we come to fall, or pardon’d being down?” supports this as it reflects his 2 possible options of waiting until he dies, therefore, receiving his punishment in the afterlife or to admit his crime which possibly ends in execution but to receive redemption from god.
Moreover, his inability to arrive with the answer is also shown by the sentence “this two fold force.” The alliteration helps to emphasize his point. He is tormented with deciding whether the profit he has received from his crime is more important to him or whether receiving redemption is more important.
However, the fact that essentially Claudius ended his soliloquy with “all may be well” which ultimately reveals his desperation; creates the feeling of mockery for the audiences, for his act collapses and conveys the contrast to his argument about praying for redemption. Another irony is that by the end of the play, more than four people ends up dying, therefore conveys the contrast to the “all may be well.”
Throughout this soliloquy, there are signs of Claudius trying to abrogate his responsibility. One of the ways of this is by using the repetition of the word “cursed” may reminds the audiences of Lady Macbeth and how she can’t wash away her guilt. However, another interpretation is that his hand is cursed therefore; it was not his fault for the murder.
Furthermore, Claudius to an extent abrogates his responsibility by blaming the society. He generalized his guilt, making it universal. By doing this, he is simply saying that he has only done what he had because of the corrupted society. The harsh alliteration of ‘c’ and ‘r’ of the “corrupted currents of this world” helps to emphasize the harshness of the world whilst the word ‘current’ suggests the water current thus implying that it is a continuous action. Moreover, the word “world” implies that it wasn’t only him, and therefore suggests that it is not entirely his fault. In addition, the line “offence’s gilded hand may shove by justice buys out the law” reveals the human condition where rich people are able to bribe their ways out of their crime.
Another theme presents in this soliloquy is the religion and justice. As king symbolizes the person who is closest to god, the act of regicide is as a result an act against god. Therefore, in the beginning Claudius says that “my offence is rank, it smells to heaven.”
Furthermore, Claudius also refers his act to the “primal eldest curse upon’t a brother’s murder.” The biblical allusion to the 1st murder of the bible of Able and Kain are used to help abrogate his responsibility for his own murder.
Additionally, it is suggested that although the world is corrupt such that people can “buys out the law”, ultimately, in heaven “there is no shuffling” and therefore everybody will be judged equally, thus the theme of justice.
Essentially, Claudius’s soliloquy reveals his greed. At the surface, he may seems to have shown regret towards his action, however, ultimately, the audience will realize that his desperate attempt to pray is a result from fear of getting caught.
