In Act 3 scenes 1 Hamlet makes his famous speech “To be or not to be, that is the question: (3.1.58). Here he is grappling with the difficulty of taking actions against Claudius and the fact that he has not been able to revenge his father’s murder yet.
He also incites Claudius and Gertrude to the play he has written later on that evening.
In Act 3 scenes 2 Hamlet puts on the play “the mouse trap” a depiction of the death of his father. When the play comes to the part where the king is poisoned in the same way Claudius poisoned King Hamlet, Claudius jumps up and tells them to stop the play and turn on the lights. He acts as though he is appalled and completely confirms his guilt!
In the next scene we see Claudius praying at an altar seeking forgiveness from God for the murder he committed and Hamlet behind stands behind him with a sword.
A point which makes act 3 scenes 2 pivotal is that Hamlet cannot make his mind up whether to kill himself or Claudius and so delays the death of Claudius causing a catalyst for the tragedy at the end. Hamlet is confused when he has his chance to kill Claudius when praying “Now might I do it oat, now a is a praying, And so I’ll do’t – and so a goes to heaven,” (Act III Scenes iii, lines 73-74), Yet he doesn’t kill Claudius as he will be free from sin as his is cleansing his soul and so go to heaven. “Now I might do it pat……so goes to heaven…..a villain kills my father, and for that, I his sole son do this same villain send to heaven.”(Act III Scenes iii, lines 73-78). He believes he will get revenge but in the process make Claudius go to heaven. Hamlet decides not to kill him now and leaves. This is very pivotal as Claudius then goes on to say “My words fly up….words without thoughts…to heaven go” (Act III Scenes iii, lines 97-98), this means that Claudius has not repents properly and so Hamlet could have killed him. This also shows that Hamlet’s uncertainty is his demise.
Another point which makes this scene so pivotal is that Hamlet for the first time is sure of anything. In the manner that he knows by Claudius reaction he was guilty of the crime. Hamlet set up “Mouse Trap” to catch Claudius’s reaction when the play unfolded hence the name “Mouse Trap”. I believe there were 3 possible outcomes if Claudius makes a large reaction to the play; the audience will feel certain that Claudius is guilty. No reaction from Claudius will mean the audience will begin to doubt the reliability of Hamlet, and then Hamlet will have to prove his own sanity to himself which will probably cause him to commit suicide. A little reaction from Claudius will mean the audience will still be uncertain about what to believe and should they believe Hamlet or not. The scene in “Mouse Trap” where the player pours poison into the Kings ear, Claudius rises from his seat and says “Give me some light. Away!” (Act III scene ii, lines 243) Hamlet feels he is guilty. Yet with just those five words you cannot tell the reaction fully of Claudius. He could be very calm when he leaves the room or on the other hand panicky. In Zefferelli’s version Claudius appears very terrified and agitated this shows he is guilty.
My third point would be the treatment of Ophelia. “Lady, shall I lie in your lap?” (Act III scenes ii, line 101). This led to the suicide of Ophelia and so a pivotal point in “Hamlet”. So by telling Ophelia to allow him to lie in her lap. Hamlet is making her feel like a whore. This treatment of Ophelia, by Hamlet could be one of the reasons for her to commit suicide. Because in Act III scene IV Hamlet murders Polonius (her Father) mistaking him for Claudius and this could also be the reason for her to go mental and then commit suicide. The relationship between the two characters may be seen to be pivotal to the play, and so adding to the point of Act III scene ii is pivotal to “Hamlet”.
I conclude with that, Act III scene ii is very pivotal to “Hamlet”. For this is the point when Hamlet is sure that Claudius killed his father and can avenge his fathers death and put everything back to the way he thinks it should be. It is also when Hamlet makes his first decisive action without being unsure and contemplating with him self,
It may also be the scene where Hamlets love Ophelia goes mad and so commits suicide. Finally this scene may be the catalyst for deaths to come. I believe this scene sets of a chain reaction in which eventually kills of the Danish royal family.