In Act III scene II Claudius doesn’t speak much, however his actions speak a multitude to Hamlet. Hamlet’s performance of the mousetrap greatly upsets Claudius who gets up and leaves when the murder of the King is performed. Not only does Hamlet have his proof that Claudius is guilty, Claudius now realizes that Hamlet knows that he killed his own brother.
In Act III scene III Claudius now feels threatened by Hamlet and has begun to take action against Hamlet. While speaking to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Claudius’s tone and choice of words changes dramatically, instead of describing Hamlet’s lunacy as being a transformation, he says lines such as letting his “madness range.” Claudius uses this in a context that seems to suggests that Hamlet is nothing more than an animal, “I like him not; nor stands it safe with us to let his madness range.” Claudius is also showing signs of feeling threatened with the quote “The terms of our estate may not endure hazard so near us as doth hourly grow hourly grow out of his brow,” where he clearly states that he as king can not tolerate the danger form the threats and plots that he knows Hamlet is brewing. However when the king is alone we see through his soliloquy on page 181, which uses Imagery and allusions, that Claudius is tortured by his guilt wants to repent.
“O my offence is rank, it smells to heaven; it hath the primal eldest cures upon’t a brothers murder.” Claudius uses olfactory imagery using the word rank to mean foul, a smell so foul that it reaches to the heavens. The primal eldest curse is an allusion to the bible, in which Cain murders his brother Abel, quite like the way Claudius murdered his own brother.
To further show his guilt Claudius continues, saying that his “Inclination be as sharp as will, my stronger guilt defeats my strong intent,” Claudius admits to being guilty in this line, saying how even though he wants to pray he cannot saying that his guilt is stronger than his intent. Claudius then continues saying that “like a man to double bound, I stand in pause where I shall first begin.” So even though he wants to pray, he also wants to get rid of Hamlet and doesn’t know from which he wants to start. “Double business bound” means two things. Now Claudius uses a visual image, “what if this cursed hand were than itself with brother’s blood.” Shakespeare also uses something along these lines in his play Macbeth. The blood on Claudius’s hand symbolizes guilt. Bloody hands in Shakespearean texts generally signify tainted souls, quite like Claudius who is trying to seek redemption, which is seen in the next line “is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens to wash it white as snow?” in which Claudius uses more imagery to express his point. White in Shakespearean times is used to signify cleanliness. Claudius then asks himself if he can truly be forgiven for his actions even though “I am still possessed of those effects for which I did the murder?” He then asks another question, “May one be pardoned and retain the offence?” So basically what he is asking is if he can keep the rewards of committing fratricide even though he is sorry, which does not seem very sincere which Claudius himself points out later. Claudius then uses another hand image, “Offence's gilded hand may shove by justice, and oft 'tis seen the wicked prize itself buys out the law: but 'tis not so above.” A hand covered with gold, in the corrupt ways of the world, can be used to bribe officers of the law; however you cannot do that in Heaven. Claudius continues to give how he feels about heaven, saying that in heaven “There is no shuffling, there the action lies in his true nature; and we ourselves compell'd.” in heaven there are no tricks, and you are forced to expose your sins. Bird imagery is what Claudius uses next to describe his soul, “o limed soul, that struggling to be free art more engaged.” Claudius soul is like a bird caught in lime, the more he struggles to be free of his sins the more entangled his soul becomes in his web of deceit. Claudius then calls out to Angels, make him kneel down in prayer and make his heart which has strings of steel (which uses both tactile and visual imagery), be as soft as the sinews of a new born babe.
In this soliloquy we see that Claudius is cursing his deeds, and wonders if he can be forgiven even though he still has everything he gained from killing his brother. Claudius also knows that heavenly justice is different from the earthly kind which tends to be corrupt and unjust, and he wonders what chance he as being forgiven. He hopes that praying will ease his conscience. At the end of the scene Claudius makes the comment on how “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: words without thoughts never to heaven go.” By saying this Claudius has just admitted to having insincere words, and thinking of only earthly riches.
Through out Act three, Claudius’s state of mind seems to change depending on the situation, in scene 1 though Claudius seems a bit anxious to understand why Hamlet is acting “mad” he manages to put on a calm mask that hides his intentions. However after scene 2, Claudius lets that mask crack and we are finally let in to see what he is thinking, and we see that he feels tormented by the guilt that he feels over killing his brother, and wants to repent. However Claudius cannot truly repent without giving up the spoils he received from killing his brother, and he does not want to do that, and continues with his plot to send Hamlet to England to be assassinated