Hamlet To Kill or not to Kill
Hamlet To Kill or not to KillHamlet is arguably one of the best-written plays of William Shakespeare. Within every great piece of literary art, there is a climax, or a moment in the story where it reaches its peek. In Hamlet, there are three scenes that can be debated as the turning point. These scenes are, “a play-within-a-play,” “the prayer scene,” and “the scene from Gertrude’s room.” In each of these scenes there is an intense moment which, depending on the readers point of view, can be viewed as the turning point. Through critical analysis the climactic scene will be proven to be the play-within-a-play.
The plot behind the story of Hamlet is that a ghost claiming to be Hamlet’s father has told the Prince of Denmark, that Claudius has murdered him to marry Gertrude, and to become king. The ghost wants Hamlet to kill Claudius in revenge for killing him, and claims it is his duty as his only son. Based on the ghost’s words alone, Hamlet does not want to kill Claudius because it is morally wrong, even though he hates him for marrying his mother. And while the ghost may look very much like his father, Hamlet is not sure whether or not the ghost truly is his father or not. To test the validity of the ghost’s accusations, Hamlet devises a plan to see if Claudius is guilty for the alleged acts. The method he uses is in the scene known as a play-within-a-play. In act three scene two, Hamlet instructs the actors of how to perform a play that he wishes it to be performed. This play re-enacts the death of King Hamlet by the poison of Claudius, according to the late King himself. During the play King Claudius asks, “What do you call the play?” and in response Hamlet slowly answers, “the Mousetrap,” (Shakespeare III.ii lines 260-261). As the play continues, Horatio watches Claudius and notices discomfort as he watches the play, and at the very end when the Player King has died, Claudius immediately stands up and storms out of the room. This scene is the turning point of the play because it answers the question of Hamlet as to whether or not the ghost is his father, and if he is telling the truth. By the reaction Claudius it is clear that he is guilty of the murder of Hamlet’s father. At this point, Hamlet has just reason to have revenge on Claudius and kill him. With his justifiable reason, Hamlet searches for his moment to kill Claudius, his first opportunity is in the “prayer scene.”
The prayer scene is another scene that can controversially be called the turning point. In this scene Claudius confesses through his prayers in his soliloquy that he is the murderer of his brother. As he prays he says that he cannot be forgiven for his foul murder. “I am still possessed of those effects for which I did the murder: my crown, mine own ambition and my queen,” (Shakespeare III.iii lines 57-59). By this Claudius states that he isn’t sorry for what he did because, essentially he feels that being King, and having what he has now, is worth killing his own brother. As he prays Hamlet is close by and is ready to kill him. He with draws his sword and gets ready to impale him until he realizes that killing Claudius while he is praying will only send him to heaven. Hamlet’s revenge is only worth it if he will send Claudius to hell. Therefore, he decides to kill Claudius when he is in the act of sinning to ensure his fate. Although this was an intense seen where Claudius admits openly to killing his brother and that he is not sorry, the scene is not as climactic as the previously discussed play-within-a-play. This scene does show that Hamlet is serious in his vindication, but his judgment is not clouded by it. This is proven when he realizes that during prayer is not the time to kill his uncle.
The final of the three climactic scenes is when Hamlet talks with his mother Gertrude. The scene begins as Gertrude attempting to talk to Hamlet about his behavior but he quickly retorts all of her questions with his own questions about her guilty conscience. He is so aggressive with what he says, that Gertrude becomes scared and cries for help, and at that moment Polonius, who is behind an arras in the corner of the room, makes a sound. Upon hearing that sound Hamlet quickly draws his sword and stabs the figure not knowing if it is the King or not. Although he is shocked at what he has done, he still turns his attention to Gertrude who softly says, “O what a rash an bloody deed is this,” to which Hamlet answers, “A bloody deed-almost as bad, good mother, as kill a king and marry his brother,” (Shakespeare III.iv lines 33-35). This can be thought of as a major climactic part of the play because some critics believe that this is when it dawns on Gertrude as to what Claudius had done. As the scene continues Hamlet is persistent with his badgering of Gertrude. Even though she is hurt by everything he is saying, she is slowly thinking that maybe he isn’t crazy after all. This notion of hers however, does not last very long. While Hamlet is arguing with Gertrude, the ghost enters, and no one but Hamlet sees him. As Hamlet speaks to his father Gertrude mumbles quietly under her breathe, “Alas, he’s mad,” (Shakespeare III.iv line 120). “This visitation is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose,” Shakespeare III.iv 125-26). The ghost instructs Hamlet to remember his purpose and not to be so harsh on his mother. Upon his words Hamlet stops harassing his mother about her past deeds, and tells her he will tell the courts something about Polonius’ death, and that the worst is still yet to come.
This entire scene is very dramatic and quite intense. Just when Hamlet appears sane to his mother, the ghost comes to calm him down. King Hamlet does manage to relax him, but it also makes him look mad as he speaks to the air. This scene can be looked upon as a turning point, because this is when Hamlet’s character reaches his emotional peek. His killing of Polonius can prove that he is ready kill Claudius since he did not hesitate in stabbing the unknown figure. This scene drives Hamlet closer and closer to killing Claudius. Though this scene maybe the peek of emotion, it is not the peek of action, therefore this scene is not the climax of the play.
Hamlet is a tragedy that is beautifully written with a lot of passion and emotion. In each of the three scenes, Hamlet reaches a new point in his mission, and is another step closer to his revenge. The turning point of the play is the moment where everything reaches the peek of excitement and therefore is the play-within-a-play scene. This is when the readers and Hamlet know for fact Claudius is the murderer. The following two scenes gradually bring the climactic play scene down. The prayer scene is an example of Hamlets strong mind in what he is trying to accomplish. The act of killing Polonius evinces his strong will to kill Claudius. With vivid and powerful scenes found in Hamlet it is no wonder Shakespeare is noted as one of the greatest writers to have ever lifted a feather-pen.