Hamlet Born To Set It Right Analysis

Important Quotations (cited by Act, Scene, Line Number) With Explanation: “The time is out of joint; O cursed spite, That ever I was born to set it right!” (1.5-188-190)
Hamlet delivers this line after his father’s ghost, a “cursed spite”, reveals to him that King Hamlet was actually murdered by Claudius. Infuriated and bloodthirsty, Hamlet vows to avenge his father and slay Claudius, saying how it is his time to “set it right”. He explains how the kingdom of Denmark is like a dislocated bone, and that he needs to set it right by ridding the kingdom of the malady known as Claudius. His dedication and confidence that he is the one to set it right, greatly contrast with his later insecurities of being unable to fulfill his mission.
Out of the fear that the apparition that appeared to him was merely a evil spirit attempting to manipulate him into committing murder, Hamlet seeks to verify its claims. He does so through the play, where he will have actors play out what supposedly happened the night of King Hamlet’s murder, to see if Claudius is guilty. If he is, and Hamlet “catch[es] the conscience of the king”, then Hamlet knows that Claudius is guilty and that he can safely exact revenge. Based off of the Renaissance belief that plays could elicit confessions from the guilty, the play is meant to be a tool, “the thing”, to turn Claudius’ guilt against
He compares himself to an actor, who, in a emotional speech, lamented and grieved over the fictional character Hecuba. Hamlet feels that he is a coward, as even an actor can be more emotionally involved in a fictional conflict than he is over his father’s actual murder. In this quote, Hamlet questions why the actor is able to be so dramatic over a fictional issue, and uses it to express his insecurity and feelings of inadequacy.

“My words fly up, my thoughts remain below; Words without thoughts never to heaven go” (3.3.99-100)
When Claudius decides to try to pray, his guilt begins to set in and he realizes how his sins have essentially made prayer useless for him, and that forgiveness was impossible until he surrendered the spoils of his crimes. Thus, in the quote, he acknowledges how even if he prays, and his “words fly up”, by keeping the benefits that he reaped from murdering King Hamlet, his thoughts remain that of evil, or hell. This means that his empty words will not go to heaven and that prayer is not an option for him. The significance of this confession is that he is confessing, albeit only to himself and the audience, his role in murdering King Hamlet. This confirms the ghost’s claims and reveals how guilty Claudius feels about the whole