Hamlet's Sixth Soliloquy Essay

Hamlet’s Sixth Soliloquy: A Man’s Tale of Revenge Set in the medieval ages in the mighty Kingdom of Denmark, Shakespeare's Hamlet is a tragic tale of corruption, betrayal, and revenge. The play follows Prince Hamlet’s loss of sanity as he seeks vengeance for his father’s murder. Having murdered the king, Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, has also married the queen and stolen the throne. In Act 3, Scene 3, Hamlet is granted the opportunity to murder Claudius, as he has his back turned to him deep in prayer. Realizing that his father was not granted the opportunity to pray before Claudius murdered him, Hamlet decides that he should not give Claudius the opportunity to pray and go to heaven. Within this scene, Hamlet undergoes a pivotal shift in mindset, with a newfound grasp of vengeance as he battles between evil and forgiveness. In Hamlet’s sixth soliloquy, he raises classic ontological questions, particularly, the true meaning of evil, the essence of revenge, and the concept
With the power to kill Claudius, the prince ponders, “and so he goes to heaven, and so am I revenged” (Lines 80-1)? By killing Claudius while he prays to be forgiven for his sins, Hamlet wonders if Claudius is worthy of forgiveness. Understanding the magnitude of his power, the prince refuses to forgive Claudius, believing that a death during prayer would “this same villain send to heaven” (Lines 83-4). Proving to be as merciless and unforgiving as his father’s murderer, Hamlet decides that the ideal time for Claudius to die is “that his heels may kick at heaven, and that his soul may be as damned and black as hell, whereto it goes” (Lines 98-100). By deciding that death alone is not enough to punish Claudius for his actions, the prince justifies that hell is the only proper punishment. Thus, in taking this fate into his own hands, Hamlet becomes truly