FAMOUS PLAYWRIGHT POET AND OTHERS
HAMLET
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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“O, my offense is rank, it smells to heaven”
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“And oft ‘tis seen the wicked prize itself / Buys out the law”
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“Pray can I not, / Though inclination be sharp as will”
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“It hath the primal eldest curse upon ‘t, / A brother’s murder”
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Detailed explanation-1: -Assumingly undisturbed, Claudius confesses his crime: “O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven; It hath the primal eldest curse upon’t-A brother’s murder. Pray can I not, Though inclination be as sharp as will, My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent” (3.3. 36-40).
Detailed explanation-2: -I can’t pray, even though I desperately want to, the strength of my guilt defeats the strength of my intention. And, like someone who can’t decide which of two actions to make, I stand here unable to do anything. So if I am guilty of this crime, is there not enough forgiveness in the heavens to make me free of it?
Detailed explanation-3: -Left alone, Claudius reveals his remorse for killing his brother, and he tries to pray. Hamlet comes upon him kneeling and draws his sword, but then stops to think that if he kills Claudius at prayer, Claudius will go to heaven.
Detailed explanation-4: -Through Claudius soliloquy, Shakespeare reveals Claudius’s inner character and further characterizes his disposition, though the remorse he feels is not for his slain brother but for the consequences he faces because of it. Shakespeare is able to depict Claudius’s internal conflict and how it reflects his character.
Detailed explanation-5: -It was an allusion to the Bible, and Cain was cursed by God after he murdered his own brother. What does Claudius reveal about himself in his soliloquy? He admits that he has murdered his brother.