Worksheet 4: Claudius - guilty or not guilty, m'lud?
Claudius is the source of the corruption in the play and Act 3 scene 3 is a pivotal scene in assessing whether we feel he is truly corrupt.
- Why does he mistrust Hamlet?
- How does he plan to deal with him?
- "Never alone / Did the King sigh but with a general groan" - what is the meaning of this line? How might this be ironic in the light of the effect of his crime upon Elsinore?
- Why does his crime have the "primal eldest curse upon't"?
- What might he mean when he says that he stands "in pause"?
- What reasons does he give for wanting to "look up" and pray?
- Why is he unable to pray, however?
- Where and how do questions and exclamations convey his mood?
- What effect does the imagery have at the end of his speech?
- Claudius's final couplet: what might Shakespeare be suggesting about the true nature of Claudius' character?
Extension: why might this speech have overtones of Macbeth's murder of Duncan?
Published on: 08 Dec 2010
