Act 3 Scene 2-3

        Act 3 Scene 2 begins with Hamlet instructing the actors in how he would like the play delivered. He asks that it reflect human nature to catch his guilty uncle. After this brief talk with the actors, Horatio soon enters and the audience watches as Hamlet is finally able to confide in a true friend. Horatio agrees to watch Claudius during the murder scene. Following this friendly conversation comes the play itself. As the play goes on Hamlet interjects pointed, snarky comments toward his mother and Uncle. As soon as the murder scene comes to a head Claudius abruptly leaves, obviously guilty of the heinous crime. As the scene comes to a close Hamlet is told that his mother wishes to speak to him and Hamlet begins to plead with himself to not harm his mother and instead vows to treat her cruelly but not unnaturally.
        This then brings us to Act 3 Scene 3 behind closed doors in the king's private chapel where Claudius confirms Guildenstern and Rosencrantz's loyalty to him and their participation in his efforts to send Hamlet to England. However, the most powerful part of this scene is Claudius' speech as he is praying. Claudius is seen pleading with God, wondering how he can relieve himself of his sin even though he is still reaping the rewards of his crime. During this speech, the audience is also watching Hamlet's internal conflict as he decides whether or not he should strike Claudius now. The scene ends with a cowardly Hamlet, unable to act yet again.
        These two scenes were packed with intensity. Themes of social class, religion, life vs, death, and morality are brought up through the players' scenes and even in the thoughts of Hamlet and Claudius. The most surprising part of this reading was Hamlet's shift in mood. Towards the beginning of the scenes, Hamlet seemed to be in a sarcastic mood with snarky retorts, seemingly refreshed and energized by the thought of finding truth in the ghost's words. Then as soon as Claudius proves himself guilty with his reaction to the play, Hamlet's mood shifts to a more conflicted state as he is forced to ponder his action. Will he kill Claudius? When is the "right" time? Hamlet is yet again finding himself to be a coward. I look forward to seeing Hamlet interact with his mother one on one, as well as, seeing how the King deals with Hamlet's knowledge of his crimes.