Hamlet
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Scene Analysis
In Gertrude's closet, Hamlet kills Polonius who is hiding behind the arras, mistaking him for Claudius. Analyze how Shakespeare uses this moment of impulsive violence to develop the theme of action and inaction, marking a turning point in Hamlet's character and the play's tragic trajectory. Explain how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
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“Now might I do it pat, now he is praying. / And now I’ll do’t. And so he goes to heaven; / And so am I reveng’d. That would be scann’d: / A villain kills my father, and for that / I, his sole son, do this same villain send / To heaven. O, this is hire and salary, not revenge.”
Act III, Scene 3
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