May one be pardon’d and retain th’offence? / In the corrupted currents of this world / Offence’s gilded hand may shove by justice, / And oft ’tis seen the wicked prize itself / Buys out the law.
Act III, Scene 3 · Claudius
Context
Still struggling to pray, Claudius questions whether he can be forgiven while still enjoying the rewards of his crime—his crown, ambition, and Gertrude.
Analysis
Claudius personifies earthly justice as something that can be physically 'shoved' aside by a 'gilded hand,' turning corruption into a transaction where wealth literally pushes morality out of the way. The contrast between 'corrupted currents of this world' and the implied purity of divine justice sets up a spatial divide—earthly courts operate by bribery and surface, heaven by true substance—that makes Claudius's hope for forgiveness collapse under its own logic.
Essay Tip
Use this to argue that Claudius is trapped by his own intelligence—he sees through the corrupt systems he benefits from so clearly that he cannot believe in the forgiveness he seeks, making his self-awareness the very thing that damns him.