Related Prompts
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 · Hamlet
4 essay prompts use this quote
Relationship/Contrast
Analyze the contrast between Hamlet's relationship with his father's Ghost (characterized by duty, doubt, and delay) and Laertes's relationship with Polonius's memory (characterized by immediate, passionate revenge). How does Shakespeare use this contrast to explore different models of filial obligation and the ethics of revenge? Explain how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Argument for this quote:
This quote represents Hamlet's side of the contrast, demonstrating his paralysis through overthinking and moral scruples that delay his revenge—he rationalizes inaction by worrying about Claudius's spiritual fate rather than acting immediately like Laertes would.
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.
Argument for this quote:
This quote from the scene immediately preceding the closet confrontation establishes the contrast between inaction and impulsive violence: Hamlet overthinks his revenge when facing Claudius at prayer, yet moments later kills Polonius without hesitation, revealing how his action finally erupts not through rational choice but through uncontrolled impulse.
Theme + Device
Shakespeare juxtaposes Hamlet's hesitation and philosophical contemplation with Fortinbras's decisive military action and Laertes's impulsive revenge. Analyze how these structural contrasts develop the play's exploration of different responses to injustice and the relationship between thought and action. Explain how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Argument for this quote:
This quote uses dramatic irony to expose Hamlet's paralysis through thought: even when presented with the perfect opportunity ("Now might I do it pat"), his philosophical contemplation about the theological implications of revenge ("And so he goes to heaven") prevents action, structurally contrasting with both Fortinbras's and Laertes's immediate responses to injustice.
Theme + Device
Hamlet's soliloquies provide direct access to his inner thoughts, revealing doubts and self-recrimination that contrast sharply with his public performances of madness and his interactions with other characters. Analyze how Shakespeare uses this device to explore the theme of action versus inaction and the paralysis caused by excessive reflection. Explain how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Argument for this quote:
The dramatic irony in this soliloquy—where Hamlet rationalizes inaction by overthinking the theological consequences of killing Claudius at prayer—uses extended reasoning to expose how excessive reflection manufactures justifications for paralysis, contrasting sharply with the impulsive action he displays moments later when killing Polonius.