Does it not, thinks’t thee, stand me now upon,— / He that hath kill’d my king, and whor’d my mother, / Popp’d in between th’election and my hopes, / Thrown out his angle for my proper life, / And with such cozenage—is’t not perfect conscience / To quit him with this arm?
Act V, Scene 2 · Hamlet
Context
Hamlet asks Horatio whether he isn't now morally obligated to kill Claudius, listing the crimes the king has committed against him and his family.
Analysis
The repeated construction 'He that hath…' piles up accusations in a prosecutorial rhythm, each clause adding another charge. This anaphoric list builds momentum toward what sounds like an unanswerable case—yet Hamlet frames it as a question ('is't not…?'), still seeking external validation even now. The lawyer-like syntax distances him from vengeance as passion; he's trying to make murder sound like logical necessity.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that Hamlet legalizes revenge—he catalogues Claudius's crimes as if constructing a legal brief, attempting to transform a personal blood vendetta into an objective moral duty he can't refuse.