The first thing Claudius reveals in his soliloquy is the most significant: he admits that he has murdered his brother. Up until this point in the play, we have had only the Ghost's accusation of murder. Now we hear the revelation directly from Claudius himself:
O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven;
It hath the primal eldest curse upon't,
A brother's murder!
Claudius then reveals that he cannot pray, despite his attempts, and imagines his own hand (in an image echoing Macbeth) "thicker than itself with brother's blood". Claudius then reveals his belief that he cannot be forgiven because he still covets and keeps the things for which he committed murder; revealed explicitly, they are:
My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.
Claudius believes he cannot be forgiven without giving up these things and, as he has no intention of giving them up, calls upon the angels to help him and forgive him.
Yet what can it when one can not repent?
O wretched state! O bosom black as death!
O limed soul, that, struggling to be free,
Art more engaged! Help, angels! Make assay!
Bow, stubborn knees; and, heart with strings of steel,
Be soft as sinews of the newborn babe!
No comments:
Post a Comment