I honestly found Hamlet's choice to be well thought out due to his current circumstances. Ever since he met with his fathers apparition, he knew that would have to kill Claudius to avenge his father, but what is the purpose of killing him when he I s cleansing his soul. He knew that if he acted now, Claudius would not receive the damnation that was bestowed upon his father. Claudius would ascend to heaven and the justice that Hamlet so desperately craved for would never come to be. There was also the matter of public opinion. Those that lived within the castle walls had already grown aware of Hamlet's odd behavior and he gave them quite the show during his scheme to make Claudius' guilt clear. If he had followed through with his plan to end Claudius' life, Hamlet would have been left in left in chains for killing an innocent man. Who would have believed him if he told them the truth behind his actions especially after his rather wild display at the theater. His revenge would be incomplete and he would be written off as the prince who fell into madness over his grief.
I was however surprised by Claudius' reaction after the play. He seemed to truly feel a great pain in his heart over what he had done to his own brother. He took his leave to the church confessional where we saw his inner torment of his actions. His words were sincere, his emotion was true, and he went to the length of asking for forgiveness. As he have his prayers so that he may be clean, we see Hamlet waiting on the other side of the confessional waiting to strike his dagger at Claudius. However, he pauses to see what may come from his actions and we see that even with Hamlet's thirst for vengeance was strong, he could restrain himself from finishing his uncle. He truly wants to see his fathers death avenged, but he knows that in order for his plan to successful, his uncle's soul must be tainted by sin. So now lies in wait for the perfect moment to reveal itself.
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