ction in himself. The audience is reminded of the actor who cries over the fictitious death of a father. Hamlet is trying to act out a rle which represents what he believes he should do and how he should feel. Similarly Claudius is doing exactly the same, he has become cold to his crime and cannot repent.Hamlet lists possible crimes that Claudius may commit in order to intensify the negative image of the King. He imagines Hell as it might be and then as an after thought excludes his mother. This is the instruction of his fathers ghost but also represents his own love for her.In a final couple of lines Claudius confirms his thoughts remain below and he failed to pray. This concludes the scene and with it the last chance for a satisfactory result, from here on only tragedy can result.Neither man has achieved his aim in this scene primarily because of what it would cost them. The King would have to sacrifice his position in order to be forgiven. Hamlet would have to move into unknown territory, an action unfamiliar to a thinker such as he. The passage shows the marked similarities between the two men as each considers regicide from opposed perspectives....
