. Hamlet's philosophical side is also brought to light in the prayer scene. At this point he has the opportunity to kill Claudius while he is attempting to repent. However, Hamlet does not take action because he desires kill Claudius "when he is drunk asleep, or in his rage/ Or in the incestuous pleasure of his bed," so that "his soul will be as damn'd and black/ As hell, whereto it goes" (III, iii, 90-96). Here, Hamlet's honor code and Christian code are in sharp conflict. If Hamlet did not debate the murder, and he instantly killed Claudius without hesitation, then he would be "sick and inhumane." However, his contemplation of the ramifications of his actions show that he is thinking clearly, and he has not turned into a sick and cynical prince who is obsessed with revenge.One of the points which Wilson Knight may use to prove his interpretation is the exchange between Ophelia and Hamlet in the nunnery scene. At this point Hamlet is rather cruel to her, but there is "method to his madness." In the middle of the scene he asks Ophelia, "Where's your father?" (III, i, 131). This indicates that he has become aware of Polonius' presence. It is after this point that Hamlet launches his most vicious attack upon Ophelia when he criticizes that she " jigs, ambles lisps, and "make[s] [her] wantonness [her] ignorance" (III, i, 147). Hamlet is not being "inhumane." He is cruel to Ophelia because he believes that she is collaborating with Polonius to spy on him, and is trying to deceive Polonius into thinking that he is mad. Knight also claims that he treats Getrude cruelly, but he "must be cruel only to be kind" (III, iv, 178). He is concerned that his mother will die in sin, and be stuck in purgatory along with his true father. In order to prevent this, Hamlet tries to make her see her wrong doings, and the only way to go about this was to act harshly.Another point to counter Knight's claim that Hamlet is inhumane is the Prince's relationship wi...
