Hamlet

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How does Hamlet decide to catch the king's conscience?

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How does Hamlet decide to catch the conscience of the king? [2019]

In Shakespeare’s (1564-1616) “Hamlet,” Hamlet wants to take revenge on Claudius, the current king, for killing his father. But first, Hamlet wants to be sure that Claudius is the murderer. So, to catch the king’s conscience, Hamlet stages a play that will re-create the murder scene.

Hamlet’s Doubt and the Idea of the Play: After meeting the ghost of his dead father, Prince Hamlet learns that his uncle, Claudius, killed the old king by pouring poison into his ear. The ghost asks Hamlet to take revenge. But Hamlet is unsure if the ghost is truly his father or an evil spirit trying to mislead him. He thinks,

“The spirit that I have seen may be a devil.”

This doubt stops him from acting. Soon, a group of actors visits Elsinore. Seeing them, Hamlet gets a clever idea. He plans to use a play to test Claudius
’s guilt. He says,

“The play’s the thing

Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king.”

Hamlet plans that the play will closely copy the way his father was murdered. If Claudius reacts with guilt, Hamlet will know the truth.

Claudius’s Reaction to the Play: Claudius and the royal court come to watch the play. In the performance, a scene shows a man pouring poison into the ear of a sleeping king. Claudius cannot control himself when he sees this. He suddenly stands up and shouts,

“Give me some light. Away!”

He leaves the room in fear and guilt. This strong reaction is enough for Hamlet. Now he is sure that Claudius is the murderer.

In short, Hamlet cleverly catches the king’s conscience by using the play. This clever plan also shows Hamlet’s intelligence.

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