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The king was praying at the time, and Hamlet thought that by killing him at that time, the king would go to heaven.

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Q: Why does Hamlet refuse to kill the king when he has a chance?
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Related questions

What is the horatio dose to Hamlet?

he tells king cladios that hamlet want to kill his and King claudiouse kills hamlet


What line spoken by Gertrude indicates that she was not involved in King Hamlet's murder?

"Hamlet: To kill a king and marry with his brother. Gertrude: To kill a king? Hamlet: Ay, lady, that was my word."


How didn't anyone know Hamlet was going to kill king Claudius?

Claudius knew. That's why he conspired with Laertes to kill Hamlet first.


In act iii hamlet has a chance to kill king Claudius why does he hesitate to kill the king at the time what are the implications of his failure to act?

Hamlet hesitates killing King Claudius, because at the time Claudius was praying for forgiveness and if Hamlet killed him then Claudius would go to heaven and Hamlet to Hell. But his chance to kill him without doing wrong was still there, he just didn't stick around long enough to hear the rest of the agony. Claudius amended "My words fly up, my thoughts remain below; Words without thoughts never to heaven go." Hamlet missed his opportunity to save the lives of many and that would made for a short and heroic play without so much tragedy. Less entertaining too.


Is it true or false Hamlet is the reason rosencrantz and guildenstern are put to death?

True. Hamlet changed the king's orders to the English from "Kill Hamlet" to "Kill Rosencrantz and Guildenstern." He didn't have to do that; he could have changed the orders to "Give Hamlet some flowers".


How does Gertrude not know how king Hamlet died?

She's not a doctor. Claudius claimed that Hamlet Sr. died of a snakebite, and she had no reason to believe otherwise. The key line is her response to Hamlet's "Almost as bad, dear mother, as to kill a king and marry with his brother." Hamlet is accusing her of the murder, but her response "To kill a king?" shows that to Gertrude the real shocker in Hamlet's statement is that his father was murdered at all. She had no idea.


Why does hamlets departure have special urgency In act 4?

Hamlet doesn't kill the king in Act 4. He kills him in Act 5. Hamlet doesn't kill anyone in Act 4 and in fact he is offstage for most of the Act.Hamlet doesn't kill the king in Act 4. He kills him in Act 5. He doesn't kill anyone in Act 4 and is in fact offstage for most of the Act.


Did Cladius Use Food Poisoning To Kill King Hamlet?

yes of course


What is the storyline to Hamlet?

Hamlet is the son of King Hamlet and Queen Gertrude of Denmark, but his father has recently died and his uncle Claudius has become king and married Queen Gertrude. Hamlet is taken to a battlement where the ghost of his father appears and tells him that he was murdered by Claudius and commands Hamlet to revenge him by killing Claudius. Hamlet decides to act crazy while looking for a chance to get at the king. His crazy behaviour induces the king to set spies on him, first his school pals Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and later his girlfriend Ophelia. Hamlet, still unsure of the ghost's veracity, gets some travelling players to put on a play which mimics the murder. Claudius's reactions confirm he is the murderer all right. Hamlet then has a chance to kill him, but holds his hand because he is praying. He then visits his mother in her room and kills the king's advisor who is also his girlfriend's father and who was spying on him for the king. The king then sends him to England to get him out of the way with instructions to the English to kill him. The death of her father drives Ophelia crazy and she drowns. Her brother arrives, desperate for revenge. Hamlet's ship gets attacked by pirates and he ends up back in England. Ophelia's brother Laertes and the king plot to kill Hamlet by staging a fencing match in which Laertes will have a poisoned sharp sword, and Claudius will give Hamlet a poisoned drink. But it all backfires. Hamlet gets hold of the poisoned sword after Laertes cuts him with it and kills Laertes. Gertrude drinks the poisoned drink and dies. Hamlet stabs Claudius and gives him the remains of the poisoned drink and then dies himself in the arms of his best friend Horatio.


Who arranges for Hamlet to be killed in England?

Claudius arranged for Rosencrantz And Guildenstern to take Hamlet to England with a letter that says to kill Hamlet. The letter is to be given to the King of England, but Hamlet steals the letter on the boat ride over, and replaces it with one that says to kill the bearer of this letter.


Why did Laertes die in Hamlet?

Hamlet stabbed him with the poisoned sword which Laertes had poisoned to kill Hamlet. He was, in Hamlet's phrase, "hoist with his own petard."


How guilty is Hamlet's mother?

She feels very guilty and she tells Hamlet so. Hamlet asked her to not reveal that he is not really crazy. She then protects Hamlet for the murder of Polonius by telling the king that Hamlet has gone mad. However, it is clear that Gertrude is not as guilty as you might think. She was not aware of the fact that Claudius had killed her first husband for her until Hamlet says "Almost as bad, dear mother, as to kill a king and marry with his brother." "To kill a king?" she asks. She had no idea. Nevertheless she was the motive, or part of the motive for the crime, and this makes her feel guilty.