Hamlets Dilemma

    Personally I feel as though Hamlets decision to not kill Claudius while he was praying was foolish. The sins Claudius committed would not be erased even if he asked for forgiveness. It's not even like he's willing to part with what he obtained for killing King Hamlet; the power, the fame, the queen. No attempt at repenting would be able to save him. Hamlet gave up a perfectly good opportunity to kill Claudius without raising suspicion that he was the culprit. Now if he were to make another attempt later in the play, he might be put in more danger.
    Although the decision seemed irrational to me, in Hamlets mind it was well thought out. During that time period, religion is more important than anything else. Perhaps the mindset of the time was that repenting and asking for forgiveness wiped your slate clean, regardless of the crime committed. This murder is mainly for Hamlets revenge for his father. I can see why he would want to catch Claudius in a sinful act. Hamlet would feel much more satisfied if he felt like he gave Claudius no chance at getting on even terms again.
     For some reason, this scene made me sympathize with Claudius a little. I feel like he was truly remorseful for what he did the his brother. If he had the chance to change things to how they before, he would do it. This shows that Claudius isn't a tyrannical man who was only in it for the power and lust. Hamlet may also be more calm and collected than i originally thought. After having his goal so close in sight, Hamlet was able to see a potential fault in the murder and see how he could fix it. Hamlet shows a level of self-control that not many people have.