Although Hamlet was tempted to kill Claudius and I would have been as well in that situation. I agree with Hamlet's decision to wait to kill Claudius at the right time. Hamlet understands that Claudius is a murderer and deserves to die but at the right moment. If he murders him at an inopportune moment the whole thing would be a waste. The Ghost of King Hamlet referred to the fact that he was forced to die with all his sins on his head and that he was not given a chance to make things right. If Hamlet would have killed Claudius while he was praying he would have been able to repent his sins unlike King Hamlet. This scene proves to you that Claudius is not all bad. Yes he killed his brother and married his wife but he does have some guilt for what he has done. Although the guilt is not strong enough to make him confess to Gertrude it is strong enough for him to confess to God and ask for forgiveness.
In the play the distinction between heaven and hell is very important and that is one of the main reasons Hamlet's hold out on the murder. Although it is not stated Hamlet's father was probably sent to hell since he was unable to repay his sins. As a result, if Hamlet murdered Claudius while he was praying it would probably send him to heaven. Then did he actually get revenge? Not really because if Claudius is in heaven and King Hamlet is in hell Claudius would be the "winner" in that situation. Also Hamlet has to consider what will happen to himself after he kills Claudius. Right now everyone thinks of Hamlet as a madman but if he kills Claudius he will be held accountable even if he is mad.
I agree with you 100%. In fact your points were very similar to my own. I personally don't think it matters either way but you have to take this assignment with a grain of salt and put yourself in the shoes of the characters. But a question that I've had since reading this scene, is why is Hamlet so concerned about not sending Claudius to heaven, when if he kills him at all at any moment then Hamlet himself will go to Hell? I believe that should be Hamlet's real Dilema.
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