Original: Now might I do it pat, now he is praying;
Modern: Now I could do it perfectly - right now while he’s praying;

Original: And now I’ll do’t. And so he goes to heaven,
Modern: And I’ll do it now. But then he’ll go to heaven,

Original: And so am I reveng’d. That would be scann’d.
Modern: And that would be my revenge. But wait - let me think about this.

Original: A villain kills my father; and for that,
Modern: A villain killed my father, and because of that,

Original: I, his sole son, do this same villain send
Modern: I, his only son, would send this same villain

Original: To heaven.
Modern: To heaven.

Original: Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge!
Modern: Why, this would be like paying him, not getting revenge!

Original: He took my father grossly, full of bread,
Modern: He killed my father suddenly, while my father was living fully,

Original: With all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May;
Modern: With all his sins in full bloom, like flowers in spring;

Original: And how his audit stands, who knows save heaven?
Modern: And how his final account with God stands, who knows except heaven?

Original: But in our circumstance and course of thought,
Modern: But from our earthly perspective and way of thinking,

Original: ‘Tis heavy with him; and am I then reveng’d,
Modern: His sins weigh heavily against him; so would I really be getting revenge

Original: To take him in the purging of his soul,
Modern: If I kill him while he’s cleansing his soul,

Original: When he is fit and seasoned for his passage?
Modern: When he’s prepared and ready for his journey to the afterlife?

Original: No. Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent.
Modern: No. Put away, sword, and wait for a more horrible opportunity.

Original: When he is drunk asleep; or in his rage;
Modern: When he’s passed out drunk, or in a fit of anger,

Original: Or in th’ incestuous pleasure of his bed;
Modern: Or enjoying his sinful pleasures in bed;

Original: At gaming, swearing, or about some act
Modern: While gambling, cursing, or doing some deed

Original: That has no relish of salvation in’t-
Modern: That has no trace of holiness in it -

Original: Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven,
Modern: Then I’ll strike him down, so his feet kick toward heaven

Original: And that his soul may be as damn’d and black
Modern: And so his soul will be as damned and evil

Original: As hell, whereto it goes. My mother stays.
Modern: As hell itself, where it’s going. My mother is waiting for me.

Original: This physic but prolongs thy sickly days.
Modern: This medicine only extends your diseased life.

In Act III, Scene 3 of “Hamlet,” King Claudius is alone in his chamber attempting to pray, wrestling with his conscience over the murder of his brother, King Hamlet. He acknowledges his “offense is rank” and recognizes the magnitude of his crime—fratricide—which bears the weight of the first biblical murder, that of Cain killing Abel. Claudius expresses his desire for forgiveness and mercy, yet he struggles with genuine repentance because he still possesses the fruits of his crime: the crown, his ambition fulfilled, and his brother’s wife, Queen Gertrude. He kneels to pray but finds himself unable to pray with sincere contrition, ultimately recognizing that his words fly upward while his thoughts remain earthbound, making his prayers ineffective.

Hamlet enters and discovers Claudius in this vulnerable position, presenting the perfect opportunity to exact his revenge. He draws his sword, ready to kill his uncle, but pauses to consider the implications of killing a man at prayer. Hamlet reasons that if he kills Claudius while the king is in a state of prayer and potential salvation, Claudius’s soul might ascend to heaven—a fate far better than what his own father received, murdered without the chance for confession or absolution. Deciding this would be inadequate revenge, Hamlet sheathes his sword and resolves to wait for a moment when Claudius is engaged in sinful activity, ensuring his soul will be damned to hell. Hamlet exits, and Claudius rises from his failed attempt at prayer, ironically stating that his words lacked the force of prayer because his heart was not truly in them.

Hamlet tells the story of Prince Hamlet of Denmark, who is visited by the ghost of his recently deceased father. The ghost reveals that he was murdered by Hamlet’s uncle Claudius, who has now married Hamlet’s mother Gertrude and assumed the throne. Commanded by his father’s spirit to seek revenge, Hamlet struggles with doubt, melancholy, and the moral complexity of his task. To investigate the ghost’s claims and plan his revenge, he feigns madness, which creates tension throughout the Danish court.

As Hamlet deliberates, his erratic behavior affects everyone around him, particularly his love interest Ophelia, daughter of the king’s advisor Polonius. To test Claudius’s guilt, Hamlet stages a play mirroring his father’s murder, which confirms the king’s culpability. However, Hamlet’s actions become increasingly destructive—he accidentally kills Polonius while the old man spies on him, and his rejection of Ophelia contributes to her descent into genuine madness and eventual drowning.

The play reaches its climax when Ophelia’s brother Laertes returns to avenge his father’s death. Claudius manipulates Laertes into challenging Hamlet to a duel, secretly poisoning Laertes’s sword and preparing poisoned wine as backup. The final scene erupts in tragedy: during the duel, both Hamlet and Laertes are wounded by the poisoned blade, Gertrude accidentally drinks the poisoned wine, and Hamlet finally kills Claudius. As Hamlet dies, he names Prince Fortinbras of Norway as Denmark’s next ruler, bringing the cycle of revenge and political instability to a close. The play ends with Fortinbras restoring order to the Danish court as bodies are carried off in a funeral march.