Hamlet

Proud, vengeful and ambitious

In act 3 scene 1, why does hamlet call himself "proud, vengeful and ambitious"? what previous line do these words recall? what does claudius (who is listening) think about hamlet's comment?

Asked by
Last updated by Aslan
Answers 1
Add Yours

Hamlet is all about how women should not have babies because they grow up to be sinners. Hamlet says that he is not so bad himself and yet is certainly a sinner, “I am proud, vengeful, and ambitious. I have more sins to confess than I have thoughts to contain them, imagination to engineer them, or time to commit them....." It kind of reminds me of act 2 when he is speaking to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern calling man the "paragon of animals" yet man "delights him not". Certainly Claudius knows he has multiple grievous sins around his head. He knows all too well that he is indeed "proud, vengeful and ambitious."