It suddenly occurs to me that Hamlet might really be hoping that Claudius won’t blench at this point. (Not that I’m entirely clear what blenching is, now that I really think about it. I’ve always thought of it as a kind of blend between flinching and turning white.)
But his course really ISN’T a pleasant one. Of course he doesn’t want to follow it. Kill his uncle? I’d certainly be hoping that this little theatrical test might let me off the hook. Of course, that’s me. I’d be looking for any out I could find.
The Hamlet Project 