RALPH: Claudius is trying to pray for forgiveness, but he's so guilty that he can't bring himself to do it — he says that he's being pulled in two directions: he wants to pray, to find forgiveness, but he's so guilty he doesn't dare do it.

SARAH: And even though they're clearly enemies, this monologue seems to establish some subtle similarities between Hamlet and Claudius. Claudius is hesitating just as Hamlet's been hesitating; his doubt gets in the way of his actions.

RALPH: Claudius combines three proverbial expressions in this initial part of his speech: first, the expression 'to wash your hands of something', meaning to rid yourself of guilt or responsibility for something...

SARAH: Second, the expression that there is not enough water in the sea to remove a stain, or a sin...

RALPH: And finally, to be as white as snow, meaning to be pure and entirely clean.

SARAH: It's also worth noticing here that Claudius's soliloquy has a different scope than Hamlet's soliloquies. Hamlet's speeches constantly bring us from his own situation to the broader dilemmas that face all of us. In Claudius's case, it's as if he can't escape the particulars of his situation: he killed his brother, and it's as simple, and difficult, as that.