This quote is first of all significant, because it is the only soliloquy in Hamlet that does not belong to the main(title) character. In it we finally learn for certain that Claudius is guilty of the murder charged to him. I other words, we learned that he indeed did kill his brother for his throne, money, and wife. We also learned a little bit of sympathy for this simple, murderous and lustful man. The fact that he finally recognized his sin and tried to get it forgiven, i what made us a bit sympathic toward him, only for a second. We pitied the fact that Hamlet was about to kill a man who was apologizing sincierly, but still, he did commit the crime. At least briefly, he was able to look into his soul with the same questioning, searching
