What was Big Willy Shakes going for?
There's so much going on with Hamlet in this scene, we hardly know where to start. So let's break it down.
First, he's talking about killing Polonius in this passage. This courtier (and dad to Hamlet's honey, Ophelia) was spying on young Hammie in Gertrude's room. Hamlet heard him, thought he was Claudius, and then stuck a knife through a curtain (as you do) and killed him.
Whoops. It was Polonius and not Claudius. Oh well. That's what they call collateral damage. Hamlet says he's repenting for this (although it's a little late, if you ask us). But then he says Polonius had it coming. He deserved to die because he was spying. Real sincere apology, Hamlet.
But maybe he's also starting to feel bad about being mean to his mom. He doesn't go easy on her in this scene, that's for sure. But to be fair, he's got big questions. He wants to know if she helped murder his dad or knows that her new hubby did the deed. If he comes off as a wee bit impolite, it's only because he's gotta get some answers, and soon.
So Hamlet claims—maybe in a last ditch effort to win the audience or his mother over—that he was really trying to be kind in the long run. He's sorry he hurt her now, but she'll thank him for it later because the truth will out. Is he genuine? Is his cruelty worth it? You be the judge.