Scene I- Polonius brings Ophelia and tells the king that it is because of his frustrations with her that Hamlet is acting so strange. Then, they leave Hamlet and Ophelia alone and he shuns her and tells her to go to a nunnery. Claudius begins to dread that Hamlet knows his secret and reveals his plan to send him to England.
Scene 2- Hamlet speaks with the player’s and has them put on a play called the Mouse-trap that tells the story of a King being murdered by his nephew. Horatio is the only other person besides Hamlet that knows that this play is a way of trying to see if Claudius really did kill King Hamlet. When it comes to the part where the King is killed, Claudius stops the play and leaves in a huff which is enough proof for Hamlet and Horatio.
Scene 3- The King orders Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to accompany Hamlet to England. Hamlet enters the room after Claudius has made a speech in which he refuses to repent for his crimes. Hamlet thinks he’s praying and decides not to kill him because it would send him to heaven, clean of his sins, since he would have been praying at the time. He decides to wait until Claudius is drunk or discomposed so that he’ll go to hell instead.
Scene 4- In this scene Polonius and the queen are talking about Hamlet when they hear him coming. Polonius hides behind an arras and Hamlet finally confronts Gertrude on her part in the death of his father. She acts stupid at first but eventually she breaks down and by her demeanor we can infer that she is either very guilty of participating in King Hamlet’s murder or she feels ashamed that she married Claudius right after. Then Hamlet gets loud and aggressive and she calls for help. Polonius who had been hiding behind the arras yells out and Hamlet stabs through the arras and kills Polonius.
Interpretive: In scene 3 Hamlet sees Claudius kneeling. Claudius in deep thought and is having a very intense internal battle. He is not, however, praying or repenting. Hamlet, who sees Claudius kneeling like this decides to kill him then. It would certainly avenge his father but at the same time it would send Claudius to heaven since at that moment he would have just been forgiven for his sins. So Hamlet convinces himself that he should wait until Claudius has sinned again such as getting drunk or sleeping with Gertrude. The question is, did Hamlet truly believe all this about heaven and hell or was he just running circles around getting revenge yet again? Since he knew that the ghost of his father was not in heaven or hell but here on earth, what evidence did he have that either even existed?
“My pulse, as yours, doth temperately keep time, / And makes as healthful music. It is not madness/ that I have utter’d: bring me to the test, / And I the matter will re-word, which madness/ would gambol from.” (Act III, iv, p. 134, Hamlet)
This quote is significant because in it Hamlet reveals finally to Gertrude that he is not mad and that he does know of her and Claudius’ crimes. He is not feigning madness as before and he finally confronts her on the information the ghost gave Hamlet.
Summary:
In this Act, Hamlet’s mother and uncle are finally starting to see Hamlet’s “madness” as something more. Hamlet first uses the players and the show they put on to see if Claudius really is guilty. This is a very logical thing to do and if there were any question of Hamlet’s sanity, it is now dispelled. Also, he finally gets angry and confronts Gertrude. This displays a shift in his character from a melancholic do-nothing to a person who finally begins to act. He does not kill Claudius then only because Claudius had just finished “praying” and Hamlet did not want to send him to heaven. He does, however, confront Gertrude and kills Polonius believing that it was Claudius. This shows finally that he is finally ready to Act on the accusations brought against King and Queen by the ghost. The play is finally beginning to reach points of excitement and suspense.
Scene I- Polonius brings Ophelia and tells the king that it is because of his frustrations with her that Hamlet is acting so strange. Then, they leave Hamlet and Ophelia alone and he shuns her and tells her to go to a nunnery. Claudius begins to dread that Hamlet knows his secret and reveals his plan to send him to England.
Scene 2- Hamlet speaks with the player’s and has them put on a play called the Mouse-trap that tells the story of a King being murdered by his nephew. Horatio is the only other person besides Hamlet that knows that this play is a way of trying to see if Claudius really did kill King Hamlet. When it comes to the part where the King is killed, Claudius stops the play and leaves in a huff which is enough proof for Hamlet and Horatio.
Scene 3- The King orders Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to accompany Hamlet to England. Hamlet enters the room after Claudius has made a speech in which he refuses to repent for his crimes. Hamlet thinks he’s praying and decides not to kill him because it would send him to heaven, clean of his sins, since he would have been praying at the time. He decides to wait until Claudius is drunk or discomposed so that he’ll go to hell instead.
Scene 4- In this scene Polonius and the queen are talking about Hamlet when they hear him coming. Polonius hides behind an arras and Hamlet finally confronts Gertrude on her part in the death of his father. She acts stupid at first but eventually she breaks down and by her demeanor we can infer that she is either very guilty of participating in King Hamlet’s murder or she feels ashamed that she married Claudius right after. Then Hamlet gets loud and aggressive and she calls for help. Polonius who had been hiding behind the arras yells out and Hamlet stabs through the arras and kills Polonius.
This quote is significant because in it Hamlet reveals finally to Gertrude that he is not mad and that he does know of her and Claudius’ crimes. He is not feigning madness as before and he finally confronts her on the information the ghost gave Hamlet.
Summary:
In this Act, Hamlet’s mother and uncle are finally starting to see Hamlet’s “madness” as something more. Hamlet first uses the players and the show they put on to see if Claudius really is guilty. This is a very logical thing to do and if there were any question of Hamlet’s sanity, it is now dispelled. Also, he finally gets angry and confronts Gertrude. This displays a shift in his character from a melancholic do-nothing to a person who finally begins to act. He does not kill Claudius then only because Claudius had just finished “praying” and Hamlet did not want to send him to heaven. He does, however, confront Gertrude and kills Polonius believing that it was Claudius. This shows finally that he is finally ready to Act on the accusations brought against King and Queen by the ghost. The play is finally beginning to reach points of excitement and suspense.