Something is wrong in the state of Denmark. Hamlet agrees to the contest, despite his misgivings. -Claudius and Gertrude says that Hamlet is overly sensitive. What does Claudius permit him to do? "My words fly up, my thoughts remain below...." (Act 3, Scene 3). Next we see Fortinbras’ Norwegian army. In Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Hamlet, for instance, the filmmaker explicitly shows flashbacks to Hamlet and Ophelia in bed. In contrast, Hamlet has been calm, reflective, passive, playful, morbid, and impotent in his own long-delayed quest for revenge – a quest which has led rather to an attempt to find motivation to revenge, to reflect on the nature of revenge, the nature of man, and the nature of Hamlet. This, as much as the death itself, prompts the two events most central to Act Four, the return of Laertes and the madness of Ophelia. What is the crowd outside the castle chanting? What does Hamlet's reaction mean? Laertes, we will see, acts without thinking. -Denmark is preparing for a potential war against King Fortinbras. Claudius felt sorry for what he did to King Hamlet. Prose is speaking in poetry and verse is speaking like how we speak everyday. "Hamlet Act 4 Summary and Analysis". What happens during their fight? Claudius asks where Hamlet has gone and Gertrude says that he has taken the body away. What errand does Claudius assign to Voltemand and Cornelius? -Hamlet thinks that Fortinbras will be king. However, it may not be necessary to read the song, and the other songs, so straightforwardly. -Hamlet is basically telling his mom to move on from the situation. -Polonius is being nosy by spying on her. What do Hamlet and his mother discuss in her private chamber? What does Hamlet say is the only thing that he would "not more willingly part withal"? What advice does he give her? With this in mind, Claudius and Laertes plot to find a means of killing Hamlet without upsetting Gertrude or the people. As Hamlet says in Act Two, “[T]here is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” If there is one lesson to take from Hamlet, it is this – that by our very nature we cannot ever know the truth, only interpretations of the truth. Did she die accidentally or did she commit suicide? This news reignites Laertes’ rage and Claudius goes to console him. Hamlet goes back and forth between speaking in prose and speaking in verse. (Act 5, Scene 2). The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius's court, a pompous, conniving old man. Copyright © 1999 - 2021 GradeSaver LLC. By saying that Gertrude has insulted his father. How does Hamlet continue to behave towards Ophelia? In her mad scenes, Ophelia is perhaps demonstrating the cultural pressures of a young woman of her time, forced into the impossible position of simultaneous chastity and sexualization. Claudius questions Hamlet as to where he has taken Polonius. He assigns them to Norway to tell on King Fortinbras for doing the war to his uncle. In the opening line of "Who's there?" Hamlet also alludes to a startling development having to do with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern but says that he must delay telling of this until they meet. This is a true avenger. How will he deal with it? He also insinuates that he and Laertes are on the same side – that he has been injured by Polonius’ death too. What mood does Shakespeare create in the opening scene of Hamlet? Why does Hamlet insist that Horatio tell his story? Why does Hamlet have negative feelings for his mother's marriage? He despises Claudius for marrying Gertrude. When the court assembles to watch Hamlet’s play, Hamlet is supposed to be watching King Claudius for signs of guilt. We see more evidence of Claudius’ lack of political talent when we learn that he has simply hushed up Polonius’ death, burying his longtime advisor without pomp or circumstance, and keeping the nature of the death a mystery. The king enters and witnesses her madness. Just as Claudius is about to explain what he means, Ophelia enters again, bearing a bundle of flowers. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter with Hamlet. He thinks that his mother is weak for just needing a man despite his father's death. How does line 77 led irony to the speech? -The words that he uses that are associated with decay are "dirty flesh" and "vapor". How does Claudius react to its performance? Hamlet says that there are 2,000 soldiers when Fortinbras is only fighting a patch of Poland. Untermacher, John. Summarize the political background and context provided by Horatio. He tells Horatio to follow the sailors to where he is hiding. The captain travels on and Fortinbras and the rest of the army exit. The ghost assents and turns to speak to Hamlet. The ghost tells the prince that it is nearly time for it to return to purgatory, but before it … What events in act three might be considered turning points? Claudius reflects on the difficulty of their situation, admitting that their decision to cover up Hamlet’s deed and bury Polonius so covertly has gone against them. With her madness, however, she suddenly has a deluge of lines and a rich, multi-layered, startling consciousness. What does Claudius now realize about Hamlet's madness? What conclusion does Polonius draw about Hamlet's behavior? He declares "the play's the thing" because he wants to show Claudius' guilt for killing the king. What kinds of imagery does ghost use to describe the murder? The queen reluctantly admits Ophelia, who proceeds to sing a number of simple and haunting songs, some of them quite bawdy. He describes this land as perfectly worthless and small. More -- it is one of the grimmest things in Shakespeare, but he puts such things so quietly that we are apt to miss them -- when the King is praying for pardon for his first murder he has just made his final arrangements for a second, the murder of Hamlet. What do Rosencrantz and Guildestern have to find? Ophelia, throughout the play, is forever urged to be chaste, be chaste, be chaste – as in Laertes’ instructions, or the “get thee to a nunnery” scene – as a means of controlling her sexual identity. (Act 5, Scene 2). What does this signify? How does Claudius explain his failure to punish Hamlet? Claudius asks Hamlet for the play's title, to which Hamlet replies, The Mousetrap. -Polonius' daughter who goes mad and drowns herself after Hamlet mistreats her and murders her father. These shifts in meaning from Act to Act are difficult to pin down, but they serve to underline one of the most prevalent trends in the play, toward interpretive uncertainty. What irony does Hamlet ponder following the encounter with Fortinbras' captain? What does Claudius say to warm Laertes up to the plan? The letter announces Hamlet’s imminent return to court. How does he explain his behavior? The people who shovel out a grave for Ophelia at the churchyard. Claudius... Hamlet is a tragedy, so we know that the main characters die. He remarks, “Rightly to be great / Is not to stir without great argument, / But greatly to find quarrel in a straw / When honor’s at the stake.” In other words, the greatness of man comes not with the greatness of an occasion, but with treating any occasion, however petty, as an occasion for greatness. Laertes, though, provides precisely the model of what Hamlet is not. Hamlet resolves to recast his mind to bloody thoughts. Sc. Hamlet is acting crazy by grabbing her wrists, held her hard, and stared at her in the closet while he's naked. The ghost is basically telling Hamlet to not do any harm on her mother or make his mother guilty and to leave her to heaven. In a half-crazed state he insists that Claudius give him Polonius. Gertrude says that Ophelia seemed ignorant of danger and went to her death slowly, singing songs. How does Laertes' reaction to his father's death differ from that of Hamlet? First, though, it’s necessary to note that the fourth scene contains another of Hamlet’s famous soliloquies – “How all occasions do inform against me.” This speech reiterates, basically, the point that Hamlet made in his previous soliloquy about the actor playing Hecuba. "Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt..." (Act 1 scene 2). He hangs back from the others marching to the ship and delivers a long soliloquy on the irony of this occasion – these men are off to risk their lives for a worthless piece of land, while he, who has every reason to risk his life in the cause of revenge, delays and fails to act. Whose story does Hamlet ask the players to tell upon their arrival to Elsinore? -Horatio promises to tell Hamlet's story. How is Polonius being nosy when he talks to Ophelia alone? As with so many aspects of this play, the truth is not forthcoming. Laertes bursts in and tells his followers to wait outside. Ophelia handles all those present gifts of flowers, each symbolizing a reproach to the receiver. Hamlet tells Gertrude to stop having sex with Claudius and change her habits. Given the immediate evidence of Gertrude’s testimony, however, there is no reason at all to believe that she killed herself. Hamlet muses about... Hamlet study guide contains a biography of William Shakespeare, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. As she leaves Claudius tells Laertes to inquire into the matter as deeply as he wishes, confident that he will find himself aligned with Claudius against Hamlet. The Hamlet e-text contains the full text of the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Ophelia then speaks openly of her father’s untimely demise and hasty, unofficial burial. It recounts an amazing turn of events: on his way to England, pirates attacked Hamlet’s ship. 2 Educator answers eNotes.com will help you with any book or … Osric enters to ask, on Claudius’s behalf, that Hamlet fence with Laertes. What does Polonius say is the "soul of wit"? How does Hamlet describe Claudius' late-night activities? He reads the letter aloud. Describe how Hamlet treats Ophelia in this scene. When Ophelia tries to ask him polite questions about the play, he responds with cruel sexual jokes. 7, Lines 130 - 14 : Sum up the plan Claudius pitches to Laertes. Gertrude enters with yet more tragic news. Laertes does him one better, saying that he will dip his sword in poison so that the least scratch will kill Hamlet. Polonius Hamlet's close friend, who studied with the prince at the university in Wittenberg. Ironically, however, just after making this resolution he continues on toward England, leaving Denmark behind him. -Since Polonius is a fishmonger, he is considered as loud, talkative, and not serious according to Hamlet. What famous remark does Marcellus make about Denmark (that relates to the motif of decay)? He will talk to his mother about the whole situation in her bedroom. They have to find Polonius's body and bring it back to the chapel. In her madness, it seems as though Ophelia’s inner dam, so to speak, has broken, and all of her contained knowledge of sexuality, and of the unfair position of women within her culture, has come rushing out. The pirates treated Hamlet “like thieves of mercy,” promising to return Hamlet to Denmark in return for some favors. Instead, he seems preoccupied with his misogynistic feelings about women. What is the scene performed by the actors all about? What is the irony? What conclusion does Hamlet reach when he hears that the ghost of his father appeared in armor? Hamlet seizes the moment to ask Gertrude what she thinks of the play, and Gertrude answers that she is enjoying the play but that the "Lady doth protest too much." A messenger arrives and delivers a letter to Claudius, who is greatly surprised to learn that the letter comes from Hamlet. They're going to find Hamlet and tell him about it. Why does Hamlet say that Polonius is at supper? What effects would this have on? What do Claudius and Laertes plot to do? the father of Laertes and Ophelia. What mixed feelings does Gertrude experience as she listens to her son? -King Hamlet was sleeping at the orchard and Claudius put poison in his ears. Claudius suggests that Laertes be given a sharp sword while Hamlet’s remains blunt. Claudius then tells Hamlet that he is to depart immediately for England, as planned. What does Hamlet tell us about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? "Taint not thy mind, nor let they soul contrive. Hamlet wraps up his conversation with the captain. If one looks forward to Act Five, it seems as though she was indeed a suicide. -His father was a perfect father, Claudius is a drunk and a fat guy. Laertes agrees. You can see simply from the quickness with which the scenes of Act Four proceed that the action has reached a point of great tension following the death of Polonius. Claudius is praying for King Hamlet defenseless. Claudius is greatly distracted by the death of Polonius and the attempt to find the body. Back in the court of Denmark, we see Gertrude speaking with a gentleman who explains that Ophelia has gone mad. Claudius says that on top of this he will prepare a poisoned cup and give it to Hamlet during the fight. How does Claudius appear to feel about Laertes? The two ships parted with Hamlet still aboard. Describe how King Hamlet died. What does Ophelia report to her father about Hamlet's behavior? Any account of things in this play – whether the testimony of the ghost, the murmurings of Laertes’ followers, or this eye-witness account of Gertrude’s – leads to quite divergent interpretations. The king seems to have explained the strange occasion of Polonius’ death to Laertes’ satisfaction. The captain meets with Hamlet, who is being conveyed by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to the ship to England. "I am justly killed with mine own treachery!" Ask a Question Ask a Question. Hamlet's school chums, brought to Denmark to spy on the prince for Claudius. Hamlet is winning the match when Gertrude drinks from the poisoned cup that Claudius has prepared for Hamlet. -Claudius permits him to go back to France for college. The basic position of Hamlet is one of befuddlement that these soldiers can go off to their deaths over a patch of worthless ground while he, who has every reason to rage and war and battle Claudius, is introspective and melancholy, and chokes off his action with excessive contemplation. Laertes does him one better, saying that he will dip his sword in poison so that the least scratch will kill Hamlet. He orders the ghost to speak to him, refusing to follow it any farther. GradeSaver, 30 August 2009 Web. -Player King dying because his nephew poisoned his ears. Claudius says that on top of this he will prepare a poisoned cup and give it to Hamlet during the fight. Ophelia’s death by drowning is one of the famously impossible-to-settle questions of Hamlet. Just so, Laertes’ vengeful return, like Fortinbras’ military example, serves as a contrast to Hamlet’s own hesitating, over-thinking character. How does the play within the play parallel the situation with Hamlet's family? Hamlet mockingly departs, leaving Claudius to reflect on his plans for Hamlet. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. We have seen Ophelia, up to this point, represented as a chaste, innocent, obedient, bewildered little girl. She is rambling nonsensically about her father and insisting on seeing Gertrude. what is it meant to build a sense of? In Hamlet, how does Claudius manipulate Gertrude, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet, and Laertes to achieve his own ends? -The war was intentionally preparing against Poland and not Denmark. What direction does the ghost give to Hamlet regarding Gertrude? Laertes then wounds Hamlet with the poisoned rapier. What does Hamlet say about the relationship of Gertrude and Claudius, insulting her father? What he needs, or what his father’s spirit needs, is bloody deeds, not thoughts, and those are, as ever, beyond our protagonist. In this line, the word “count-ry” is a pun. "The King, The King is to blame." Horatio says that he will help to deliver the rest of their letters, one of which is addressed to the king, and then go with them to see Hamlet. What does Laertes advise Ophelia with regard to Hamlet? On cue, a messenger arrives with word that Laertes has come to court with a mob of followers who wish to depose Claudius and make Laertes king. What do the men resolve to do about what they have witnessed? Hamlet was Olivier's second film as director and the second of the three Shakespeare films that he directed (the 1936 As You Like It had starred Olivier, but had been directed by Paul Czinner). He prevents him from feeling sad about his father's death. Claudius and the Condition of Denmark In Secret Conference: The Meeting Between Claudius and Laertes O Jephthah - Toying with Polonius The Death of Polonius and its Impact on Hamlet's Character Blank Verse and Diction in Shakespeare's Hamlet Hamlet as National Hero Hamlet's Silence An Excuse for Doing Nothing: Hamlet's Delay He says he was going to kill King Claudius. Ironically, things don't work exactly according to plan, and the scene ends with the deaths of Claudius, Gertrude, Laertes, and Hamlet. -They are coming up with a plan for Hamlet to die. Polonius' suspicious thoughts are causing Hamlet's behavior. They propose to arrange a duel between Hamlet and Laertes, both of whom are accomplished swordsmen, though Laertes is the more reputed. Hamlet essays are academic essays for citation. She sings another song about her dead father and exits abruptly. Claudius likes the news and thanks Voltemand for the letter. What do Claudius and Gertrude say about Hamlet's behavior? Gertrude enters with yet more tragic news. -Hamlet is saying to Gertrude that she is too old to get married and to have sex. Why does Claudius summon Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? What does Hamlet show in his personality when he's directing the actors? The Question and Answer section for Hamlet is a great -His "primal eldest course" is his brother's murder. Fortinbras sends one of his captains to the court of Claudius to ask permission to cross Denmark in the course of their march to Poland. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern question Hamlet about Polonius’ whereabouts. What's Hamlet explanation (lines 83-86)? Claudius attempts to calm Laertes and tells Gertrude to keep out of their talk and let Laertes question him to his heart’s content. Hamlet is a 1948 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same name, adapted and directed by and starring Laurence Olivier. What does Polonius note about Hamlet's madness? The other major event of this Act is the madness of Ophelia. She tells him of Hamlet’s accidental killing of Polonius and Claudius realizes that he could have just as easily been slain. Returns from France to avenge Polonius' death and conspires with Claudius to kill Hamlet. They already are bloody. Who does Hamlet think will be king now? Claudius suggests that Laertes be given a sharp sword while Hamlet’s remains blunt. Claudius and Laertes plot to find a means of killing Hamlet without upsetting Gertrude or the people. To Hamlet, death is always just around the corner: an existential certainty. He says that he did not try Hamlet for two reasons, first, because his mother loves him so much, and second, because the people of Denmark are supporters of Hamlet. What is Ophelia's response? What does Hamlet say that lets us know he realizes that Polonius is behind the tapestry before he kills him? He is jealous of Laertes and longs to return to Wittenberg. They are at the borders of Denmark. What does Hamlet now propose to do with Gertrude? Indeed, Hamlet seems to express the central irony in his case – it is not enough that his thoughts be bloody. Hamlet suggests that the Poles will not likely defend such a piece of land, but the captain sets him straight, saying that Poland is already garrisoned and ready for their dispute. How does Laertes respond and what does his response reveal about his character ? (these are feelings that dominate the rest of the play). Hamlet confronts to Gertrude about the relationship with her and Claudius. During the fray, Hamlet boarded the pirate vessel. The captain says that in Poland there is “a little patch of ground” which Norway claims as her own. Hamlet follows the ghost as it leads him along, but soon grows tired. When would Hamlet rather take revenge upon Claudius? A messenger approaches Horatio, saying that some sailors have news for him. Polonius' conversation with Reynaldo tells the reader that they are concerned with Laerte's behavior, so Polonius asks Reynaldo to ask the french people where he is and if they know him. One should not overthink, but do. After watching the play, he is starting to feel guilty for killing the king. Hamlet evades their questions playfully, accusing his former friends of sycophancy to the king and leading them on a wild goose chase. Fortinbras arrives at the castle in the end of Act V. His arrival, however, is not an attack, though he means to take Denmark.