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Hamlet
III, i
• Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tell
Claudius and Gertrude that they
were unable to find out the cause of
Hamlet’s madness.
• Claudius tells Gertrude of the plan
involving Ophelia.
• Hamlet’s Second Soliloquy
“To be or not to be: That is the
question.”
III, i, 64 (page 128)
• To Be or Not To Be: contemplating
suicide; can’t decide to commit
suicide because he doesn’t know
which is worse, living his “horrible”
life or not knowing what will
happen to him in death.
• Only ecclesiastical law and the fear
of Hell prevent him from taking his
own life.
• Hamlet is clearly reluctant to “take
arms against a sea of troubles,” for
by doing so he must participate in
the evil doing he condemns in
others.
• At this point, Hamlet is unsure of
how to proceed in his life.
• Ophelia “runs into” Hamlet. Note
that he is completely aware of who
she is.
• Ophelia gives Hamlet back the
letters he wrote to her and the gifts
he gave to her.
• He says he never gave her gifts.
• Ophelia to Hamlet
“Take these again; for to the noble
mind/Rich gifts wax poor when givers
prove unkind.”
III, i, 110-111 (page 130)
• Hamlet asks Ophelia if she has been
chaste. (dumb questions—but now
he is playing up the “antic
disposition).
• Hamlet tells Ophelia that he might
have said that he loved her but that
she should not have believed him.
• He tells Ophelia to go to the
nunnery so that she doesn’t breed
sinners.
• Hamlet is being extremely cruel to
Ophelia.
• He tells her that if she marries that
he will curse her marriage and
slander her reputation.
• This alludes to the fact that she is not
“pure”
• Hamlet’s demeanor and attitude
toward Ophelia changes as soon as
she wants to give his letters back to
him. At first he approaches her with
love; then it changes to hate and
disgust.
• We could speculate that Hamlet
knows he is being watched. He does
ask Ophelia where her father is. He
has to keep up his antic disposition
for the people who are watching.
• He is also deeply distraught by the fact
that Ophelia is no longer someone that
he can trust. She has betrayed him by
working with her father and Claudius.
• Unfortunately, Ophelia has no
choice in this matter.
• Ophelia is quite shaken up by
Hamlet’s behavior toward her.
• She keeps praying for him.
Hamlet
“God hath/ given you one face, and
you make yourselves another. You
jig,/you amble, and you lisp; and
nickname God’s creatures and/make
your wantonness your ignorance. Go
to, I’ll no more on’t!/it hath made me
mad.”
III, i, 150-154
• In his tirade against Ophelia,
Hamlet begins to “go off” on
women in general.
• Hamlet
“I say, we will have no more
marriages./Those that are married
already—all but one—shall live; the
rest/shall keep as they are.”
III, i, 154-6
• Threatening Claudius and Gertrude
• Ophelia is completely distraught.
She is upset and does believe that
Hamlet is mad.
• Ophelia
“O, woe is me,/To have seen what I
have seen, see what I see!”
III, i, 167-8 (page 134)
• Claudius doesn’t quite believe that
Hamlet is suffering from unrequited
love. Claudius does want to send
him to England (possibly to get
Hamlet as far away from his as
possible). Claudius thinks a change
in scenery may do him some good.
• Polonius is relentless in his belief
that Hamlet is acting this way
because of his love for Ophelia.
• Claudius and Polonius plot to have
Gertrude talk to Hamlet after the
play, and Polonius will spy on them
behind the tapestry in Gertrude’s
room.
Claudius
“It shall be so./Madness in great ones
must not unwatch’d go.”
III, i, 195-6 (page 136)
III, ii
• Hamlet gives the new speech to
actors to perform
• Hamlet wants actors to be natural
with their acting; Not exaggerated,
but not dull
• Shakespeare’s opinion of thespian
art is coming out through Hamlet.
• Shakespeare believed that theater
exists to “hold the mirror up to
nature”
• Hamlet tells Horatio his scheme
with the play. He asks Horatio to
observe Claudius during the added
scene that closely resembles how
King Hamlet really died.
• After the play, they will compare
notes about what each of them
witnessed.
• This scene between Hamlet and
Horatio is important because it
shows that Hamlet can totally trust
Horatio. Hamlet tells Horatio that
he thinks he is a good man and
friend.
• Horatio is really the only person
Hamlet can trust. Throughout the
entire play, Horatio is the only
character who is completely loyal
to Hamlet.
• This contrasts the friendship
between Hamlet and Rosencrantz
& Guildenstern because Hamlet
knows he cannot trust them
because they serve the king and are
loyal to Claudius.
• Horatio promises that he won’t let
the king out of his sight.
• Hamlet doesn’t sit by Claudius and
Gertrude because he wants to be
able to see the king.
• He instead goes to sit by Ophelia
and is again acting “weird” to her.
• Hamlet keeps up his antic
disposition before the play. He
ridicules Polonius and is acts crude
to Ophelia.
• He is using his madness as an excuse
for disregarding the conventions of
respect and obedience.
• Hamlet gets his jabs in at Ophelia
whenever he can.
Hamlet: “Is this a prologue, or the
posy of a ring?
Ophelia: “’Tis brief, my lord.”
Hamlet: “As woman’s love.”
III, ii, 138-140 (page 148)
• The speech given by the Player King
and Player Queen also serves a
purpose. The protestations of
undying love the Player Queen
makes to her husband are intended
to wound Gertrude.
• They are supposed to remind her
of her vows to her first husband,
and to impress upon her the
disloyalty of her remarriage.
• Although the play was to establish
evidence against Claudius, the play
he selected has a double thrust.
Hamlet is still quite angry with his
mother.
• The players re-enact the poisoning
and Claudius becomes disturbed
and leaves
• Both Hamlet and Horatio witness
this, as does everyone else.
• Claudius’ reaction is a good one for
Hamlet. He panics and flees.
Hamlet and Horatio are happy
about this.
• Guildenstern tells Hamlet that
Claudius has angrily retired to his
room for the evening. Hamlet is
still displaying his “antic
disposition” to Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern.
• Guildenstern tells Hamlet that
Gertrude is in her room and would
like to speak with him.
• Rosencrantz says that Hamlet should
tell his friends what is bothering
him.
• Hamlet
“Call me what instru-/ment you will,
though you can fret me, you cannot
play upon/ me.”
III, ii, 348-350 (page 164)
• Hamlet knows Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern are “playing” him. He
is telling him that they are not going
to get anything out of him.
• Hamlet talks to himself about how
he will act toward Gertrude. He
will be harsh toward her but not
violent.
III, iii
• Claudius tells Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern to take Hamlet to
England because he doesn’t feel like
it is safe for any of them for Hamlet
to stay there.
• Claudius is going to send
instructions with them.
• Rosencrantz agrees that it isn’t safe
for Claudius with Hamlet around.
• Hamlet’s madness has turned
public opinion against him; now
Claudius’ decision to banish
Hamlet from court seems
understandable and justified.
• R and G will follow orders to save
the king from murder and to
protect Denmark. Isn’t this ironic?
Don’t ya think?
• Polonius is going to hide behind the
tapestry to eavesdrop on Gertrude
and Hamlet so they get the true story
about Hamlet’s madness.
• Polonius and Claudius believe they
have to do this because Gertrude
may not tell them everything since
Hamlet is her son.
Claudius’ first soliloquy:
• Claudius begins to pray and ask for
forgiveness.
• He feels guilty and confesses to the
murder
• This is the first, clear proof that the
ghost was speaking the truth.
Claudius:
“’Forgive me my foul murder?’/That
cannot be; since I am still possess’d/Of
those effects for which I did the
murder--/My crown, mine own
ambition, and my queen.”
III, iii, 170
• Claudius regrets his crime but
cannot bring himself to relinquish
the rewards of evil and so cannot
achieve true repentance.
• Hamlet won’t kill Claudius now
because he is praying and (he
thinks) asking for forgiveness.
Hamlet doesn’t want him to go to
Heaven
• Hamlet thinks it better to kill him
while he is engaged in a sinful
activity.
• Hamlet is again taking no real
action.
• Hamlet thinks it seems too
generous to kill the King when his
soul is cleansed by prayer.
Claudius is aware of his guilt, but
has been unable to pray. He is far
from the state of grace Hamlet
imagines.
Claudius in his prayers
“My words fly up, my thoughts remain
below./ Words without thoughts
never to Heaven go.”
III, iii, 100-1 (page 174)
III, iv
• Polonius is giving Gertrude advice
on how to deal with Hamlet.
• Polonius hides behind the tapestry
in Gertrude’s room
• From the beginning of their
interaction, Hamlet treats his
mother cruelly.
Gertrude: “Hamlet, thou hast thy
father much offended.”
Hamlet: “Mother, you have my father
much offended.”
III, iv, 9-10 (page 174)
• Hamlet chastises his mother for
marrying Claudius. Hamlet
believes her true crime is marrying
Claudius.
• He treats her roughly.
• Gertrude fears Hamlet and she
calls out for help.
• When Gertrude cries out, Polonius
cries out from behind the tapestry.
• Hamlet believes it to be Claudius
and stabs him behind the tapestry.
Gertrude: “O, what a rash and bloody
deed is this!”
Hamlet: “A bloody deed. Almost as
bad, good mother,/As kill a king,
and marry with his brother.”
III, iv, 30-2 (page 176)
• Gertrude is truly perplexed by
Hamlet’s behavior.
• He feels that Gertrude’s crime is
marrying her husband’s murderer.
• He says she is too blind by passion
to know the truth
• Hamlet takes out two pictures: one
of King Hamlet and one of
Claudius.
• Hamlet compares the two men.
• Hamlet concentrates on the disparity
between the two husbands.
• He describes the superiority of King
Hamlet and tries to persuade
Gertrude to end her relationship
with Claudius.
• The Ghost returns. Gertrude thinks
Hamlet is truly mad now that he is
talking to thin air.
• The Ghost says he is there to remind
Hamlet of his purpose: revenge.
Gertrude
“O Hamlet, thou hast cleft my heart in
twain.”
III, iv, 171 (page 186)
• Hamlet begs Gertrude to stop
sinning and to repent.
• She should stop sharing a marital
bed with Claudius
Hamlet
“I must be cruel, only to be kind.”
III, iv, 193 (page 186)
• Hamlet reminds Gertrude he is
being sent to England with
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
• He says that everything has been
arranged and letters have been
written.
• He leaves taking Polonius body
with him.