[Questions on Act Four]

              

 Questions on Act Four                                    
 The Plot                     
                                                         
 Gertrude lies to the king by telling him that Hamlet     
 killed Polonius in a mad rage which he now regrets and  
 Claudius lies to her by saying that his love for Hamlet
 prevented him from restraining the Prince. Emotionally  
 (perhaps), Claudius calls his loyal servants,           
 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to search for Hamlet and   
 worries about how he can avoid being blamed for the     
 murder.                                                 
                                                          
 Hamlet is found by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He
 explains why the former is like a sponge and runs away  
 again.                                                  
                                                           
 Claudius will not prosecute Hamlet because of his
 popularity. He interrogates Hamlet and is eventually    
 told where Hamlet has hidden the dead body. The        
 conversation between the two protagonists is filled with
 scarcely veiled threats. After Hamlet and the others     
 leave, Claudius reveals his plan to have Hamlet killed  
 by the English king.
                                                         
 On his way to England, Hamlet encounters Fortinbras and   
 his army on their way to Poland to fight over a small     
 patch of land. In his final soliloquy, Hamlet ponders     
 (a) the difference between men and beasts, (b) the        
 reasons for which he has delayed his revenge, (c) the   
 way in which Fortinbras, despite being despicable in    
 terms of his ambition, provides Hamlet with an example  
 to follow, and (d) the nature of greatness. He resolves
 to think only warlike thoughts from now on.               
                                                         
 Gertrude is persuaded to speak to Ophelia on the grounds
 that her mad speech will allow suspicious people to
 create their own suspicious interpretations. Ophelia
 enters and sings songs which concern faithless love and
 the death of an old man. Claudius interprets her madness
 as mourning for the death of her father. He then bewails
 the catalogue of woes that his rule has recently
 encountered. He finishes with the news that Laertes has
 arrived secretly from France and is listening to rumours
 of the King's involvement in Polonius' murder. At this
 moment, Laertes enters, at the head of a riotous rabble,
 who want him to be king. He wants to kill Claudius but
 the Queen holds him back. Laertes is determined to have
 his revenge, and is made considerably more angry by the
 arrival of the mad Ophelia who gives everyone cryptic
 flower messages. Laertes interprets this as her wish to
 have him take revenge. Claudius manages to talk Laertes
 out of killing him, first by calling his bluff regarding
 the blasphemous idea of killing a king and, second, by
 telling Laertes that another person is to blame. He
 takes Laertes out of Gertrude's hearing in order to tell
 him about this other person.

 Horatio receives letters from via seamen from Hamlet who
 has done a deal with some pirates who captured Hamlet
 while defending their ship against the pirates.

 Claudius and Laertes plot against Hamlet. Claudius will
 not take overt action against Hamlet because of the
 peoples' and Gertrude's love for him. The two plot to
 engage Hamlet in a fencing match involving an unblunted
 rapier which is also poisoned and, as a backup, a
 poisoned drink. The Queen enters with the sad news that
 Ophelia has accidentally drowned. Claudius finishes the
 act by lying to Gertrude again that he has been trying
 to calm Laertes' rage.

 What? Why? How?

      1. Claudius begins and ends the act by lying
      to Gertrude. Name FOUR other aspects of his
      character that are provable on the basis of
      what he says and does in this act. Is he still
      wracked with guilt, do you think?

      2. Has Gertrude reformed after her
      confrontation with Hamlet in III.iv.?

      3. In what ways does Hamlet appear to change
      during this act?

      4. When Laertes speaks in this act, he often
      uses hyperbolic (over-exaggerated)
      expressions. What might this imply about him?

      5. Why has Ophelia gone mad? How might this be
      proven?

      6. What does the Queen's speech about
      Ophelia's drowning suggest about her madness
      and the reasons for her death?

 Structure

      1. A past exam question reads: 'The action of
      the play begins to break down after act
      three'. Discuss. Why might you agree on the
      basis of act four?

 Themes and Imagery

      1. Where is disease imagery used in this act?
      Find FOUR examples. How is the meaning of this
      imagery made explicit?

      2. What do scenes five and seven suggest about
      what commitment to taking revenge does to
      people?

      3. Nonetheless, in what ways might Hamlet
      appear to be (morally) better than (a)
      Fortinbras and (b) Laertes?

Ê
Ian Delaney.
Copyright © 1997
Shakespearean Education
Last Updated: Monday, 23-Feb-98 11:34:44 EST
email: ian@hamlet.hypermart.net