Act 3 Scene IV and Act 4 Scences I - IV

The opening scene where Hamlet confronts his mother has the conflict between characters that one might assume to have a serious tone, but the overall disturbing sexual tension between mother and son as well as the humorous one-liners that Hamlet and Polonius give make for a scene that leaves the audience wondering where the line of reality is drawn. 

Hamlet, finally making up his mind to kill who he believes to be the king, accidentally kills Polonius instead. From what we have learned about his inner conflict about the guilt he feels about killing another person, I would have assumed that he would have been devastated about killing another person. However, this is not how Hamlet feels. Hamlet almost immediately accuses Polonius of being a fool and deserving his death because he was spying on him. And in another shift in character, Hamlet very quickly moves on from the murder of Polonius and attacks his own mother in a very cruel, disturbing, and sexual fashion. Frankly, I do not agree with the argument that Hamlet is in love with his mother sexually. However, that being said, I do not understand his reasoning for discussing such intimate details with his mother. Was it because of his fractured relationship with Ophelia? Was it because of his lack of attention he receives from his mother? Or was it because of the betrayal he felt from his mother’s marriage to his uncle? 

Directly following this scene, Gertrude illustrates her conflict of protecting her husband or protecting Hamlet. After she witnesses Polonius’ death by the hands of Hamlet, she goes to inform the king. This gives us insight into where her loyalties actually lie. She had the opportunity to help Hamlet, he actually begged her to stop seeing the king, but she made the choice to protect the king’s wellbeing rather than her son’s. I am surprised that she continues to be loyal to her husband even after Hamlet reveals that it was he who murdered her former husband. I have a suspicion that she was aware of Claudius’ role in the death of Hamlet Sr. , but she did not know the extent to which he was involved. This would explain why she did not make more of a scene and choose to help her son rather than the king.

What was also surprising to me was the fact that Claudius was so eager to send Hamlet off to his death in England. It was only a few scenes ago where Claudius was so desperate to pray and repent for killing Hamlet Sr. Not only this, but he continues to use Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to his advantage by sending them to pry information out of Hamlet regarding the location of Polonius’ body. Hamlet then begins to act insane and avoid answering questions. I am unsure at this point if Hamlet’s faux insanity has turned into real insanity. Between the death of his father, the tension with Ophelia, the betrayal of his mother, and the betrayal of his good friends, I think that the confrontation that he has with his mother is his breaking point. I no longer believe that Hamlet is faking his insanity because at this point there is every reason for him to actually be insane.

Last but not least, Hamlet is sent off to England where he runs into Fortinbras who is attempting to take a worthless tract of land in Poland. Hamlet is inspired by the focus that Fortinbras has towards his goal of claiming the land. Hamlet ends the scene with a very ironic statement that from now on all of his thoughts will be bloody (meaning he will focus on the murder of Claudius). This is ironic because he has literally just murdered Polonius, and he has already forgotten about it.

Act 3, Scenes 2 & 3

       At the beginning of scene two, Hamlet tells Horatio what he learned from his father's ghost and asks him to watch Claudius during the play to see his reaction. During his interaction with Horatio, when he praises Horatio's character, he seems very calm and collected, which is quite different from the "madness" we've seen him experience. But, as soon as Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius, and Ophelia enter, he goes back to his "mad" behavior, and even insults his mother's appearance. This might be a bit of a stretch, but I feel like maybe Hamlet is pretending to be a little more "insane" than he actually is. I wonder if maybe he's starting to realize that he's being spied on and lied to, and so he's over-exaggerating his behavior as if to give the listeners what they want to hear. I wonder if by opening the scene with Hamlet giving instructions to the actors, Shakespeare is trying to hint at the fact that Hamlet is also playing a role, and slowly becoming what he is pretending to be. 

      Hamlet also reveals that the name of the play is "The Mousetrap", which is ironic because he is trying to trap Claudius in his guilt. When the play gets to the part where the poison is poured in the King's ear, Claudius jumps up and abruptly leaves the play, confirming for Hamlet that he is his father's murderer. And now Horatio knows too. You would think his next step would now be rather obvious, but Hamlet almost seems to stall by turning his attention to Gertrude. He still doesn't seem completely okay with the whole idea of murdering someone, even if it feels justified. 

     In scene 3, Claudius is starting to see Hamlet as a threat and tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to take Hamlet to England. Polonius arrives to tell Claudius the Hamlet is on his way to speak with Gertrude and offers to spy on them. Claudius then begins to pray at his private alter, although stops because his sin is too great. We are starting to see more guilt form Claudius about killing his brother. He admits that killing his brother was a "curse" and that is was an unforgivable act. This is very unexpected and out of character for Claudius. I once saw Claudius as this monster, but it's almost as if seeing this emotion from him is humanizing him to the readers and to Hamlet. It's like he's apologizing for his actions which honestly makes me hate him a little less. Hamlet enters and recognizes his perfect opportunity to kill Claudius, but refrains from doing so. He believes that Claudius is praying for forgiveness and that if he were to kill him, he would go straight to heaven, escaping punishment. Hamlet's morals are once again getting in the way of his revenge on Claudius. It almost feels like Hamlet is having second thoughts, which is another suggestion that Hamlet might not truly be mad. I'm interested to see how Claudius's character will continue to unfold until his eventual death. 

Act 3, Scene 1

In this scene, we are offered greater insight into the emotions of characters. We continue to see Hamlet’s struggle with grief, begin to see Claudius deal with the guilt of killing King Hamlet, and see Ophelia deal with the loss of the Hamlet she knew and loved. The windows into characters that this scene offers will be important for the rest of the play. 

No one can quite figure out what is causing Hamlet’s madness. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern admit to Claudius that they are unable to determine the cause of his lunacy. But, they do know that the players upcoming play is bringing him joy. Claudius begins to be suspicious of another cause of Hamlet’s behavior. He thinks he is not mad, yet contains something melancholy in his soul. He states that Hamlet should be sent away to England. But, Polonius convinces Claudius to give Gertrude one more chance to figure her son. Polonius still believes that young love made him mad. Immediately, I questioned if Claudius suspects that Hamlet knows he is his father’s killer. Additionally, I questioned why people are not thinking of grief and large life changes as the cause of his madness. Did people of this time not get affected by grief like people do today? 

Claudius’ aside is the first time we see his true emotions and guilt catch up with him. He reacts so suddenly after Polonius talks about the way prayer is used to cover up devilish action. I wonder what effect the burden of his murder will have on Claudius’ actions. 

Finally, a strange interaction occurs between Ophelia and Hamlet. In the arranged meeting, she returns the presents he has given her. Immediately, he descends into madness and tells her he loved her but then that he never did. He repeatedly tells her to go to a nunnery, so she is unable to be a breeder of sinners. He speaks offensively toward her and all women and asks where her father is so Polonius can deal with her. I wonder if this is at all telling of Hamlet’s character or if he acts this way completely out of madness? We should discuss the evolution of his thoughts and actions from the time he spoke with his father’s ghost until now. 

During Act II Scene 1, Polonius met with his servant Reynaldo and told him so go to Paris to watch Laertes. He wants him to find any Danes living in Paris and question them using lies to discover Laertes’s whereabouts. Next, Ophelia comes to tell Polonius that Hamlet is mad. She tells him that his clothes are disheveled and that he was very pale. Polonius thinks that he has become mad because Ophelia has not returned her love to him. Polonius then decides to go talk to the King about Hamlet. This ending scene was very ironic to me. As readers, we know that Hamlet has just seen the ghost of his father and is conflicted over the ghost’s order for revenge. However, the other characters do not know about this encounter and just believe that he is mad over Ophelia. This makes me wonder if the other characters will ever know about the ghost. Also, has Hamlet actually been affected by Ophelia ignoring him or is his madness simply caused by his meeting with the ghost and his decision to revenge his father?

In Act II Scene 2, Hamlet’s school friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were brought to Denmark by the king and queen. They were ordered to spy on Hamlet and discover what is causing him to act strange. Polonius then tells the king and queen that he believes his actions are caused by Ophelia’s decision to ignore his love. Next, visitors from Norway came to share news about Fortinbras’s campaign against Poland, and Claudius gives them permission to pass through Denmark to complete this campaign. Once these visitors leave, Polonius returns to his discussion about Hamlet and Ophelia. He pulls out a love letter written by Hamlet to Ophelia which he believes is evidence that she has caused his madness. To test this theory, Polonius suggests setting up a meeting between the two of them. However, he and the king will purposefully use this meeting to spy on them. Hamlet then finally gets to meet with his old friends who tell him the truth about why they were invited. Next, a mini play about the Battle of Troy is preformed which inspires Hamlet. He is inspired to put on the play The Murder of Gonzago. He believes that this play is so similar to the murder of his father that if Claudius flinches when watching it, that will be proof that he murdered his father. The theme of spying on others was very prominent during this act. Not only are Polonius and the king planning on spying on Hamlet and Ophelia, but Hamlet’s friends came to spy on him as well. This causes characters like Hamlet to be more confused than ever. For example, having Hamlet’s friends come visit might have relieved him at first, however, once it was revealed that they came to spy on him, he must feel extremely betrayed. Also, I am wondering how Hamlet’s plan to put on the play will unfold. Will Hamlet be able to convince others that Claudius killed his father?

Hamlet Act 1 scenes 3-5

In this reading, scene 3 opens with Ophelia's brother and father giving her advice about her relationship with Hamlet. They warn her that Hamlet will break her heart because his royalty does not allow him to choose his own wife. They also warn her that Hamlet is immature and his love for her does not run deeper than youthful lust. I am surprised that Ophelia's family does not want her to be connected with the royal family, but perhaps this shows that Polonius cares more about Ophelia's well-being than family connections. However, I think Polonius and Laertes are being a bit dramatic and describing the stereotype of young men rather than Hamlet's actual character. How well do they really know Hamlet? I am also curious to know the history of Ophelia's relationship with Hamlet.

Scene 4 is when the ghost appears. When Hamlet is preparing to follow the ghost and his friends are trying to convince him not to, Horatio warns that the ghost might draw him into madness or "to the dreadful summit of the cliff." This is foreshadowing to the chaos that ensues for the rest of the story. He will become so focused on his goal of avenging Hamlet that he goes a little mad, suicidal, and often puts revenge before reason.

Scene 5 is when the ghost informs Hamlet that he must take revenge on Claudius. During this scene, I am confused about how Hamlet treats the ghost. If the ghost is his father, why is Hamlet calling him "ghost" instead of "dad?" There seems to be a much more distant relationship between the ghost and Hamlet than I would expect. Is the ghost somehow different than the actual mind of his father? Because if I saw my father as a ghost after he died, I would be so happy and much more personal and friendly with the ghost. I am curious to see if Hamlet has more conversations with the ghost and if there is going to be a ghost character arc.

Hammy Act I Scenes 1-2

          Between these to scenes there were two different things that stood out to me. First, at the beginning of Hamlet, it opens with the guards, Bernardo, Francisco, Marcellus and Hamlet's friend Horatio discussing the ghost that they have seen for the past two nights. What I do not understand is why they were so fascinated with ghosts. We talked about how when Shakespeare was writing his plays ghosts were something that people were into and the only true question was whether it was a good ghost or a bad ghost. I personally think this is funny because to me I do not personally care about which kind of ghost it is I would just prefer to stay away regardless. I truly do wonder though why Shakespeare chose to add the ghost of Hamlet's father in the play especially if he is not going to talk and why he only appears for the guards and Horatio but not for Hamlet? What significance does the ghost bring to the story as a whole and does he truly add any value? Maybe we will find out or maybe not but I really am curious. 
          Second, I don't understand why Hamlet's uncle is as harsh as he is when it comes to Hamlet grieving his father's death. I would think that the uncle would want Hamlet to grieve for as long as needed so that the uncle wouldn't look as suspicious as he does. What's even crazier to me is his mother acting the same way. She out of all people should want him to take all of the time necessary to recover from his father's death as she should be right there grieving alongside him. Instead, she is telling him that he needs to learn to get over it and stay home with her, away from school. I just can not get over how quickly his mother and Claudius got married! That just screams "I murdered him! Yay Claudius let's get married". Ew. 
          Lastly, the idea that suicide is "illegal" confuses me because how do you punish someone who is dead? If I understood correctly they will do something to your corpse but what do you really care if you are dead? I don't know it all just seems strange to me and I am happy to be living in 2020. :)