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.