Act IV

Act IV, Scene 1


1. What is Claudius' main fear in the immediate aftermath of Polonius' death? 
He could have been killed (or he will be next). And that he will be blamed for Polonius's death because he couldn't keep Hamlet under control.


Act IV, Scene 2


1. What does Hamlet refuse to tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? 
The whereabouts of Polonius's dead body.


Act IV, Scene 3


1. What image does Hamlet use (ll. 19-29) to warn Claudius he's only king temporarily? 

A man may fish with a worm that ate a king and then eat the fish that he catches with said worm. Which may mean that Claudius can be replaced quickly.


2. Claudius ends the scene by writing a letter: to whom, and what order does it contain? 
He writes to the English King and plans to have Hamlet killed when he reaches England.


Act IV, Scene 4


1. What's the value of the land Fortinbras' army is marching to capture in Poland (l. 20)? What will the invasion itself cost (l. 25)? 
Land = 20,000 ducats (The Captain wouldn't pay over 5 ducats though)
Invasion - 2,000 men & 20,000 ducats


2. Hamlet's soliloquy (ll. 32-66) is self-critical; summarize his main fault. 
He is afraid of taking action. His cowardly hesitation is holding him back. You don't need a good reason too fight if your honor is at stake. He admires Fortinbras's will to fight for his honor. 


Act IV, Scene 5


1. Ophelia's songs during her first appearance in this scene deal with love, death and sex. Why? What do they tell us about her at the moment? What might they reveal about Her, Hamlet and Polonius?
Her songs after Claudius enters are strange because they hint that Hamlet took Ophelia's virginity and refused to marry her because she was not longer 'pure' (Hamlet tricked her into bed by making a promise to marry her but won't marry her). She has gone crazy and there are two probable reasons: her father died, and Hamlet, the love of her life left her during her time of need.






2. Why is Laertes a danger to Claudius' throne (ll. 98-103)? (Actually two or three related reasons.) 
~ Laertes has a large group of followers that want him to be King
~ 


3. What does Claudius offer as assurance that he had no part in Polonius' death (ll. 190-9)? 
He tells Laertes to find his most trusted friend to hear both sides of the story and decide who is telling the truth. If Claudius isn't, he will hand over his kingdom, crown, life and everything he owns to Laertes. 


Act IV, Scene 6


1. Horatio receives a letter from Hamlet explaining how he escaped from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. How did he? 
He was captured by pirates! Their ship was attacked but Hamlet talks to the pirates and ends up being the only one taken captive by these friendly buccaneers. 


Act IV, Scene 7


1. What reason does Claudius give Laertes for Hamlet's killing of Polonius (ll. 1-4)? 
Hamlet was trying to kill Claudius instead of Polonius


2. What are his two reasons for not charging Hamlet with murder (ll. 9-24)? 

~ The Queen loves Hamlet very much and she is part of his life so he doesn't want to offend/upset her

~ The public also loves and respects Hamlet

So by punishing Hamlet, it would make Gertrude and the public hate Claudius

3. Claudius reveals that Laertes is famous for his skill with the rapier (a fencing weapon) and that Hamlet is envious of this fame. 
Good for Laertes? =)


4. How does Claudius plan to exploit this envy to give Laertes a chance for (publicly) guiltless revenge (ll. 126-38)? 
Have a fencing competition!! He thinks that Hamlet will never be able to beat Laertes! Hamlet and Laertes will fence in a duel, but Laertes will actually have a sharpened sword.


5. How does Laertes refine the plan (ll. 138-147)? 
Not only will he have a sharp sword in their duel, he will dip his sword in poison. Claudius says he will put poison in a glass of wine for Hamlet so they will kill him one way or another. 


6. What announcement does Gertrude make to end Act IV?
Ophelia has drowned. =(

Additional Act 3 Questions

1) What does Claudius plan to do with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and Hamlet?
To England they must go! Rosencrantz and Guildenstern must go to keep an eye on Hamlet.

2) What is Polonius going to do while Hamlet speaks with his mother?
Hide and listen in on the conversation. But then Hamlet kills him.


3) List three important things about Claudius’ soliloquy.

a) He is feeling guilty. He feels guilty for killing his brother and stealing his crown and wife.




b) He cannot pray though it appears he is. He cannot pray because cannot be forgiven of his sins because he has committed a crime but is living with all the benefits of it (crown and his queen) and he isn't willing to give them up. 



c) He wants to be able to pray because other wise he is going to Hell. 



4) Why is it odd that Hamlet sees the king praying?
Its odd that Hamlet believes the King is praying even though he knows that because of Claudius's crime, he cannot.


5) Why doesn’t Hamlet take this opportunity for revenge?
Because he thinks the King is praying which would mean that he is being forgiven of his sins. This means that he would go to heaven if he were to die, and Hamlet wants Claudius to suffer like Old Hamlet is in Purgatory.


Scene IV



1) Describe Polonius’ advice to Gertrude.
He wants Gertrude to tell Hamlet to own up to his actions. His 'pranks' have gone to far and she has taken most of the fall for it. 


2) What is the significance of the following quote: “How now, a rat? Dead! For a ducat, dead!
Hamlet realizes that Polonius is spying on them and he stabs him. People who do dirty deeds (such as sneaking around and spying) or commit minor felonies are often called 'dirty rats'. Hamlet could also be making fun of Polonius (again).


3) What is odd about the following quote: A bloody deed; almost as bad, good mother, as kill a king and marry with his brother.
Hamlet  compares his act of killing Polonius to Claudius killing Old Hamlet. He basically calls her out and tells her that his murder is not as bad as his fathers murder (which he makes it sound like he thinks she was in on the plan)


4) Why might Gertrude say, “What have I done, that thou dar’st wag thy tongue in noise so rude against me.”
She wants to know what she did to Hamlet that has made him act  so rude all of a sudden. She is his mother and demands some respect!


5) What descriptions does Hamlet use to compare his father and his uncle?

King Hamlet
~ Kind and Gentlemanly
~ Curly hair and a forehead of a Greek God
~ An eye that could command like the God of War
~ A body as agile as Mercury's (Roman God)
~ Every God had a part in creating this man


Claudius
~ Mildewed ear of corn that infects the healthy one next to it




6) What point does Hamlet make by comparing the men?
That his father is far more superior than Claudius and he can't understand why his mother would give up his magnificent father for his dirty arm-pit of an uncle. 


He seeks answers because it couldn't have been out of love because they are too old to fall in love, and their actions are driven mostly by their minds.


7) What is disturbing about the following: Nay, but to live in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed; stewed in corruption; honeying, and making love over the nasty sty.”
Everything. He talks about his mother's sex life and tells her that's its disgusting that she would have sex with Claudius because Hamlet considers it incest. 


8) What stops Hamlet’s ranting and raving at Gertrude? What does this figure tell Hamlet?
The Ghost!! He tells him rethink his revenge tactics. He is frightening his mother with horrible images. 


9) By the end of the act, Hamlet has made many statements about humanity, in general. Explain a few of his points. Do his opinions reflect his madness?


Help!?




10) Explain the differences between the ghost in Act I with the ghost in Act III. Why might these differences reflect Hamlet’s insanity?
The ghost in Act I is hell-bent on revenge. But the ghost in Act III see how frightened his former wife is and feels sympathy for her and tells Hamlet to take it easy on his mother. This is odd because he also tells him to stay focused on revenge. The ghost wants Hamlet to get revenge but also wants to Gertrude left out of it. He only wants Claudius to pay for the murder.  

Act III Scenes i & ii

Scene 1: 
 
1. What do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern report to Polonius?
They tell the King that there is something wrong with Hamlet, but he won't tell them what. He probably wouldn't tell them because he knew that they were spying on him.
 
2. How does Claudius react when Polonius says, "…with devotion's visage, And pious action we do sugar o'er/ The devil himself"?
He begins to feel really guilty because he realizes that he is always covering up his massive sin (murdering his brother) with his thoughts and words, just as Polonius is saying people usually do when pretending to believe in God.
  
3. What plan do Polonius, Claudius and Ophelia now put into action?



Ophelia is going to talk to Hamlet and try and figure out what is wrong with him while Claudius and Polonius spy on them.
 
4. What is the nature of Hamlet's soliloquy, lines 57-91?
 It's very dark. He casually talks about taking action, suicide, and the afterlife. He is upset that his mother married his uncle, and he is upset with Ophelia because she is pretending not to love him though he knows she does. 

5. What is Hamlet's main argument against suicide?
 We don't know what happens after death. He doesn't know if death will be greater than life or worse than life, which is why he isn't willing to take his life. 

6. Why does Hamlet treat Ophelia as cruelly as he does? What has changed him?
He knew that Polonius was using Ophelia to spy on him so he didn't want to get to close to her because of his plan of revenge on the King. He is also mad at her because she betrayed him. 

7. What thinly veiled threat to Claudius does Hamlet voice, after he becomes of his hidden presence? (lines 148-150)
He says that all people, except one (Claudius), that are already married shall live. 

8. At the end of this scene, what does the King decide to do with Hamlet?

He wants to send Hamlet to England.


Scene 2:
 
9. What qualities in Horatio cause Hamlet to enlist his assistance?
 Horatio hasn't given Hamlet a reason not to trust him. He understands what Hamlet is trying to do. Horatio is the only person that Hamlet trusts.

10. What does Hamlet ask Horatio to do?
 He asks him to observe King Claudius's reactions to the play. If he noticed the King getting nervous or acting strange, Hamlet will know that he is guilty of killing Old Hamlet and will have the proof he needs to be able to take action against him. 

11. Summarize what happens in the play-within-a-play.
 The play-within-a-play basically tells the story of Old Hamlet's murder. There is a little scene that acts out the story, sort of like a teaser (or a movie trailer). Then the actual play starts with a king an queen being all lovey-dovey to each other. Some words are exchanged, the queen leaves and the king falls asleep. Then, the king's nephew enters and puts poison in the king's ear killing him. 

12. Why, in line 233, does Hamlet refer to the play-within-a-play as "The Mouse-trap"?
 Because Hamlet has set a trap for King Claudius. Depending on the King's reaction will determine if he killed Old Hamlet.

13. What is the King's reaction to the play?
 He brings the house lights and storms out of the theater making everyone leave. He basically confessed to the murder.

14. In lines 354-363, to what object does Hamlet compare himself? Why?
 He compares himself to a recorder that people 'play'. He feels that even though people are trying to 'play' him, he will not stand for it. (he is much to smart for that and always a step ahead of everyone.

15. As Hamlet goes to his mother at the end of this scene, what does he admonish himself to 
do?
He has pretty much lost all faith in her. He hates her, but he isn't going to kill her. He just wishes that she weren't alive anymore. 

Act 2 Sections

Act 2: Scene 1 - Lines 1-198 (Summary just because)

      Polonius sends Reynaldo to spy on Laertes; he wants Reynaldo to spread rumors about Laertes to find out the truth about he is doing France. Even though Reynaldo thinks its wrong, he does it anyway. Ophelia shows up and tells Polonius that Hamlet has been to visit her but he was acting weird. He entered Ophelia's room, grabbed her wrist and held her out at arms length away. He looks at her face for a long time, sighed, and then turned and walked away. Polonius tells her that he will inform the King of Hamlet's odd behavior.

Part 1 Act 2: Scene 2 - Lines 1-86

      The king and queen have summoned Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet for them. They think that because the men are Hamlet's childhood friends that he may have told them what was bothering him so much. They agree and exit to find Hamlet. Voltemond has returned from Norway with good news. Old Norway has said that he had no idea that Fortinbras was planning to attack Denmark. He agrees to end Fortinbras's plan.

Part 2: Act 2: Scene 2 - Lines 87-216

      Polonius tells the king and queen (after some psycho babble) that he knows what is wrong with Hamlet. He thinks that Hamlet is mad because he is in love with Ophelia and he has a letter from to prove it. The letter is supposedly from Hamlet and he professes his love to Ophelia. Hamlet enters reading a book. Polonius strikes up a conversation with Hamlet (who doesn't want to talk to Polonius) and all Hamlet does is insult him.

Part 3: Act 2: Scene 2 - Lines 217-358

     Rosencrantz and Guildenstern come in to talk to Hamlet. Polonius leaves and the old friends start to catch up. They talk about how Denmark is a prison, but only to some because who decides what is good or bad in the world? Everything that has happened to Hamlet in Elsinore he has deemed as bad, so he thinks that Denmark is a prison. Hamlet then asks why they are here because he knows that they were sent for, he just doesn't know why and for what. They tell him that they were indeed sent for. Hamlet goes off on a big long speech in which he discusses stuff (I'm not sure what he says here) and  Rosencrantz says that he has seen the players coming to Elsinore. Hamlet gets a little excited because he LOVES the theatre...

Part 4: Act 2: Scene 2 - Lines 359-592

     The players enter Elsinore. Polonius comes to tell Hamlet that they are here. Hamlet greets them and welcomes them to the kingdom. Polonius jabbers about what kind of plays that the actors do (though Hamlet already knows), Hamlet then compares Polonius to Jephthah and asks the players to recite something. He asks them to recite a scene about Pyrrhus at the fall of Troy. The scene talks about Pyrrhus getting revenge for the death of his father Achilles (much like Hamlet plans to do). Hamlet starts the scene and the main actor continues. The actor is moved to tears so Polonius makes him stop. Hamlet asks the actors if they can do a play that he wrote (he is going to try and get the king to confess that he killed Hamlet's father) and they agree. Hamlet bids them good night and tells his childhood friends that they are welcome to stay in Elsinore. When he is finally alone, he compares himself to the actors and can't understand why the guy was moved to tears by the words alone. He says that Heaven and Hell are both giving him the 'go ahead' to get revenge for his father's murder; but all Hamlet can do is whine and complain about how terrible his life is. He knows that his plan to get the king to confess that he murdered his brother is a perfect time to catch Claudius in his lie.

Act 2 Study Questions

1) What does Polonius tell Reynaldo in the opening of Act II? How does he plan to trap his son?

He wants Reynaldo to go to France to spy on Laertes. While spying, Polonius wants him to find others Danes in France and spread rumors about him to see if they are true. 



2) What does this say about Polonius?

Polonius only cares about Polonius. He wants to know what Laertes is doing because he wants his son to uphold the family reputation.



3) What particularly in Act II scene 1 has disturbed Ophelia?

Hamlet is acting crazy. He enters Ophelia's room, grabs her wrist and holds her out at arms length away. He looks at her face for a long time as if he wanted to draw her. He sighs a heavy sigh and then turns and walks away.

4) Why have Rosencrantez and Guildenstern been sent to Denmark?

To spy on Hamlet for the King. Rosencrantez and Guildenstern are Hamlet's childhood friends and the king hopes that Hamlet will open up to them.

5) What does Hamlet ask the players to recite? How does the allusion mimic Hamlet’s position?



He wants them to recite The Murder of Gonzago. A play that he has written. The plot of the play is much like what has just happened to Hamlet. Hamlet is going to add some lines into the play that will get the king to confess that he murdered his brother.


(He wants them to recite Christopher Marlowe's (Shakespeare's rival) play Dido, Queen of Carthage, which is based on the Aeneid, Book II.)

Identify the following speaker of the following lines and discuss to whom the lines are being delivered, and what do the lines mean?

6) “No, my lord, but as you did command/ I did repel his letter, and denied his access to me”

Ophelia to her father.



She is telling her father that she has cut off all contact to Hamlet (she sent back his letters) just like he told her too. 

7) “More matter less art”

Queen to Polonius


She wants Polonius to quit babbling and get to the point


8) “That I, the son of a dear father murdered, Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell/ Must like a whore unpack my heart with words,


Hamlet to himself/audience



Hamlet wants to get revenge and he is getting signs from both Heaven and Hell that he should get revenge. But all he can do is prance about and whine about how much his life sucks.

9) “Your bait of falsehood take this carp of truth/ And thus do we of wisdom and of reach,/ with windlasses and with assays of bias,/ By directions find directions out.”

Polonius to Reynaldo



By telling lies about Laertes, Reynaldo will find out the truth about what Laertes is doing in France.




10) “For if the sun breeds maggots in a dead dog, being a good kissing carrion-Have you a daughter?”

Hamlet to Polonius



Hamlet is the son of Denmark but he is also the light (sun) of Denmark...Help!

11) List three metaphors (1 direct, 1 implied, 1 extended) from the play.

Direct: Polonius is a fishmonger (Act 2: Scene 2, Line 174)



Implied: Lies are poison (they enter through your ear, like how Claudius poisoned King Hamlet)


Extended: Denmark is Hamlet's jail




12) What proof does Polonius have that he believe indicates Hamlet’s love for Ophelia? 

A letter that is supposedly from Hamlet to Ophelia that states his love for her


13) Explain the quote, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” How does this relate to Hamlet.

Who decides what is good and what is evil? There really is nothing good or bad in the world. It's how people interpret it which makes it good or evil. Everything that has happened to Hamlet, he has perceived as bad (his father died and his mom got remarried to his uncle, which i would say is pretty bad), so he thinks that Denmark is a prison.


14) What is a fishmonger?

A pimp! (actually a person who sells fish on the wharf)

15) Who was Jephthah?


Jephthah was a Biblical man (Judges 11:30-40) who sacrificed his daughter for political advancement, much like Polonius is doing to Ophelia (he figured out that if Hamlet actually does love Ophelia and they get married, then he will be the father of the future Queen). 

Act 1 Scene 2,3,4

Scene 2


1. What is odd about Hamlet’s appearance in the opening of scene two?

He is dressed all in black. He is depressed and mourning the death of his father. He is also upset with his mother for getting remarried so quickly.



2. Explain (give at least two reasons) why Claudius needs to justify his marriage in the opening of scene two.

He needs to justify his marriage because he quickly married his brother's widow and his brother hasn't  been dead that long. He is the new king now and must pick up the kingly duties where his brother left off.



3. Laertes asks the King for leave to do what, specifically?


He wants to go back to France. He has come willing to Denmark to see the king's coronation, but wishes to return. 




4. Explain Hamlet’s insult when he says, “A little more than kin and less than kind.”

He is saying that his uncle is more related to him (being his father's brother and being married to his mother) than he is being kind. Claudius is trying to rationalize to Hamlet his reasons for marrying his mom and he thinks he has done Hamlet a favor because now he will take care of his mother as she grows old. 




Hamlet puns on the word 'kind'. He is mad at the King because he calls him son. Even though Claudius has married Hamlet's mother, he doesn't think of the King as his father and hates that Claudius acts so casually about the whole situation.


5. Explain Hamlet’s use of pun in the line, “Not so my lord, I am too much in the sun.”

He resents being called son by King Claudius. He doesn't like the fact the Claudius is casually throwing around the term 'son' because it wasn't to long ago that Claudius was his uncle.


6. In Hamlet’s first soliloquy it is obvious that what troubles him most is?

That his mother married not only his uncle, but she got married quickly after the King's death. He would consider suicide if there wasn't a religious law against it (sixth commandment is 'Thou shalt not kill').  He thinks his mother was weak and she was wrong in marrying a "satyr" when her first husband was like the sun god (Apollo?).  But because of the situation, he 'holds his tongue'.



7. What does Hamlet mean by the following lines:

“Seems, madam? Nay, it is. I know not ‘seems’.
‘Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother,
Nor customary suits of solemn black,
Nor windy suspiration of forc’d breath,
No, nore the fruitful river in the eye,
Nor the dejected havior of the visage,
Together will all forms, moods, shapes of grief,
That can denote me truly. These indeed seem,
For they are actions that a man might play;
But I have that within which passes show,
These but the trappings and the suits of woe.



He is talking to his mother. He is angry with her because she asks him whats different about him (because he is dressed in black). He tells her that he is dressed in black because he is morning the death of his father. (Like she should be) The black clothes are just a hint of the grief he is feeling. He says that the way he is dressed and his mood may be cause for him to act out, but grief goes beyond outward appearance. 




Also starts the motif of Hamlet's obsession with the theater. 

8. What does Hamlet say about the baked meats and the funeral and the wedding.

The leftover food from the funeral was reserved cold at the wedding.


9. What news does Horatio, Marcellus and Barnardo bring to Hamlet.


They have seen his dead father's ghost dressed in full armor!




Scene 3




1) What is Laertes advice to Ophelia?

To not get close to Hamlet because he lies about his feelings for her. Laertes also tells Ophelia that he is the prince, and has a duty to his country, therefor, he can't choose who he marries because it should be for the good of the country (like a peace pledge).


2) How does “The canker galls the infants of the spring/ too oft before their buttons be disclos’d” fit into the ideology of the decaying garden?
Canker = HamletFlower = Ophelia

Hamlet, the canker-worm, would destroy the garden, Ophelia. Hamlet will ruin Ophelia because he will take her virginity and then she would have to go the the nunnery (to be a nun or prostitute).


3) What analogy does Ophelia give to her brother as an answer to his advice? What does she mean?

"Do not as some ungracious pastors do, Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven...And recks not his own rede" (lines 47-51)

She means, don't be a hypocrite and take your own advice! She hints that she knows his real reason for going back to France.



4) List five of the “few precepts” that Polonius gives to Laertes.


Be a good listener to everyone, but be careful what you share about yourself.


Be friendly enough, but don't make yourself cheap.


Don't shake hands (in friendship) with every fresh young man.
Listen to every man's opinion but save your judgment.

Dress nice, but don't spend all your money on fancy clothes


Think before you act, don't make any reckless decisions.


5) In lines 105-109, what is the metaphor that Polonius uses to describe Hamlet’s words of love?

He compares his words to tenders (the coin) but says the aren'y sterling. Polonius says Hamlet's love for Ophelia isn't real.




6) List and explain one metaphor found in the lines 115-135.
"When the blood burns, how prodigal the soul
Lends the tongue vows." (Lines 115-117)

By blood, Polonius means sexual passion. He tells Ophelia that sexual desires (lust) will make you say anything that the other person wants to hear, like Hamlet telling Ophelia he loves her. Basically he says that it was lust that made Hamlet tell Ophelia he loves her.




7) What is Polonius’ command to Ophelia?

To not see Hamlet anymore.



Scene 4




8) In scene 4, what is Hamlet talking about in lines 13-38?

Horatio asks Hamlet if it was a custom for the king to fire the cannons while he toasts. Hamlet says that it is, but he doesn't approve of this tradition. It makes other nations think the Danes are drunks which makes them look weak.






9) Why doesn’t Horatio want Hamlet to follow the ghost?

It may be a evil spirit, Horatio doesn't want Hamlet to talk to the ghost alone because demons sometimes posses people and convinces them to do bad things. (They still don't know for sure that the ghost is Hamlet's father)





10) What is Hamlet’s command to the three guards?


He tells them that he is going to talk to the ghost, alone. He tells them that they have to be ok with it because his life is not worth living so he is willing to talk to a ghost that might be evil.