After witnessing Hamlet kill someone, Gertrude hurries to find Claudius. Who is he talking to when she comes in?
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Gertrude asks to speak to the king alone. When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern exit, she tells Claudius
about her encounter with Hamlet. She says that he is as mad as the sea during a violent storm; she also tells Claudius that Hamlet has killed Polonius.
what is Claudius' reaction when he is told of polonius' death? what does this show us about his feelings towards polonius
he says he's going to ship hamlet to england; he doesn't really care about polonius
when does King Claudius plan to launch Hamlet's ship to England? why the hurry?
at sunset the next day; he is scared
Claudius wonders aloud how he will be able to
handle this public crisis without damaging his hold on Denmark
He tells Gertrude that they must ship Hamlet to England at once and find a way to
to explain Hamlet's misdeed to the court and to the people.
He calls Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, tells them about the murder, and sends them to
find Hamlet.
in trying to protect Hamlet, Queen Gertrude tells Claudius that Hamlet "weeps for what is done". there is a double meaning in this line. what is it?
he weeps for his father and for killing polonius
what unpleasant task does the king give to rosencrantz and guildenstern
find the body of polonius
why can't Claudius just announce to everyone that Hamlet killed polonius and have him put on trial
he will have to admit killing king hamlet
in Elsinore, Hamlet has
just finished disposing of Polonius's body,
The first time the audience sees Hamlet after he has killed someone, he says "Safely stowed." What does he mean?
He has hidden the body
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern appear and ask what he has done with the body. Hamlet refuses to give them a straight answer, instead he...
makes them both very confused with a riddle and says, "The body is with the king, but the king is not with the body
Hamlet's attitude towards Rosencrantz and Guildenstern changes over the course of the play. what does he say about them?
They are spies for Claudius.
Hamlet calls Rosencrantz a "sponge . . . that soaks up the king's countenance, his rewards, his authorities,
Hamlet knows exactly what he is doing here. He uses a metaphor to call his two friends a sponge who soak up information for the King to wring out later. Hamlet understands more than his friends know.
Hamlet warns him that "when he needs what you have gleaned, it is but squeezing you, and, sponge, you shall be dry again
the king can squeeze anything out of them like a sponge but then they will go back to being the same characterless people.
Where does Claudius want the body of Hamlet's first victim to be taken?
To the chapel
At the end of Act 4, Scene 2, what does Hamlet agree to do?
Go see the king
The king speaks to a group of courtiers, telling them
of Polonius's death and his intention to send Hamlet to England.
Why is Claudius hesitant to "put the strong law" on Hamlet despite the danger he poses the crown?
Everybody likes Hamlet, it would not make the king likeable by doing so
Pressed by Claudius to reveal the location of Polonius's body, Hamlet...
goes inane, coy, and clever, saying that Polonius is being eaten by worms, and that the king could send a messenger to find Polonius in heaven or seek him in hell himself.
Finally, Hamlet reveals that Polonius's body is...
under the stairs near the castle lobby, and the king dispatches his attendants to look there.
Hamlet finally tells Claudius how to find the body of his first victim: "But indeed, if you find him not within this month, you shall nose him as you go up the stairs into the lobby." How was Hamlet saying that they might find the body?
Wait a month and you will smell where it is
The king tells Hamlet that..
he must leave at once for England, and Hamlet enthusiastically agrees.
He exits, and Claudius sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to ensure
that he boards the ship at once.
Alone Claudius states his hope that England will obey the sealed orders he has sent with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The orders...
call for Prince Hamlet to be put to death. it reveals that Claudius does not like to do his own dirty work in order to keep his position
On a nearby plain in Denmark...
young Prince Fortinbras marches at the head of his army, traveling through Denmark on the way to attack Poland
Fortinbras orders his captain to go and ask the King of Denmark for permission to travel through his lands. On his way, the captain encounters...
Hamlet, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern on their way to the ship bound for England
The captain informs them that the Norwegian army rides to
fight the Poles.
What message is the Norwegian Captain supposed to deliver to Claudius in Act 4, Scene 4?
The armies of Norway want passage through Denmark
Who are the Norwegian soldiers attacking?
Poland
Hamlet asks about the basis of the conflict, and the man tells him that the armies will fight over "a little patch of land / That hath in it no profit but the name
Hamlet assumes Fortinbras must be taking on the whole country, but after talking with one of his Captains he learns that this is a huge conflict being waged over a tiny, unimportant piece of territory.
Astonished by the thought that a bloody war could be fought over something so insignificant, Hamlet marvels...
that human beings are able to act so violently and purposefully for so little gain. land is only worth 5 ducats
Watching the troops attacking, Hamlet decides that he is less of a man than their leader. Why does he say that?
He has a better reason to fight than the leader, but he does not fight.
By comparison, Hamlet has a great deal to gain from seeking..
his own bloody revenge on Claudius, and yet he still delays and fails to act toward his purpose.
Disgusted with himself for having failed to gain his revenge on Claudius, Hamlet declares that from this moment on...
his thoughts will be bloody.
Gertrude and Horatio discuss Ophelia. Gertrude does not wish to see the bereaved girl, but Horatio says...
gertrude shouold see her. explaining that her grief has made her disordered and incoherent. Ophelia enters.
dorned with flowers and singing strange songs, WHO seems to have gone mad.
opehila
Why (according to Claudius) are the people of Denmark upset?
They are upset because Polonius's burial was sneaky and quick
What does Ophelia do sing about to the Queen
she begins singing old ballads mourning her father's death and Hamlet's unkindness
-she sings about how her father is dead and gone
-this reveals that Polonius was sprinkled with flowers but did not have a formal and traditional funeral service
He says that Ophelia's grief stems from her father's death, and that the people have been suspicious and disturbed by the death as well this causing.... who to return?
Laertes has secretly sailed back from France.
A loud noise echoes from somewhere in the castle. Claudius calls for his guards, and a gentleman enters to warn the king that who has come?
Laertes has come with a mob of commoners.
The mob calls Laertes WHAT
the people whisper WHAT
lord"
that "Laertes shall be king
. A furious Laertes storms into the hall, fuming in his desire to avenge his father's death.
Claudius and Gertrude do what?
Claudius attempts to soothe him by frankly acknowledging that Polonius is dead. Gertrude nervously adds that Claudius is innocent in it.
When Ophelia reenters, obviously insane,
Laertes plunges again into rage.
What does Ophelia say about the herb rosemary?
Rosemary stands for remembrance
What does Ophelia say about violets?
The violets died when her father died
What does pansies symbolize?
thoughts
Claudius convinces Laertes to hear his version of events, which he says will answer all his questions. Laertes agrees, and
the king says says that Laertes' desire for revenge is a credit to him, so long as he seeks revenge upon the proper person
Claudius seconds his desire to achieve justice in the aftermath of Polonius's death: "Where th' offence is, let the great axe fall
Claudius utters these lines in response to Laertes' absolutely justified anger at both his father's death as well as the way it seems to have been hushed up by the Danish court, implying that something about the death is suspect.
Horatio is introduced to a pair of sailors bearing...
a letter for him from Hamlet.
How does Hamlet manage to avoid his fate in England?
He got onto another ship
In the letter, Hamlet says that his ship was captured by pirates, who have returned him to Denmark. He asks Horatio to... escort who where?
escort the sailors to the king and queen, for they have messages for them as well.
Horatio takes the sailors to the king and then follows them for what reason?
to find Hamlet, who is in the countryside near the castle.
As Horatio speaks to the sailors, Claudius and a calmer Laertes discuss Polonius's death. Claudius explains that he acted as he did because
Because Gertrude loves him and the common people love him
Claudius suggests a duel between Laertes and Hamlet, but that type of duel usually is not deathly. What does Claudius suggest they do to injure Hamlet?
Fix Laertes's sword so it is sharp
Laertes comes up with another idea to make sure his duel with Hamlet will result in Hamlet's death. What is it?
Poison the tip of the sword
What additional method does Claudius suggest so that even if Hamlet wins the duel with Laertes, Hamlet will still die?
Give Hamlet a poisoned drink
why does the king encourage Laertes to kill Hamlet?
since Hamlet's erratic behavior has made him a threat to Claudius's reign
As Laertes and Claudius discuss how to kill Hamlet, what news does Gertrude bring?
Ophelia has died by drowning
Claudius summons Gertrude to follow. He tells her it was nearly impossible to quiet Laertes' rage, and worries that...
the news of Ophelia's death will reawaken it
What does Hamlet's letter to the king say?
Tomorrow I'll beg your permission to talk to you and tell the story of how I came back to Denmark so strangely and suddenly and I'll apologize.
What thought warms the heart of Laertes?
The thought of being able to look Hamlet in the eyes and say "you killed my father.
Explain Laertes's line "To cut his throat i' the church...
Laertes will risk punishment in hell to accomplish his revenge, even kill hamlet in a church.
What is Claudius bragging about when he claims Hamlet's mother will call it an accident?
That his plan to kill Hamlet will be so good that even Hamlet's own mother will believe it's an accident.
In the churchyard, two gravediggers shovel out a grave for
Ophelia
They argue whether
Ophelia should be buried in the churchyard, since her death looks like a suicide.
What is the viewpoint of the gravedigger?
She wouldn't have been buried in holy ground if she wasn't an aristocrat.
. The first gravedigger, who speaks cleverly and mischievously, asks the second gravedigger a riddle: "What is he that builds stronger than either the mason, the shipwright, or the carpenter?" which the other man answers...
it must be the gallows-maker, for his frame outlasts a thousand tenants. The first gravedigger corrects him, saying that it is the gravedigger, for his "houses" will last until Doomsday.
Hamlet and Horatio enter at a distance and watch the gravediggers work. Hamlet looks with wonder at the skulls they excavate to make room for the fresh grave and speculates darkly about...
what occupations the owners of these skulls served in life: "Why may not that be the skull of a lawyer? Where be his quiddities now . . . ?
Hamlet asks the gravedigger whose grave he digs, and the gravedigger says
that the grave is his own, since he is digging it, then that the grave belongs to no man and no woman, because men and women are living things and the occupant of the grave will be dead.
At last he admits that it belongs to one...
that was a woman sir; but, rest her soul, she's dead
The gravedigger, who does not recognize Hamlet as the prince, tells him that he has been a gravedigger since King Hamlet defeated the elder Fortinbras in battle, the very day...
on which young Prince Hamlet was born.
It's been in the Earth for 23 years
Hamlet picks up a skull, and the gravedigger tells him that the skull belonged to...
Yorick, King Hamlet's jester. Hamlet tells Horatio that as a child he knew Yorick and is appalled at the sight of the skull
Who is "poor Yorick?
The King's jester, now dead
Why did Hamlet put the skull down?
It smelled really bad
hamlet realizes forcefully that all men will eventually become dust, even great men like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. Hamlet imagines ...
that Julius Caesar has disintegrated and is now part of the dust used to patch up a wall.
Suddenly, the funeral procession for Ophelia enters the churchyard, including Claudius, Gertrude, Laertes, and many mourning courtiers. Hamlet, wondering who has died, notices that the funeral rites seem "maimed," indicating...
that the dead man or woman took his or her own life
Hamlet and Horatio hide as the procession approaches the grave. As Ophelia is laid in the earth, Hamlet realizes it is she who has died. At the same moment...
, Laertes becomes infuriated with the priest, who says that to give Ophelia a proper Christian burial would profane the dead.
Laertes leaps into Ophelia's grave to hold her once again in his arms. then...
hamlet declaring in agonized fury his own love for Ophelia, leaps into the grave and fights with Laertes
When Hamlet first sees Laertes in the graveyard scene, what does Hamlet say about him?
He is a noble youth
who says "forty thousand brothers / Could not, with all their quantity of love, / make up my sum
hamlet while in ophelias grave
As Gertrude lays flowers at Ophelia's grave, what did she say?
She hoped Ophelia and Hamlet would marry
Hamlet cries that he would do things for Ophelia that Laertes could not dream of�likeeee
He would weep for her, fight for her, fast for her, tear for her, drink vinegar for her, eat a crocodile for her, and be buried with her
What did Laertes say that offended Hamlet?
He said that Hamlet is the reason for Ophelia's death AND He said Hamlet never would have loved Ophelia as much as him
Gertrude and Claudius declare that Hamlet is mad. Hamlet storms off, and Horatio follows. The king urges Laertes...
to be patient, and to remember their plan for revenge.
What was the story behind the trip to England?
Hamlet couldn't sleep so he went into R and G's room.
He found the orders that Claudius sent and opened it.
He then wrote a similar letter saying how England was supposed to kill R and G when they got there
He sealed it with the seal of the king because he had it with him
Does Hamlet feel any regret for killing R and G?
No, they were meddling in his affairs
In Laertes' desire to avenge his father's death, he says, he sees ...
the mirror image of his own desire, and he promises to seek Laertes' good favor.
conversation is interrupted by Osric, who??;
a foolish courtier. Osric tries to flatter Hamlet by agreeing with everything Hamlet says, even when he contradicts himself
Who is Osric? Why does he enter?
A member of the court that enters to tell Hamlet about the duel and ask if Hamlet is ready to fence with Laertes
how does he contradicts himself
he agrees first that it is cold, then that it is hot. He has come to tell them that Claudius wants Hamlet to fence with Laertes and that the king has made a wager with Laertes that Hamlet will win. Then Osric begins to praise Laertes effusively, though Ha
Finally, a lord enters and asks Hamlet if he is ready to come to the match, as the king and queen are expecting him. Against Horatio's advice....
Hamlet agrees to fight, saying that "all's ill here about my heart," but that one must be ready for death, since it will come no matter what one does
The court marches into the hall, and Hamlet asks Laertes for forgiveness, claiming that ...
it was his madness, and not his own will, that murdered Polonius
Laertes says that he will not forgive Hamlet until an elder has...
advised him in the matter. But, in the meantime, he says, he will accept Hamlet's offer of love.
What messages does Lord have for Hamlet?
1. The king wants to know if Hamlet is ready now or if he needs more time
2. The queen wants to make sure that Hamlet apologizes to Laertes before the duel begins
They select their foils (blunted swords used in fencing), and the king says that if Hamlet wins the first or second hit, he will drink to Hamlet's health, then...
throw into the cup a valuable gem (actually the poison) and give the wine to Hamlet.
What is Osric's message to Hamlet?
The king has wagered 6 valuable horses against 6 weapons that have been imported from France
What does Hamlet admit to Horatio? How does Horatio respond to this? What does Hamlet say?
He's having misgivings about the match,
Horatio says that he should call off the match until his misgivings are gone
Hamlet refuses and says that his life is in the hands of fate so he'll fence with Laertes.
What does the king put in Hamlet's cup? How is this significant?
He puts a pearl in Hamlet's cup - the richest of all Danish jewels - but it's laced with poison which means that the drink is poisoned now
Hamlet strikes Laertes but declines to drink from the cup, saying...
that he will play another hit first.
He hits Laertes again, and Gertrude rises to drink from the cup. The king tells her not to drink, but
she does so anyway. In an aside, Claudius murmurs, "It is the poison'd cup: it is too late
Who decides to drink a toast to Hamlet? From which cup? How does Claudius react?
Gertrude; from the poisoned cup.
Claudius tells Gertrude and warns her not to drink from it
Laertes remarks under his breath that to wound Hamlet with the poisoned sword is...
almost against his conscience
But they fight again, and Laertes scores a hit against Hamlet, drawing blood. Scuffling, they manage to exchange swords, and
Hamlet wounds Laertes with Laertes' own blade.
What happens after Laertes has been stabbed?
The queen falls down
Laertes, poisoned by his own sword, declares,
I am justly kill'd with my own treachery
The queen moans that the cup must have been poisoned she...
calls out to Hamlet, and dies.
What does Hamlet ask? How does Claudius respond? What does Gertrude say in response?
What is wrong with the queen
Claudius says that she can't handle the sight of blood
No, no, the drink, the drink! Oh, my dear Hamlet! The drink, the drink! I've been poisoned.
Laertes tells Hamlet that he, too, has been slain, by his own poisoned sword, and that ..
the king is to blame both for the poison on the sword and for the poison in the cup.
What does Hamlet make sure of right after the queen tells him about the king?
The doors are locked so the King can't get out
Hamlet, in a fury...
runs Claudius through with the poisoned sword and forces him to drink down the rest of the poisoned wine.
What does Hamlet call Claudius as he dies?
An incestuous, damned, Danr
Claudius dies crying out for help. Hamlet tells Horatio that he is dying and hamlet..
exchanges a last forgiveness with Laertes, who dies after absolving Hamlet.
The sound of marching echoes through the hall, and a shot rings out nearby. Osric declares that
Fortinbras has come in conquest from Poland and now fires a volley to the English ambassadors.
. Hamlet tells Horatio again that he is dying, and urges his friend not to commit suicide in light of all the tragedies, but instead
to stay alive and tell his story.
He says that he wishes
Fortinbras to be made King of Denmark; then he dies.
fortinbras marches into the room accompanied by the English ambassadors, who announce
that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead.
Fortinbras orders
for Hamlet to be carried away like a soldier. by 4 men
How does Horatio respond?
hah not from my mouth
Where is Hamlet's body left? What would he have been if he was king?
on stage for everyone to see; if he was king, he would've been the most royal