Hamlet Notes: Act 4 ~ AP Lit - Minich
Your Job Tonight: Read through these carefully and highlight key ideas/ concepts
Scene i-iii:
Claudius considers the repercussions of Hamlet’s murder of Polonius: 1) They should have dealt more decisively with Hamlet to prevent this from happening 2) The court and country will blame Claudius 3) C must get H out of the country immediately (doesn’t inform Gertrude of the plan)
R&G are with the king constantly (parasites). Polonius’ death at Hamlet’s hands foreshadows the death of Claudius (the audience knows that P’s death occurred simultaneously with the affective ending of Claudius’ and Gertrude’s marriage)
Claudius’ world of illusion is being replaced with an ugly reality: Hamlet is in charge – has exposed the hypocrisy of the court and flaunts his power through riddles/ insults (R&G = sponges). C still has the crown but Gertrude is turning away from him.
Claudius fears Hamlet’s popularity with the public: can converse easily with the court, soldiers, players, gravediggers (makes Ophelia’s line from Act 3 - “Oh what a noble mind is here overthrown!” – that much more profound). Claudius’ election was based on deal-making with court nobles, so the public is NOT in the palm of his hand and could easily turn on him if he publicly punished Hamlet
Claudius’ chilling soliloquy at the end of scene iii: he will send letters to England ordering the execution of Hamlet – Claudius admits that he will never find joy even after Hamlet’s death – his fate is sealed.
Scene iv:
Sets the stage for Fortinbras’ reentry into the play / Hamlet encounters the captain as he leaves for England with R&G
Hamlets 6th and final soliloquy: more mature/ determined/ accepting of his destiny – no longer any doubt / confident. Hamlet’s violent edge from Act 3 has turned into resolve (after his cathartic encounter with Gertie) – can speak of evil without the fury of frustration. Bottom line: if Fortinbras can lead 20,000 men into battle and death, Hamlet can avenge his father’s murder and his mother’s ruin.
Scene v:
Mood of castle is sadness and resigned bewilderment: Ophelia’s madness personifies the discord and dismay in Claudius’ mind and household. She sings songs that alternate b/t themes of love, sex, and death. She may feel wicked b/c she was not honest with Hamlet or that she drove him mad. She may feel lewd and common b/c of his comments to her during the play OR they may have had sex, and she’s referring to herself having lost her virginity.
Negative rumors surround Claudius and the queen regarding Hamlet and the death of Polonius. An angry Danish mob waits outside the castle, shouting for Laertes to be king. Laertes: 3rd angle in the revenge triangle: Who are the other two?
Laertes confronts Claudius then sees Ophelia: “O Rose of May, is’t possible a young maid’s wits should be as mortal as an old man’s life?”
Ophelia has gone mad since her father died at the hands of her lover. She sings and carries flowers, mocking the wedding ceremony she will never have / also could symbolize a funeral
Flower imagery / symbolism:
Fennel and Columbines (she gives these to Claudius): represents flattery and unfaithfulness – significance?
Rosemary = remembrance
Pansies = thoughts
Rue = repentance
Daisies = falseness
Violets = faithfulness (withered away) – Ophelia is compared to violets throughout the play
Laertes wants revenge – Claudius promises answers.
Scene vi:
Hamlet may have prearranged an escape with the random pirates that appear in this scene – he’s pretty smart to get on a boat headed for his execution without an escape plan. Anyway, now he’s headed back home – sends two letters by the way of sailors to Horatio – tells him to make sure to give them to Claudius
Scene vii:
Claudius lures Laertes into his confidence by way of flattery, declarations of friendship, common enmity, and candor about his most intimate affairs. He uses Laertes’ confusion to pit his anger against Hamlet – steps into the role of his father: “Will you be ruled by me?” To which Laertes replies “Ay, my lord.”
The scheme is for Laertes to challenge Hamlet to a duel and tip the sword with poison, which he must have gotten as a souvenir in Paris, very popular with the tourists. Hamlet will offer a poisoned drink to Hamlet just in case. Laertes’ sense of honor is lost in his revenge. We discover at the end of the scene that Ophelia has drowned in a nearby brook. Poor Ophelia. Important motif.