Hamlet Act 4

"Mad as the sea and wind when both contend Which is the mightier. In his lawless fit, Behind the arras hearing something stir, Whips out his rapier, cries, "A rat, a rat!" And in this brainish apprehension kills The unseen good old man."

Gertrude

How does Gertrude describe Hamlet's attitude?

As mad as the waves and wind when they struggle against each other in the storm. Has insane rage

What does Gertrude tell Claudius?

Hamlet is enraged and says there's a rat behind the tapestry so he whips out his sword and stabs the tapestry, killing Polonius

"O heavy deed! It had been so with us, had we been there. His liberty is full of threats to all— To you yourself, to us, to everyone. Alas, how shall this bloody deed be answered? 20It will be laid to us, whose providence Should have kept short, restrained and out of haunt, This mad young man. But so much was our love, We would not understand what was most fit, But, like the owner of a foul disease, 25To keep it from divulging, let it feed Even on the pith of life. Where is he gone?"

Claudius

How does Claudius respond to this news?

He says he would've been killed if he was there. Hamlets freedom is a threat to everyone and he'll be blamed for not controlling Hamlet but he avoided doing the right thing because he loved Hamlet. He's like a man who hides the fact hes suffering from a foul disease

What does Claudius decide to do about Hamlet?

Ship him to England and Kill Hamlet

Why does Gertrude say Hamlet still has something good and pure inside him?

He feels guilty and cries over what he's done

What does Claudius order Rosencrantz and Guildenstorm to do?

Get more people to help them find Hamlet because he's insane and killed Polonius.

How does Claudius tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstorm to talk to Hamlet?

"Speak fair," meaning talk to Hamlet calmly and politely

"Friends both, go join you with some further aid. Hamlet in madness hath Polonius slain, And from his mother's closet hath he dragged him. Go seek him out, speak fair, and bring the body 40Into the chapel. I pray you, haste in this."

Claudius

Why does Claudius want to act immediately?

He's worried that people might blame him or criticize him for his handling of Hamlet. He's afraid rumors might spread and the situation could become politically dangerous

How does Claudius describe rumors?

Start as whisper. They are like a cannon aimed directly at its target. The damaging rumor is like a poisoned cannonball and hopes it will miss his reputation and hit nothing instead

What has Hamlet done with Polonius's body?

turned it into dust

"That I can keep your counsel and not mine own. Besides,to be demanded of a sponge! What replication should bemade by the son of a king?"

Hamlet

What does Hamlet call Rosencrantz and why?

A sponge because he soaks up everything Claudius gives him: attention, rewards, power. Says they're easy controlled by Claudius and obey him and do his dirty work. Says Rosencrantz is being exploited and once he gets the information Claudius will squeeze it out of him like a sponge

"Ay, sir, that soaks up the king's countenance, hisrewards, his authorities. But such officers do the kingbest service in the end. He keeps them, like an ape, inthe corner of his jaw, first mouthed to be lastswallowed. When he needs what you have gleaned, it is20but squeezing you and, sponge, you shall be dry again."

hamlet

Where does Hamlet say the body is?

He says it's with the king, Claudius because polonius served Claudius and died spying for him

"The body is with the king, but the king is not with thebody.The king is a thing—"

Hamlet

Why can't Claudius punish Hamlet too harshly?

He is loved by the public. If he punished Hamlet, people would focus more on his punishment than his crime. Because of this, Claudius wants Hamlets removal from Denmark to look like a carefully planned decision rather than a desperate reaction.

What does Claudius compare Hamlet to?

A serious disease that requires extreme treatment

"I have sent to seek him and to find the body. How dangerous is it that this man goes loose! Yet must not we put the strong law on him. He's loved of the distracted multitude, 5Who like not in their judgment, but their eyes. And where 'tis so, th' offender's scourge is weighed, But never the offense. To bear all smooth and even, This sudden sending him away must seem Deliberate pause. Diseases desperate grown 10By desperate appliance are relieved, Or not at all."

Claudius

Where does Hamlet tell Claudius Polonius is?

At dinner where he's being eaten by worms

Worms are what?

The kings of all eating. Hamlet says we fatten up creatures to feed ourselves and fatten ourselves up to feed the worms

How does Hamlet compare a fat king and a skinny beggar?

different dishes at the same meal

"Not where he eats, but where he is eaten. A certainconvocation of politic worms are e'en at him. Your wormis your only emperor for diet. We fat all creatures else25to fat us, and we fat ourselves for maggots. Your fatking and your lean beggar is but variable service—twodishes, but to one table. That's the end"

Hamlet

Describe this quote: "A man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a king,30and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm"

Hamlet is saying death makes everyone equal, even kings. When a king dies, his body decomposes and is eaten by worms. A fish might then eat that worm, and a an ordinary man might catch and eat that fish.

Where does Hamlet say Polonius is now?

In heaven

According to Hamlet, where can they smell Polonius if they dont find him in the next month?

going upstairs in the main hall

What does Claudius tell Hamlet when informing him he's being sent to England?

He says he cares about his safety as much as he grieves over what he's done

What does Hamlet call Claudius?

His mother because when he married his mother the two of them became one

"My mother. Father and mother is man and wife, man andwife is one flesh, and so, my mother.—Come, for England!"

Hamlet

What does Claudius tell the King of England?

He orders him to kill Hamlet immediately when he arrives there and that if England values its relationship with Denmark it'll obey especially because England still fears Danish power.

When will Claudius be truly happy?

When he knows Hamlet is dead

"And, England, if my love thou hold'st at aught— As my great power thereof may give thee sense, Since yet thy cicatrice looks raw and red After the Danish sword and thy free awe 65Pays homage to us — thou mayst not coldly set Our sovereign process, which imports at full, By letters congruing to that effect, The present death of Hamlet. Do it, England, For like the hectic in my blood he rages, 70And thou must cure me. Till I know 'tis done, Howe'er my haps, my joys were ne'er begun."

Claudius

What is Norway attacking Poland for?

A little patch of ground that's not worth anything more than its name.

What does Hamlet say the reason is for these nations fighting over this pointless piece of land?

It's caused by having too much wealth and peace. These nations don't have any serious external problems so their problems build up inside into unnecessary violence

"Two thousand souls and twenty thousand ducats Will not debate the question of this straw. This is th' impostume of much wealth and peace, That inward breaks and shows no cause without 30Why the man dies. —I humbly thank you, sir."

Hamlet

What is Hamlets soliloquy about?

Hamlet is criticizing himself for delaying his revenge even though everything around him gives him a reason to act. He asks what separates humans from animals if all they do is "sleep and feed," arguing that God gave humans "godlike reason" so they would actually use it. Hamlet wonders whether his delay comes from carelessness or from overthinking, which he says is only one part wisdom and three parts cowardice. He realizes he has everything he needs to kill Claudius yet he hasn't done it. Fortinbras becomes a major contrast to Hamlet: Fortinbras is willing to lead 20,000 men toward death for an almost worthless piece of land ("an eggshell") simply for honor, while Hamlet has much stronger reasons to act: his father was murdered and his mother was corrupted by Claudius. Hamlet is ashamed that thousands of soldiers can willingly die for something so insignificant while he continues doing nothing. By the end, he makes a major declaration: "My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!" meaning that from now on, his thoughts must lead toward violent revenge and action, or they are worthless. This shows a turning point where Hamlet becomes determined to stop overthinking and finally act.

"How all occasions do inform against me, 35And spur my dull revenge! What is a man If his chief good and market of his time Be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more. Sure, he that made us with such large discourse, Looking before and after, gave us not 40That capability and godlike reason To fust in us unused. Now, whether it be Bestial oblivion, or some craven scruple Of thinking too precisely on th' event— A thought which, quartered, hath but one part wisdom 45And ever three parts coward—I do not know Why yet I live to say "This thing's to do," Sith I have cause and will and strength and means To do 't. Examples gross as earth exhort me. Witness this army of such mass and charge 50Led by a delicate and tender prince, Whose spirit with divine ambition puffed Makes mouths at the invisible event, Exposing what is mortal and unsure To all that fortune, death, and danger dare, 55Even for an eggshell. Rightly to be gre

Hamlet

How does Ophelia act because of her father's death?

She went mad and starting singing a song. She sighs, beats her chest, gets upset over small things ("straws"), and speaks in broken, confusing sentences that only make "half sense." Even though her words seem meaningless on the surface, the people listening believe there may be hidden meaningbehind them, so they try to piece her words, facial expressions, and gestures together and interpret them according to their own ideas.

According to Gertrude, what is the nature of guilt?

when someone knows they have done something wrong, they become so anxious and suspicious that they constantly fear being exposed. Guilt can reveal itself through a persons attempt to hide it. Gertrude is saying that because her soul feels guilty ("sick soul"), every small or unimportant event ("toy") makes her fear that something terrible is about to happen.

"To my sick soul (as sin's true nature is) Each toy seems prologue to some great amiss. So full of artless jealousy is guilt, It spills itself in fearing to be spilt."

Gertrude

"[sings]How should I your true love know From another one? By his cockle hat and staff, 30And his sandal shoon."

This is about recognizing a true lover, describing him by his pilgrim-like clothing. It introduces the idea of lost love, likely connecting to Hamlet, while also beginning Ophelia's confusion between her grief over Hamlet and her father.

"[sings]He is dead and gone, lady, 35He is dead and gone, At his head a grass-green turf, At his heels a stone. Oh, ho!"

This is clearly about death and burial, especially Polonius. She pictures the dead man beneath grass with a gravestone at his feet. It shows that her father's death is consuming her thoughts.

"[sings]45Larded all with sweet flowers,Which bewept to the ground did not goWith true-love showers."

Still about Polonius's funeral. She imagines his white burial shroud and flowers, but says he did not receive the "true-love showers" of tears he deserved. This reflects her sadness over both his death and the way he was buried.

What does Ophelia say about an owl?

"The owl was a baker's daughter" refers to an old story where a baker's daughter was transformed into an owl after refusing to give bread to Jesus, so it suggests punishment and transformation. When Ophelia says "we know what we are, but know not what we may be," she means that we know who we are right now, but we cannot know what might happen to us or what we might become

"[sings]Tomorrow is Saint Valentine's day, All in the morning betime, And I a maid at your window, To be your Valentine. 60Then up he rose, and donned his clothes, And dupped the chamber door. Let in the maid that out a maid Never departed more."

Now she suddenly switches to love and sex. A girl goes into a man's bedroom as a virgin but leaves no longer a virgin. This suggests sexual innocence being lost and can connect to Ophelia feeling betrayed or abandoned by Hamlet.

"[sings]By Gis and by Saint Charity, Alack, and fie, for shame! Young men will do 't, if they come to 't. 70By Cock, they are to blame. Quoth she, "Before you tumbled me, You promised me to wed." He answers, "So would I ha' done, by yonder sun, 75An thou hadst not come to my bed.""

This continues the previous song. The woman says the man promised to marry her before having sex with her, but afterward he refuses. So this section is specifically about a man taking advantage of a woman sexually and then breaking his promise to her. This may reflect Ophelia's feelings about Hamlet, love, rejection, and sexuality, although the play never confirms that Hamlet and Ophelia actually had sex.

What does Claudius say in response to Ophelias madness?

Claudius explains that Ophelia's madness comes from the overwhelming grief of her father's death, but he realizes that many problems are hitting Denmark all at once—"sorrows...come not single spies / But in battalions." Polonius has been killed, Hamlet has been sent away because he killed him, the public is becoming suspicious because Polonius was buried quickly and secretly, Ophelia has lost her sanity, and Laertes has secretly returned from France angry and confused about his father's death. Claudius is especially worried that rumors will convince Laertes and the public to blame him. Overall, Claudius feels overwhelmed because all of these problems are happening simultaneously and are now threatening his position as king.

What does the messenger warn Claudius about?

Laertes has returned furious and is leading a rebellion against him. He compares Laertes's attack to a powerful ocean flooding the land.

"That drop of blood that's calm proclaims me bastard, Cries "Cuckold!" to my father, brands the "harlot" Even here between the chaste unsmirchèd brow Of my true mother."

Laertes

If Laertes does not take revenge for his fathers death then what?

then he must not be his father's legitimate son.

"How came he dead? I'll not be juggled with. To hell, allegiance! Vows, to the blackest devil! Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit! I dare damnation. To this point I stand 150That both the worlds I give to negligence. Let come what comes, only I'll be revenged Most thoroughly for my father."

Laertes

Who is Laertes willing to hurt to get revenge?

his fathers enemies

What animal does Laertes compare himself to?

a pelican

How does Laertes react when he sees Ophelias madness?

He is devastated and wishes his intense grief could dry up his brain and make his extremely salty tears burn out his eyes.

What does Laertes call Ophelia?

"a rose of May"

What does Laertes say about Ophelias sanity?

When her father died, her sanity died with him

"[sings]They bore him barefaced on the bier, Hey, non nonny, nonny, hey, nonny, And in his grave rained many a tear. Fare you well, my dove."

When Ophelia returns and sees Laertes, she goes back to singing about Polonius. She describes her father being carried openly on a bier (a platform/coffin for a dead body) while people cry over his grave. This shows her overwhelming grief over her father's death and funeral.

"You must sing A-down a-down—And you, Call him a-down-a—Oh, how the wheel becomes it! It is the falsesteward that stole his master's daughter."

Ophelia

What flowers do Ophelias give Laertes and what do they mean?

Rosemary for remembering and pansies for thoughts. Fennel represents flattery/deceit, while columbines can represent unfaithfulness or ingratitude. Rue represents regret, sorrow, and repentance; she gives some away but keeps some herself because she is also suffering and grieving. The daisy represents innocence, while violets represent faithfulness and loyalty. Ophelia says the violets "withered all when my father died," suggesting that loyalty and faithfulness disappeared with Polonius's death.

"[sings]210And will he not come again? And will he not come again? No, no, he is dead, Go to thy deathbed. He never will come again. 215His beard was as white as snow, All flaxen was his poll. He is gone, he is gone, And we cast away moan, God ha' mercy on his soul. — 220And of all Christian souls, I pray God. God be wi' ye."

This final song is unmistakably about Polonius because she describes his white beard and white hair. She finally acknowledges that her father will never return, ending by asking God to have mercy on his soul. It's basically Ophelia trying to process the permanence of her father's death.

What will Claudius give up if Laertes finds him guilty of his father's murder?

His kingdom, crown, and everything he calls his own

"Laertes, I must commune with your grief, Or you deny me right. Go but apart, Make choice of whom your wisest friends you will. 225And they shall hear and judge 'twixt you and me. If by direct or by collateral hand They find us touched, we will our kingdom give, Our crown, our life, and all that we call ours, To you in satisfaction. But if not, 230Be you content to lend your patience to us, And we shall jointly labor with your soul To give it due content."

Claudius

What does the letter that Hamlet wrote to Horatio say?

Hamlet tells Horatio that his trip to England was interrupted by pirates after only two days at sea. Hamlet's ship was too slow to escape, so they fought the pirates, and during the battle Hamlet boarded the pirate ship and became separated from his own ship, leaving him as their prisoner. Surprisingly, the pirates treated him well because they want a favor from him in return. Hamlet asks Horatio to deliver his letters to Claudius and then come meet him as quickly as possible because he has shocking information to tell him. He also reveals that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are still traveling to England without him, and says he has a lot to explain about them. Overall, the letter reveals that Hamlet has unexpectedly escaped Claudius's plan to send him to England and is returning to Denmark.

Why didn't Claudius take legal action against Hamlet?

The queen, his mother loves him and hurting Hamlet would hurt her and the people love him and overlook his faults and and see them as virtues. Whatever he said would've backstabbed him like an arrow aimed in the strong wind

"Oh, for two special reasons, Which may to you perhaps seem much unsinewed, But yet to me they are strong. The queen his mother Lives almost by his looks, and for myself— 15My virtue or my plague, be it either which— She's so conjunctive to my life and soul, That, as the star moves not but in his sphere, I could not but by her. The other motive Why to a public count I might not go, 20Is the great love the general gender bear him, Who, dipping all his faults in their affection, Would, like the spring that turneth wood to stone, Convert his gyves to graces —so that my arrows, Too slightly timbered for so loud a wind, 25Would have reverted to my bow again, And not where I had aimed them."

Claudius

What does Hamlets letter to Claudius say?

He has unexpectedly returned to Denmark alone without resources or protection. He wants to meet Claudius to explain the circumstances of his return.

"I'm lost in it, my lord. But let him come. It warms the very sickness in my heart That I shall live and tell him to his teeth, "Thus diddest thou."

Laertes

What's Claudius's new plan in killing Hamlet?

He'll trick him into taking on some new challenge that will kill him and it'll appear as an accident

Claudius says one of Laertes' qualities made Hamlet really jealous. What quality was it?

Fencing/swordmanship

Who visited from Normandy?

a Frenchman from Normandy named Lamord who visited two months earlier and was unbelievably skilled at horseback riding. Claudius says the man seemed to perform "witchcraft" because he moved so naturally with his horse that it looked like the man and horse had become one creature

What does Lamord praise Laertes for?

His incredible fencing skills. Hamlet was jealous and competitive, so he desperately wanted Laertes to return to Denmark so they could fence against each other.

What offensive question did Claudius ask Laertes?

Did he actually love his father

What does Claudius say about love?

Claudius tells Laertes that love and the desire for revenge can fade over time, so if he truly wants to avenge Polonius, he needs to act now. He then challenges Laertes to prove his love for his father through actions by killing Hamlet, rather than just talking about revenge.

How does Claudius want Laertes to kill Hamlet?

cut his throat in church

What's Claudiuses plan to kill Hamlet?

He'll have people praise Laertes when hamlet returns and then he'll bring the two of them together and bet on who will win. Hamlet wont examine the swords before hand so Laertes can easily grab the sharper one and kill him during this "practice duel"

What is Laertes gonna cover his sword with?

Oil from a snake oil salesman. It's super poisonous that there is no cure

What's the backup plan?

Laertes will make sure the duel is super active so Hamlet will want water and when he goes for water Claudius will have a cup of poison ready for him to drink

What happened to Ophelia?

She drowned. She went over to a willow tree to make braided crowns from flowers and climbed the tree to hang her crowns from a bending branch. The branch snapped and she fell. Her clothes absorbed the water and pulled her down as she sang

What is Laertes done acting like?

a woman because they cry

"Too much of water hast thou, poor Ophelia, And therefore I forbid my tears. But yet 205It is our trick. Nature her custom holds, Let shame say what it will. When these are gone, The woman will be out. —Adieu, my lord. I have a speech of fire that fain would blaze, But that this folly doubts it."

Laertes