act 3 Flashcards
Hamlet reflects on life and death
Claudius and Polonius spy on Hamlet and wait for him to meet Ophelia so they can see if his love for Ophelia is causing his strange behaviour. Before talking to Ophelia, Hamlet reflects on life and existence delivering his famous speech that starts ‘To be, or not to be, that is the question’.
Hamlet and Ophelia argue
Ophelia returns some of her remembrances’ to Hamlet while Claudius and Polonius watch in secret. Hamlet confuses her by saying ‘I did love you once’ and ‘I loved you not’, before telling her to go to a nunnery and never have any children. This upsets Ophelia .
The player’s play
Hamlet asks Horatio to watch Claudius carefully during the player’s performance to see how he reacts and if he is guilty. Before the p,Ayers begin Hamlet speaks to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and suggests he knows that they have been spying on him. When the king is poisoned in the play, Claudius storms out. Hamlet and Horatio’s suspicions are confirmed.
Claudius’ confession
While Claudius is praying alone he confesses that he murdered his brother for ‘My crown, mine own ambition and my queen’. Hamlet finds Claudius but convinces himself not to kill him while he is praying because his soul would go to heaven, saying ‘And now I’ll do it. And so he goes to heaven’.
Hamlet murders Polonius
Hamlet goes to see his mother and threatens her, accusing her of being immoral. Polonius watches from behind an arras, Hamlet stabs the screen and kills Polonius. He carries on accusing his mother of bad behaviour and then the ghost appears again. When he talks to the ghost, Gertrude believes he is hallucinating and declares ‘Alas, he’s mad!’
Hamlet takes the body
Hamlet tells his mother he is going to England to study with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, as Claudius planned. Gertrude agrees to keep secret what has happened and Hamlet exits, taking Polonius’ dead body with him.
