Act 4 Hamlet Flashcards
What is Claudius’ overall goal upon learning Hamlet killed Polonius?
He asked Gertrude where Hamlet was at the time & she replied, saying that Hamlet heard something behind the tapestry and ended up killing Polonius with his sword
What does Hamlet mean when he calls Rosencrantz a sponge?
Hamlet means that he says Rosencrantz is soaking up all the King’s approval, rewards, and decisions
Why is Claudius afraid to punish Hamlet severely?
Claudius is afraid because he stated that the people love Hamlet based on his appearance and wouldn’t want to kill Hamlet yet
What does Hamlet mean in his discussion about worms?
Hamlet means that he’s comparing different-sized worms based on the emperors and King & is describing how Claudius seems to be treating them
What is Claudius’ plan for Hamlet when he goes to England?
He wants people to follow Hamlet, on-foot, so Claudius makes sure that he’s not still there by tonight
Whose troops does Hamlet encounter?
The troops that Hamlet encounters belong to the King of Norway
What is going on with Ophelia?
Ophelia is said to be “going crazy” as she talks about her father a lot & she hears conspiracies around the world that drive her mad
What news does the messenger bring?
The news that the messenger brings is that people are wanting Laertes to become king instead of having Claudius contain the throne
What is significant about the flowers Ophelia gives Claudius and Gertrude?
Rosemary, symbolizes adultery; Daisies, symbolize unhappy love; and Violets, symbolize faithfulness
What has happened to Hamlet on his journey to England?
A pirate ship pursued Hamlet and his ship while going to England; Hamlet gets kidnapped by pirates
Once Claudius receives the letter from Hamlet, what does he promise Laertes will happen to him (Hamlet)?
Claudius promises Laertes that he’ll be able to kill Hamlet soon
What does Claudius say is Laertes most notable skill?
Claudius says that Laertes’ most notable skill was to care
What is Claudius’ plan to kill Hamlet?
His plan to kill him is to challenge him in a fencing match
How does Laertes add to this plan?
He adds that he’d add poison on the tip of his blade to hopefully slice into Hamlet so he slowly dies
What happened to Ophelia?
Ophelia had drowned because her clothes get too heavy to be able to swim up whenever they got wet and then ended up drowning
