Hamlet Act 3.1 Quotes Flashcards
starts
in media res - invading privacy, urgency
lunacy
With turbulent and dangerous lunacy? - claud
about hamlet, threat to Elsinore? Claudius? Himself?
loneliness
That show of such an exercise may color
Your loneliness.—
pol
Abstract noun of “loneliness”, the human feeling reduced to an weapon against Hamlet.
to be
To be or not to be—that is the question:
ham
Get thee to a nunnery
ham
Nunnery = literally, a place where virgins are kept isolated in the service of God
= Elizabethan slang for brothelEssentially this speech, and Hamlet’s later “Lie in your lap” is bullying, not only b/c it’s accusing Ophelia of sexual impropriety… Ophelia CANNOT even RESPOND! Why? A young woman cannot even admit to knowing, much less practising, sexuality.
breeder
Why wouldst thou be
a breeder of sinners?
ham
St Augustine and Hobbes
crawling
What should such fellows as I do crawling
between earth and heaven?
ham
he feels caught between action and inaction, earth and heaven, and mortal imperfection and spiritual ideals. The line reflects Hamlet’s self-loathing, his despair over the futility of life, and his broader philosophical exploration of what it means to exist in a world defined by ambiguity, corruption, and decay.
fool
Or if thou wilt needs marry,
marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what 150
monsters you make of them.
The line encapsulates Hamlet’s deep cynicism about relationships, his belief in the inevitability of betrayal, and his misogynistic worldview that sees women as the source of male suffering.
forcing
But with much forcing of his disposition.
guild
Guildenstern and Rosencrantz recognize Hamlet’s “antic disposition” as a deliberate act but fail to fully grasp his underlying intentions or the depth of his feigned madness.
espials
lawful espials
claud
The phrase “lawful espials” embodies a striking contradiction in Hamlet, as it seeks to legitimize the morally dubious act of spying, reflecting the play’s exploration of deceit and manipulation cloaked in the guise of duty and authority.
beautied
The harlot’s cheek beautied with plast’ring art
Is not more ugly
claud
saying women are more deceptive yet using a ophelia to be deceptive. hypocritical
withdraw
*They withdraw.
when hamlet is coming
intensifies the dramatic tension by exposing the deceptive scheming of Claudius and Polonius while deepening the audience’s awareness of Hamlet’s isolation and mistrust.
