Hamlet Act IV - key scenes Flashcards
Upon hearing of Hamlet’s murder of Polonius (Act IV, scene i) what is Claudius’s first concern?
As per usual, he is self-absorbed and shows little concern for the murder:
“…O heavy deed
It had been so with us, had we been there”
Give examples of the puzzling answers Hamlet gives in response to being asked where he has stowed Polonius’s body. What do his answers reveal about his character?
To Rosencrantz and Guildenstern:
“The body is with the king, but the king is not with the body”
To Claudius:
“At supper”
“Not where he eats, but where he is eaten”
This utter callousness towards the death of Polonius highlights an unattractive aspect of his character
In his final thoughts of Act IV, scene iii, Claudius reveals his true intents; he hopes the king of England will agree to kill Hamlet. What does he say about the impact Hamlet has on him at this point?
“For like the hectic in my blood rages,
And thou must cure me”
Upon seeing Fortinbras’ troops march to Denmark for the sake of claiming a “little patch of ground”. Hamlet compares himself to the vengeful Fortinbras who is willing to risk everything for honour. What does he say?
“…Rightly to be great
Is not to stir without great argument,
But greatly to find quarrel in a straw
When honour’s at the stake”
At the end of Act IV scene iv, we see a transformation of Hamlets’s character (after seeing Fortinbras’ troops). What is this change and what does Hamlet say?
He is now determined to stop procrastinating and vows to become a violent man of action.
“…O, from this time forth,
My thoughts be bloody, or nothing worth!”
In Act IV scene v (after Ophelia has gone mad), Gertrude feels she is walking on eggshells and fears all around her, worrying Claudius’s sins will be revealed. In an aside she reveals her honest feelings at this point. What does she say?
“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,
In spills itself in fearing to be spilt”
Soon after Laertes returns, furious about his father’s murder, Claudius is able to assure Laertes that he is…
“guiltless of [your] father’s death,
And am most sensible in grief for it”
After seeing the state Ophelia is in after his father’s death, Laertes becomes even more vengeful, saying:
“thy madness shall be paid with weight”
What does Ophelia’s rosemary symbolise?
remembrance
What do Ophelia’s pansies symbolise?
thoughts
What does Ophelia’s fennel symbolise?
infidelity/unfaithfulness
What do Ophelia’s columbines symbolise?
disloyalty and ingratitude
What does Ophelia’s rue symbolise?
repentance
What does Ophelia’s daisy symbolise?
unhappy love
What do Ophelia’s violets symbolise?
fidelity/unfaithfullness
