Hamlet Act 4

Act IV, Scene 1

1. What is Claudius' main fear in the immediate aftermath of Polonius' death?

He’s afraid because of Hamlet’s madness – that that could have been him, or could have been meant for him. He’s also afraid that the kingdom and the people of Denmark will blame him because Hamlet’s out of control and he’s not fixing it.

Act IV, Scene 2

1. What does Hamlet refuse to tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?

Hamlet kind of plays with his friends using his words – he won’t tell them where to find Polonius’ body. “The body is with the king, but the king is not with the body.” Claudius isn’t the king – he’s the face of the state. Polonius is dead, with the real king, Hamlet’s father. HA HA… clever.

Act IV, Scene 3

1. What image does Hamlet use (ll. 19-29) to warn Claudius he's only king temporarily?

Hamlet tells Claudius that Polonius is at supper, and he asks where. Hamlet replies that it’s not where he’s eating, but where he’s being eaten – that people fatten up other creates to eat them, when all people are doing is fattening themselves for worms to eat when they’re dead. There’s no difference between a fat king and a skinny beggar once they’re dead. (26-27) A man can fish with the worm that ate a king, and then eat the fish he catches with that worm.

2. Claudius ends the scene by writing a letter: to whom, and what order does it contain?

Claudius is afraid of what Hamlet is capable of, and because he killed Polonius, Claudius has a reasonable excuse to send him away. Claudius writes to the King of England to tell him that he’s sending Hamlet there. He orders him to kill Hamlet when he gets there.

Act IV, Scene 4

1. What's the value of the land Fortinbras' army is marching to capture in Poland (l. 20)? What will the invasion itself cost (l. 25)?

The value of the land is 20,000 ducats, and the invasion of Poland itself costs 2,000 souls & 20,000 ducats.

2. Hamlet's soliloquy (ll. 32-66) is self-critical; summarize his main fault.

His main fault is the same fault he’s had since he first saw his father – he’s afraid of taking action against his uncle. Hamlet is inspired by Fortinbras’ army because no matter what the battle or the importance; he’s prepared and able to take action. Hamlet knows that to be truly great it doesn’t mean you’d only fight for a good reason, it means you’d fight over nothing if your honor were at stake. He knows he’s being a coward, but also that he needs to do what was asked of him from his father.

Act IV, Scene 5

1. Ophelia's songs during her first appearance in this scene deal with love, death and sex. Why? What do they tell us about her at the moment? What might they reveal about Her, Hamlet and Polonius?

Ophelia is just as crazy as Hamlet. She kind of makes some weird accusations – she basically said that Hamlet had sex with her, and because of that he doesn’t want to marry her because she’s unpure for losing her virginity before marriage. Hamlet and Polonius are the two big reasons that she’s crazy – they both left her, and well, Hamlet killed her father…awkward.

2. Why is Laertes a danger to Claudius' throne (ll. 98-103)? (Actually two or three related reasons.)

3. What does Claudius offer as assurance that he had no part in Polonius' death (ll. 190-9)?

He told Laertes to go find his best friends to listen to both of them to see who was telling the truth, and if they found Claudius to be lying he offered Laertes his kingdom, the crown, his life, and everything he called his own.

Act IV, Scene 6

1. Horatio receives a letter from Hamlet explaining how he escaped from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. How did he?

Pirates captured hamlet. He was the only one taken, was treated well, and was asked to do a favor for them.

Act IV, Scene 7

1. What reason does Claudius give Laertes for Hamlet's killing of Polonius (ll. 1-4)?

The most obvious reason – Hamlet was trying to kill Claudius not Polonius. Easy to believe.

2. What are his two reasons for not charging Hamlet with murder (ll. 9-24)?

The first is that the queen loves Hamlet too much to charge him, and Claudius doesn’t want to upset her. The second is that the people of Denmark love Hamlet, and if Claudius were to do anything to Hamlet it could cause an uprising.

3. Claudius reveals that Laertes is famous for his skill with the rapier (a fencing weapon) and that Hamlet is envious of this fame.

He’s trying to get Laertes to kill Hamlet. Claudius says that people should do what they intend to do right when they intend it. People’s intentions weaken and delay as time goes by. He wants Laertes to prove that he’s his fathers son, that he cares about his father by killing Hamlet and avenging his death.

4. How does Claudius plan to exploit this envy to give Laertes a chance for (publicly) guiltless revenge (ll. 126-38)?

Have a fencing competition! Claudius believes that no one can match Laertes fencing skills. Claudius wants to make Laertes' sword actually sharp, when Hamlet's won't be. Laertes then one-ups that and says that he also wants to poison his sword. Claudius decides that he'll also poison a glass of wine - Hamlet will die either way.

5. How does Laertes refine the plan (ll. 138-147)?

Laertes… is a little darker than Claudius in his plan making, and instead says that he’ll cut Hamlet’s throat in church. *gulp*

6. What announcement does Gertrude make to end Act IV?

She announced that Ophelia died in a stream. Suicide perhaps.