1) What does Claudius plan to do with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and Hamlet?
He plans to send Hamlet and his ‘friends’ to England. Because Hamlet killed Polonius he actually has a legitimate reason to send him away.
2) What is Polonius going to do while Hamlet speaks with his mother?
(^^ nice order Fielding… he’s not planning on doing anything, he’s dead! Ha ha!)
Okay, but really. He wants to spy on Hamlet, and listen in on their conversation so he hides behind a curtain in her room.
3) List three important things about Claudius’ soliloquy.
a) Claudius feels guilty – he says his deed has the mark of Cain on it because he killed his brother, his kin. (WOAH I KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT THE BIBLE. *gasp*)
b) He wants to pray, but he knows that he cannot because even though he does regret what he did, he doesn’t feel sorry enough for the things he has gained out of it; the queen and the kingdom.
c) He believes that prayer serves two purposes—to keep people from sinning and to bring people forgiveness when they have sinned. However, he also believes that in heaven, every action is judged for exactly what it’s worth – so he basically just wants to pray for forgiveness and then deal with it later.
4/5) Why is it odd that Hamlet sees the king praying? Why doesn’t Hamlet take this opportunity for revenge?
Hamlet sees Claudius praying and thinks it would be the opportune time to kill him, except for the fact that he believes that if you die while you’re praying, you automatically go to heaven. Hamlet doesn’t think that he is worthy of heaven, so he passes on his chance.
Scene IV
1) Describe Polonius’ advice to Gertrude.
He basically told her to be Hamlet’s mother and act like it – make consequences for his actions.
2) What is the significance of the following quote: “How now, a rat? Dead! For a ducat, dead!
He knows that someone is spying on him and his mother, and because he had just seen Claudius praying, he figured it wasn’t him. He knew it was Polonius so he compared him to a rat… he really didn’t like Polonius!
He plans to send Hamlet and his ‘friends’ to England. Because Hamlet killed Polonius he actually has a legitimate reason to send him away.
2) What is Polonius going to do while Hamlet speaks with his mother?
(^^ nice order Fielding… he’s not planning on doing anything, he’s dead! Ha ha!)
Okay, but really. He wants to spy on Hamlet, and listen in on their conversation so he hides behind a curtain in her room.
3) List three important things about Claudius’ soliloquy.
a) Claudius feels guilty – he says his deed has the mark of Cain on it because he killed his brother, his kin. (WOAH I KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT THE BIBLE. *gasp*)
b) He wants to pray, but he knows that he cannot because even though he does regret what he did, he doesn’t feel sorry enough for the things he has gained out of it; the queen and the kingdom.
c) He believes that prayer serves two purposes—to keep people from sinning and to bring people forgiveness when they have sinned. However, he also believes that in heaven, every action is judged for exactly what it’s worth – so he basically just wants to pray for forgiveness and then deal with it later.
4/5) Why is it odd that Hamlet sees the king praying? Why doesn’t Hamlet take this opportunity for revenge?
Hamlet sees Claudius praying and thinks it would be the opportune time to kill him, except for the fact that he believes that if you die while you’re praying, you automatically go to heaven. Hamlet doesn’t think that he is worthy of heaven, so he passes on his chance.
Scene IV
1) Describe Polonius’ advice to Gertrude.
He basically told her to be Hamlet’s mother and act like it – make consequences for his actions.
2) What is the significance of the following quote: “How now, a rat? Dead! For a ducat, dead!
He knows that someone is spying on him and his mother, and because he had just seen Claudius praying, he figured it wasn’t him. He knew it was Polonius so he compared him to a rat… he really didn’t like Polonius!
3) What is odd about the following quote: A bloody dead; almost as bad, good mother, as kill a king and marry with his brother.
This is odd because Hamlet is insinuating that his mother killed the king and then married Claudius… even though that really wasn’t the case at all. This is the first time Hamlet said anything to his mother about his father’s murder, and it’s completely misconstrued because of the way he had said it.
4) Why might Gertrude say, “What have I done, that thou dar’st wag thy tongue in noise so rude against me.”
She is hurt because of the things that Hamlet is saying and what he’s implying that she had done. “What have I done,” means pretty much anything and everything that she has done (especially to upset Hamlet.) For one, she doesn’t think that marrying her husband’s brother was wrong. For two, it seems as if she had no knowledge of any kind of murder, whether she did it or anyone else, which proves that she really didn’t kill the king.
5) What descriptions does Hamlet use to compare his father and his uncle?
King Hamlet
He was kind, gentle, with curly hair and a forehead like a Greek god. His eyes showed authority, and his body was as agile as Mercury landing on a high hill. He believed that because his father had so many good qualities, every god must had blessed him.
Claudius
Hamlet says he’s “like a mildewed ear”. He doesn’t understand what is wrong with his mother, how she could be so blind. “What devil was ’t that thus hath cozened you at hoodman-blind? Eyes without feeling, feeling without sight, ears without hands or eyes, smelling sans all, or but a sickly part of one true sense” He tells her she made a mistake because really, there’s no comparison between the men.
6) What point does Hamlet make by comparing the men?
He makes the point that they aren’t comparable. His father is notably superior in every way. His mother’s an idiot.
7) What is disturbing about the following: Nay, but to live in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed; stewed in corruption; honeying, and making love over the nasty sty.”
He’s saying that she lies in the sweaty stench of her dirty sheets, wet with corruption – hinting at her sex life and how disgusting it is for her to have slept with both his father and uncle… especially in the bed that was once hers and King Hamlets.
8) What stops Hamlet’s ranting and raving at Gertrude? What does this figure tell Hamlet?
The ghost of King Hamlet appears and tells him that he’s scaring and confusing his mother, so he needs to stop and let up a little bit. He also tells him that he isn’t worrying about killing Claudius as much as he should… (he’s too worried about acting crazy and freaking out at his mother!)
9) By the end of the act, Hamlet has made many statements about humanity, in general. Explain a few of his points. Do his opinions reflect his madness.
His “to be or not to be” speech talked about whether or not killing himself was worth it. He said that women who wear makeup make the world more dishonest, and he blames them for making men act crazy. He talks to Horatio and lets him know that he is really the only person that he has left to trust. His friends and family are either spying on him or don’t care about him at all. Hamlet is seriously going mad.
10) Explain the differences between the ghost in Act I with the ghost in Act III. Why might these differences reflect Hamlet’s insanity?
The big difference between the ghosts is that Hamlet actually believes that it’s his father in Act III, in the first act he wasn’t sure and questioned whether or not it was him. Believing that the ghost was his father was made easier when in Act III he seemed to still care for Gertrude.
This is odd because Hamlet is insinuating that his mother killed the king and then married Claudius… even though that really wasn’t the case at all. This is the first time Hamlet said anything to his mother about his father’s murder, and it’s completely misconstrued because of the way he had said it.
4) Why might Gertrude say, “What have I done, that thou dar’st wag thy tongue in noise so rude against me.”
She is hurt because of the things that Hamlet is saying and what he’s implying that she had done. “What have I done,” means pretty much anything and everything that she has done (especially to upset Hamlet.) For one, she doesn’t think that marrying her husband’s brother was wrong. For two, it seems as if she had no knowledge of any kind of murder, whether she did it or anyone else, which proves that she really didn’t kill the king.
5) What descriptions does Hamlet use to compare his father and his uncle?
King Hamlet
He was kind, gentle, with curly hair and a forehead like a Greek god. His eyes showed authority, and his body was as agile as Mercury landing on a high hill. He believed that because his father had so many good qualities, every god must had blessed him.
Claudius
Hamlet says he’s “like a mildewed ear”. He doesn’t understand what is wrong with his mother, how she could be so blind. “What devil was ’t that thus hath cozened you at hoodman-blind? Eyes without feeling, feeling without sight, ears without hands or eyes, smelling sans all, or but a sickly part of one true sense” He tells her she made a mistake because really, there’s no comparison between the men.
6) What point does Hamlet make by comparing the men?
He makes the point that they aren’t comparable. His father is notably superior in every way. His mother’s an idiot.
7) What is disturbing about the following: Nay, but to live in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed; stewed in corruption; honeying, and making love over the nasty sty.”
He’s saying that she lies in the sweaty stench of her dirty sheets, wet with corruption – hinting at her sex life and how disgusting it is for her to have slept with both his father and uncle… especially in the bed that was once hers and King Hamlets.
8) What stops Hamlet’s ranting and raving at Gertrude? What does this figure tell Hamlet?
The ghost of King Hamlet appears and tells him that he’s scaring and confusing his mother, so he needs to stop and let up a little bit. He also tells him that he isn’t worrying about killing Claudius as much as he should… (he’s too worried about acting crazy and freaking out at his mother!)
9) By the end of the act, Hamlet has made many statements about humanity, in general. Explain a few of his points. Do his opinions reflect his madness.
His “to be or not to be” speech talked about whether or not killing himself was worth it. He said that women who wear makeup make the world more dishonest, and he blames them for making men act crazy. He talks to Horatio and lets him know that he is really the only person that he has left to trust. His friends and family are either spying on him or don’t care about him at all. Hamlet is seriously going mad.
10) Explain the differences between the ghost in Act I with the ghost in Act III. Why might these differences reflect Hamlet’s insanity?
The big difference between the ghosts is that Hamlet actually believes that it’s his father in Act III, in the first act he wasn’t sure and questioned whether or not it was him. Believing that the ghost was his father was made easier when in Act III he seemed to still care for Gertrude.
So - what do you think of Hamlet's berating his mother? Is she stupid? Does Hamlet hate women?
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