Hamlet Act III

Scene 1 Hamlet and Ophelia He is very cruel to her: “Get thee to a nunnery!” I loved you…I never loved you. She is distraught: “O what a noble mind is here o’erthrown.” Polonius still thinks Hamlet is in love with Ophelia Claudius: “Madness in great ones must not unwatched go.”

Scene 2 Hamlet instructs the players: don’t overact He asks Horatio to watch his uncle during the play: “When thou see’st the act afoot, …observe my Uncle.” If he does not act guilty, then “it is a damned ghost that we have seen / And my imaginations are as foul…” He sits with Ophelia and teases her The jerk!

Player King and Player Queen discuss whether the Queen will remarry after his death Gertrude: “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” He tells Claudius that the play is called “The Mousetrap.” When the murder occurs, Claudius calls for lights: this is the climax of the play! Hamlet is no longer in control.

Hamlet is thrilled that his plan worked! R & G come to tell him that his mother wants to see him in her chambers He accuses them of “playing” him. “…do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe? Call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me, you cannot play upon me.”

Scene 3 Claudius tells R & G to prepare to go to England with Hamlet They reveal their true allegiance to be with the King Polonius tells Claudius that Hamlet has gone to Gertrude’s chambers He’ll hide behind a curtain AGAIN

Claudius is alone He attempts to pray “O my offense is rank, it smells to heaven;” He knows he cannot be forgiven He won’t give up “my crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.” Hamlet enters

Won’t kill Claudius while he is praying Claudius didn’t do this for his father “He took my father, grossly full of bread, with all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May;” To kill Claudius now would be “hire and salary, not revenge.” He’ll kill him while he is doing the devil’s work

Dramatic Irony We know Claudius can’t pray “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below/ Words without thoughts never to heaven go.” Yet another example of Hamlet thinking too much!

Scene 4 Polonius tells Gertrude that he’ll hide while she speaks to Hamlet Bad move! Hamlet confronts his mother “As bad, good mother / As kill a king and marry with his brother.”

Hamlet’s anger towards his mother False marriage vows Shows pictures of father and Claudius: compares his father to a god Your too told for this “You cannot call it love, for at your age / The heyday of the blood is tame.” Where is your shame?

Gertrude admits some guilt “Thou has’t turn’st my eyes into my very soul, / And there see I such black and grained spots…” The ghost appears and tells Hamlet not to forget to get revenge. Gertrude cannot see him; thinks Hamlet is mad: “How is it with you, / That you bend your eye on vacancy / And with th’incorporal air hold discourse?”

Hamlet to Gertrude “Confess yourself to heaven.” Do not go to Claudius’ bed Admits that he is acting mad; do not let Claudius know this Knows he must go to England with his two schoolfellows, who he trusts like adders fanged He knows they are snakes; he plans to beat them at their own game