Hamlet Act Three

Scene One  Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tell Claudius and Gertrude that Hamlet will not tell them why he has lost interest in everything  Claudius and Polonius put their plan to determine if Hamlet is love crazy into action  Polonius says, “We are oft to blame in this, ‘tis too much proved, that with devotion’s visage and pious action we do sugar o’er the devil himself.”  Claudius talks to himself about the terrible guilt he feels

Scene One Continued  To be or not to be” = Hamlet wondering if it is better to live or die  The trouble with dying is that we do not know what happens after death – it could be worse than any misery we feel while living

Scene One Continued  “Ay, there’s the rub, for in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause.”  “The undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns…” = death

Scene One Continued  Hamlet sees Ophelia and when she tries to give back gift he gave her he denies them and denies loving her  He makes fun of her and calls her names  “Get thee to a nunnery.”  Hamlet shows his hatred for women

 “God has given you one face and you make yourselves another.” – Hamlet talking about the evils of women (makeup)  If he could he would make marriages illegal because women are so evil  Ophelia is extremely upset by this because she loved Hamlet “Oh, woe is me.”

Scene One Continued  Claudius does not think he is love crazy, but he believes that Hamlet is planning something and to avoid this he will send Hamlet to England  Polonius wants to be right and asks to have Gertrude try to get Hamlet to tell her his feelings before he is sent to England

Scene Two  Hamlet is worried about how the actors will perform, so he gives them very detailed instructions about how to act.  Horatio knows what the ghost told Hamlet  Hamlet wants Horatio to also watch Claudius’s reaction to the play so he can determine whether or not Claudius really killed King Hamlet

Scene Two Continued  Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius and Ophelia are all there to see the play  Hamlet is rude to Ophelia and makes sexual jokes about her  It has now been 4 months since King Hamlet’s death

Scene Two Continued  Before the play begins the actors mime what the play will be about and they act out King Hamlet’s murder and the queen’s remarriage to the killer  When the play begins the queen promises to only love the king and never remarry if he dies  The lines that Hamlet writes for the actors are also intended to make Gertrude feel bad for her quick remarriage

Scene Two Continued  Hamlet tells Claudius that the name of the play is “The Mousetrap,” which has an obvious double meaning  Hamlet has Lucianus, the king’s nephew, pour poison into the king’s ear to kill him and claim his throne

Scene Two Continued  Claudius reacts to the murder scene by standing up, stopping the play and leaving the room very upset  Hamlet believes this is proof of his guilt, but Horatio does not agree or disagree  Hamlet will go see his mother and use words like daggers

Scene Three  Claudius will send Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to England with Hamlet in order to make sure he gets there  Rosencrantz says, “The cease of majesty dies not alone, but, like a gulf, doth draw what’s near it with it.”  This scene is where the “be prepared,” part of The Lion King comes fro

Scene Three Continued  When Claudius is alone he talks about murdering King Hamlet  “But oh, what form of prayer can serve my turn, ‘Forgive me my foul murder?’”  “May one be pardoned and retain th’ offense.”  Claudius wants to pray for forgiveness of his sin, but he feels he cannot because he is still retaining the benefits of his crime (crown and queen)

Scene Three Continued  Hamlet sees Claudius praying, and probably did not hear his confession, and wants to kill him but he does not  “And am I then revenged to take him in the purging of his soul when he is fit and seasoned for his passage? No.”  Hamlet refuses to kill Claudius when he is repenting and may go to heaven  “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below. Words without thoughts never to heaven go.” - Claudius

Scene 4  Polonius is hiding behind a tapestry in Gertrude’s room when Hamlet comes in  Gertrude is trying to question him about his behavior, but Hamlet will not answer – he will only accuse her of killing King Hamlet  “You shall not budge. You go not till I set you up a glass where you may see the inmost part of you.”

Scene 4 Continued  Gertrude is frightened of Hamlet and yells for help  Hamlet is physically threatening her  Polonius yells for help from his hiding place and Hamlet kills him without knowing who it is he is killing

Scene 4 Continued  Hamlet seems unconcerned that he killed Polonius  He is yelling at Gertrude and trying to get her to confess to her worst sin of marrying Claudius  He holds up a picture of King Hamlet and one of Claudius and compares the two while yelling at his mother  Gertrude is begging him to stop, but he does not listen to her

Scene 4 Continued  The ghost appears and tells Hamlet to leave Gertrude alone and focus on his revenge  Gertrude does not see or hear the ghost and believes that Hamlet is crazy  Hamlet believes he is not crazy and tells Gertrude not to tell Claudius that she thinks he is crazy – he threatens her

Scene 4 Continued  Hamlet wants Gertrude to stop being affectionate with Claudius to at least try to be a good person in his opinion  He is going to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and hints that he is planning more violence