1. Hamlet Act IV

2. Hamlet’s Foils
Fortinbras = raises an army to fight a senseless battle for the principle of honor
Laertes = gives no thought for his immortal soul to avenge a father’s senseless death

3. Claudius’ Politic Genius
Pressures Fortinbras’ uncle to thwart Fortinbras’ advances
Sends off Hamlet to avoid upheaval from Danes devoted to him
Forges an alliance with Laertes to avoid overthrow

4. Claudius’ Politic Genius
Feeding imagery = dog-eat-dog court machinations
Disease imagery = underscores the corruption of the garden

5. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Increasingly in Claudius’ inner circle (sponge metaphor)
Sent to dispatch Hamlet to England (petard metaphor)

6. Hamlet’s Character
Hamlet now in league with darker elements (pirates?)
Accidental or intentional plan?
Follows Hamlet’s “thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth” soliloquy

7. Hamlet’s Character
Weak = does not kills Claudius, foolishly kills Polonius
Over-intellectualizes actions
Torn between honor and taboo

8. Hamlet’s Character
Strong = similar circumstances drive Ophelia truly mad and coax Laertes into criminal deceit
Strong = Hamlet’s polarized virtue leaves him to struggle with the most complex of spiritual issues

9. Ophelia’s Madness Parallels Hamlet’s decline Parent’s death
Loss of a confidant, discarded by Hamlet
Yet Ophelia is truly mad

10. Ophelia’s Madness Associated with the perfect rose in the garden
Gives rue (regret) to Gertude = sorrow
Violets withered = no faithfulness/ garden gone to weeds

11. Ophelia’s Madness Distributes the other flowers = to whom?
Fennel = deceit
Daisy = dissembling
Rosemary = remembrance

12. Ophelia’s Madness Favorite image of the Pre-Raphaelite artists
Image of abused womanhood
Innocence corrupted
Dutiful daughter
Virgin/whore archetypes (nunnery)

13. Millais

14. Waterhouse

15. Waterhouse

16. Waterhouse

17. Hughes

18. Hughes