1. Hamlet Act Three

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6.  “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.”

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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)

15. 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

16. 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.”

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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