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Here, Hamlet thinks for the first time about suicide (desiring his flesh to “melt,” and wishing that God had not made “self-slaughter” a sin), saying that the world is “weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable.”. In other words, suicide seems like a desirable alternative to life in a painful world, but Hamlet feels that the option of ...
The phrase "passing through nature to eternity" suggests that death is a natural part of life and leads to a higher spiritual realm. Gertrude's acceptance of death contrasts with Hamlet's preoccupation with it and his desire for revenge, highlighting their differing attitudes towards mortality. “Sweets to the sweet: farewell” (Act V, Scene 1)
Hamlet assumes that Claudius is confessing his sins to God. If he kills him in the act of prayer, Claudius will go to heaven. Hamlet does not see this as the fullest act of revenge that he seeks ...
- Summary: Act IV, Scene I
- Summary: Act IV, Scene II
- Analysis: Act IV, Scenes I–II
Frantic after her confrontation with Hamlet, Gertrude hurries to Claudius, who is conferring with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. She asks to speak to the king alone. When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern exit, she tells Claudius about her encounter with Hamlet. She says that he is as mad as the sea during a violent storm; she also tells Claudius that Ha...
Elsewhere in Elsinore, Hamlet has just finished disposing of Polonius’s body, commenting that the corpse has been “safely stowed” (IV.ii.1). Rosencrantz and Guildenstern appear and ask what he has done with the body. Hamlet refuses to give them a straight answer, instead saying, “The body is with the king, but the king is not with the body” (IV.ii....
The short first scene of Act IV centers around Gertrude’s betrayal of her son, turning him in to the king after having promised to help him. While she does keep her promise not to reveal that Hamlet was only pretending to be insane, the immediate and frank way in which she tells Claudius about Hamlet’s behavior and his murder of Polonius implies th...
Bidding Claudius and Gertrude “good night,” she leaves the hall. Claudius asks Horatio to follow Ophelia and keep an eye on her. After Horatio leaves, Claudius tells Gertrude that Ophelia has fallen victim to the “poison of deep grief” in the wake of her father’s death and Hamlet’s departure for England. Grief is seen as a “poison ...
Jun 2, 2020 · Act 4, scene 5. Reports reach Gertrude that Ophelia is mad. Ophelia enters singing about death and betrayal. After Ophelia has gone, Claudius agonizes over her madness and over the stir created by the return of an angry Laertes. When Laertes breaks in on Claudius and Gertrude, Claudius asserts his innocence with regard to Polonius’s death.
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Looking at class, Claudius, Queen Gertrude, King Claudius, and Prince Hamlet—all royals—die on-stage, but King Hamlet—also a royal—dies off-stage. Ophelia, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern—all nobles—die off-stage, but Laertes—also a noble— dies on-stage. Looking at manner of death, King Hamlet and Gertrude were poisoned; Polonius,
