Search results
Summary: Act III, scene i. Claudius and Gertrude discuss Hamlet’s behavior with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who say they have been unable to learn the cause of his melancholy. They tell the king and queen about Hamlet’s enthusiasm for the players. Encouraged, Gertrude and Claudius agree that they will see the play that evening.
- Quick Quiz
SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year...
- Act I: Scene I
A summary of Act I: Scene i in William Shakespeare's...
- Related Links
The British Library: Hamlet and Revenge. This extensive...
- Flashcards
SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year...
- Motifs
Shattered by his mother’s decision to marry Claudius so soon...
- Genre
Tragedy. Hamlet is one of the most famous tragedies ever...
- Symbols
Hamlet’s black clothing symbolizes his grief over his...
- Antagonist
The second plan succeeds, but also results in Claudius’s own...
- Quick Quiz
- 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...
Oct 3, 2024 · At the start of Act 4, Gertrude twice tells Claudius that Hamlet's act of killing Polonius was done from Hamlet's insanity. Gertrude isn't the innocent flower that Ophelia is, though. When the ...
Hamlet’s most famous comment about Gertrude is his furious condemnation of women in general: “Frailty, thy name is woman!” (I.ii.146). This comment is as much indicative of Hamlet’s agonized state of mind as of anything else, but to a great extent Gertrude does seem morally frail. She never exhibits the ability to think critically about ...
Gertrude's view of Hamlet's madness. After Gertrude's visit to her chamber and Hamlet’s murder of Polonius, Gertrude tells Claudius that her son is “mad as the sea and wind when both contend”. Some critics interpret this as Gertrude providing a cover story for Hamlet’s true motives.
Poison, Corruption, Death. Summary. Analysis. Claudius and Gertrude warmly welcome Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two of Hamlet’s childhood friends, to Elsinore. Claudius explains that in light of Hamlet ’s recent “transformation” in the time since his father’s death, the purpose of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s visit is to spend ...
People also ask
How do Gertrude and Claudius discuss hamlet's behavior?
How does Claudius plan his action against Hamlet?
Does Gertrude know Claudius' plan to kill Hamlet?
What does Claudius Tell Laertes about Gertrude?
Why is Gertrude concerned about Hamlet?
What do Gertrude and Rosencrantz say to hamlet?
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 ...
