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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.
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Did Gertrude have an affair with Claudius before he killed...
- Act I: Scene I
A summary of Act I: Scene i in William Shakespeare's...
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The British Library: Hamlet and Revenge. This extensive...
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Shattered by his mother’s decision to marry Claudius so soon...
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Tragedy. Hamlet is one of the most famous tragedies ever...
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Hamlet’s black clothing symbolizes his grief over his...
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The second plan succeeds, but also results in Claudius’s own...
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- 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...
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.
Summary: Act II, scene ii. Within the castle, Claudius and Gertrude welcome Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two of Hamlet’s friends from Wittenberg. Increasingly concerned about Hamlet’s erratic behavior and his apparent inability to recover from his father’s death, the king and queen have summoned his friends to Elsinore in the hope that ...
Oct 4, 2024 · In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Gertrude plays a significant role as a character manipulated by Claudius to legitimize his rule, unaware of his murderous intentions or the plots against her son, Hamlet ...
Polonius arrives with the ambassador Voltemand in tow, both bearing good news. Voltemand tells Claudius that the King of Norway has put a stop to Prince Fortinbras’ threats, and Fortinbras has vowed not to attack Denmark. Polonius then tells Gertrude and Claudius that he thinks Hamlet’s behavior is due to his feelings for Ophelia.
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What does Claudius Tell Laertes about Gertrude?
Analysis. Gertrude, Claudius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern are gathered in the hall. Claudius asks Gertrude what’s bothering her—she asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to leave, and they do. Gertrude tells Claudius that he wouldn’t believe what she’s seen tonight: Hamlet is entirely mad, and has slain Polonius in a hallucinatory rage.
