Hamlet Act IV

Discussion Questions

1. How is sc i ambiguous regarding Gertrudes

conversion from the previous scene?
Has Gertrude reformed?
2. Sc ii is easily identified as comic relief, emphasizing R
and Gs naivet and innocence, but what is the apparent
purpose of scene iv?
3. Why has Ophelia gone mad? How might this be
proven? Why do you suppose Ophelias madness takes on
the form it does?
In Gertrudes description of Ophelias drowning, what
suggests that Ophelia committed suicide? What suggests
that Ophelias death was an accident?
4. Ophelia clearly appears in sc v as a foil for Hamlet.
How? Do they have the same flaw? What?
5. How does the episode described by Hamlets letter to
Horatio illustrate the role of coincidence in Shakespearean
tragedy?
6. When Laertes speaks in this act, he often uses
hyperbolic (over exaggerated) expressions. Find some
examples and what might this imply about him?
7. A past exam question reads: The action of the play
begins to break down after act three. Discuss. Why might
you agree on the basis of Act IV?