Act IV Hamlet Questions

Christie

ii. 3. In this scene, Hamlet makes it know to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern his true intentions
about the king’s future, how he thinks that the king is good for nothing and better off dead. It is
also shown that Hamlet has no intentions in pretending that he didn’t kill Polonius, and that he
knows of the king’s plans. Without this scene, the audience would not really see the turning
point of Hamlet where he no longer cares what others think about his actions or intentions. It
also lets the king know (through Rosencrantz and Guildenstern) that Hamlet knows of his plans.

iii. 6. In this scene, the Claudius tells of his plan to Hamlet of sending him off to England, for
Hamlet’s good. In the king’s soliloquy it is shown what his true intentions really are for Hamlet.
He has prepared letters asking the English king, whom Denmark has recently defeated in war,
to execute Hamlet. He think that it will be carried out successfully because England fears
Denmark and feels the need to pay tribute to and won’t disobey orders given.

iv. 9. In this soliloquy, Hamlet first of all is struggling as he feels guilty for not already carrying
out the revenge. He is confused as he has been given all the right opportunities and resources
to finish the task, but he hasn’t. He thinks to himself that if Fortinbras can risk everything to
take action, why shouldn’t he be able to? Hamlet then resets his mind to bloody thoughts, and
ironically after the speech, decides to continue to England. Hamlet is indeed repeating himself
with his regrets and the turning to thoughts of suicide. He again goes back and forth about
what he thinks about the situation, deciding again to not take action.

v. 11. Ophelia madness comes to life in this scene and the reasons behind it are revealed in her
words and songs. She has gone crazy first off because of the sudden death of her father. It has
left her in a state of confusion and chaos about really what to do next. She is angry about the
sudden and swift funeral without really the mourning of her father’s death. She also is in this
state because of Hamlet’s words and actions towards her. She has been told to stay clear of
him and as seen in a song struggles with the pressure of staying pure and innocent. She is
bombarded with so many opinions about how she should act and she doesn’t know how to
respond to it, thus going crazy.

vii. 17. Polonius’ death has a huge impact on the events to come within the play. It is the
turning point for Hamlet of how he wants to deal with the situation, starting to make rash
decisions without fully thinking them out. This of course builds the plot leading the play to the
climax. The death also fueled Laertes’ anger and urge to finish off Hamlet. It causes the King
and Laertes to plan out the best plan of attack to kill Hamlet. The death also contributes to
Ophelia’s drowning or suicide as it is a cause of her madness.
22. The root of Ophelia’s madness and Hamlet’s madness were the death of their fathers. This
sudden change in their lives came as a shock to both and their attempt to adjust to the
situation could be interpreted as madness. Although they were similar in this way, Ophelia’s
madness also was due to the ‘heartbreak’ that she was going through and the rejection she
faced when she may have still loved Hamlet. Hamlet’s madness on the other hand was mostly
due to the question of revenge and how to successfully execute his father’s plan. He goes
through the pain of his mother’s betrayal and his uncle’s deception as well.

29. I would agree with this quotation as I think that Ophelia was on the verge of suicide anyway.
She was in such a state of pain and grief that she had come to the point of not caring anymore.
Even if these weren’t her original intentions when she went near the water, while death
loomed nearer and nearer I can imagine her coming to embrace the idea of leaving this life for
the next. I think that her death was inevitable and that even if she didn’t purposefully try to
die, she soon would have tried.