2.4.2

Act 4, Scenes 2-3

Test yourself on Act 4, Scenes 2-3

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Key Events in Act 4, Scenes 2-3

Hamlet refuses to give Polonius' body to Rosencrantz. When taken to the King, Hamlet and Claudius have a bitter exchange before Hamlet reveals where the body is.

Key events in Act 4, Scenes 2-3

Key events in Act 4, Scenes 2-3

  • The King, when left alone, reveals in a soliloquy that he has written letters to the English court requesting Hamlet’s death.
Black comedy & puns

Black comedy & puns

  • Hamlet and Claudius’ exchange is full of black comedy, with Hamlet making a pun in poor taste about Polonius being “at supper” when being eaten by worms and almost taunting Claudius that he will suffer the same fate and eventually “progress through the guts of a beggar”.
Tension: Hamlet & Claudius

Tension: Hamlet & Claudius

  • Hamlet: For England?
    King: Ay, Hamlet.
    Hamlet: Good.
    King: So is it, if thou knew’st our purposes.
    • The tension between both men lies in what each knows but which neither can say in public. Hamlet knows that his journey to England puts his life in danger, while Claudius knows he must tread carefully in disposing of Hamlet: he is too popular with the public to be treated as a common criminal and a trial would risk Hamlet revealing all about the death of his father.
Significance of **"purposes"**

Significance of "purposes"

  • Claudius, however, can hardly restrain himself and, in talking darkly of his “purposes” (i.e. the death sentence contained in the letters to England), he comes close to taunting Hamlet with the fate that awaits him.

Key Ideas in Act 4, Scenes 2-3 - The Villain

In this scene, the audience finally sees Claudius acting as the cold-blooded murderer described by the Ghost in Act One.

Claudius' deceiving of Hamlet

Claudius' deceiving of Hamlet

  • He tells Hamlet and his court that the voyage to England is necessary to preserve Hamlet’s “safety” and then, twenty lines later, reveals in a soliloquy his plan to have Hamlet murdered by the English.
Claudius' calculating nature

Claudius' calculating nature

  • Claudius is calculated and cunning in this scene. He knows that, for the moment, he has the upper hand over Hamlet and can seize his opportunity to have Hamlet murdered in a way that will leave him free from any guilt or responsibility.
  • At one moment, when taunting Hamlet over his secret “purposes”, he may seem on the verge of losing his control and revealing his plan but he quickly recomposes himself to assure Hamlet he is his “loving father”.
**“The hectic in my blood”**

“The hectic in my blood”

  • However, the final line of A3S4 sees him on edge, unable to rest easily until he knows that Hamlet has been killed.
  • He describes Hamlet as being “the hectic in my blood”, as if Hamlet’s knowledge of his crime has somehow infected him, attacking his nervous system like a fever.
  • Again, Shakespeare uses the imagery of sickness and disease to express the corruption at the heart of Denmark caused by Claudius’ crime.
Jump to other topics
1

Introduction

1.1

Introduction & Background to Hamlet

1.1.1Introduction to Hamlet1.1.2The Literary Tradition of the Hamlet Story1.1.3Introduction to the Settings in Hamlet1.1.4Introduction to Social Issues Raised
2

Plot Summary

2.1

Act 1: Key Events & Ideas

2.1.1Act 1, Scene 12.1.2Act 1, Scene 22.1.3Act 1, Scene 32.1.4Act 1, Scenes 4-5
2.2

Act 2: Key Events & Ideas

2.2.1Act 2, Scene 12.2.2Act 2, Scene 2
2.3

Act 3: Key Events & Ideas

2.3.1Act 3, Scene 1: Key Events2.3.2Act 3, Scene 1: Key Ideas2.3.3Act 3, Scene 22.3.4Act 3, Scene 32.3.5Act 3, Scene 4
2.4

Act 4: Key Events & Ideas

2.4.1Act 4, Scene 12.4.2Act 4, Scenes 2-32.4.3Act 4, Scene 42.4.4Act 4, Scene 5: Key Events2.4.5Act 4, Scene 5: Key Ideas2.4.6Act 4, Scene 62.4.7Act 4, Scene 7
2.5

Act 5: Key Events & Ideas

2.5.1Act 5, Scene 1: Key Events2.5.2Act 5, Scene 2: Key Events2.5.3Act 5, Scene 2: Key Ideas
3

Character Profiles

3.1

Hamlet

3.1.1Hamlet's Speech & Mind3.1.2Hamlet's Heroic Status3.1.3Hamlet's State of Mind3.1.4Hamlet's Indecision/Action Taking
3.2

Claudius

3.2.1Claudius' Crime3.2.2Changing Impressions of Claudius
3.3

Gertrude

3.3.1Mystery & Hamlet's View of Gertrude3.3.2Gertrude's Character3.3.3Gertrude's Relationship with Hamlet
3.4

Ophelia

3.4.1Ophelia
3.5

Polonius

3.5.1Portrayal of Polonius & Treatment of Ophelia3.5.2Polonius' Spying & Death
3.6

Laertes

3.6.1Laertes' Popularity & Relationship with Ophelia3.6.2Laertes' Character Traits
4

Key Themes

4.1

Regicide in Hamlet

4.1.1Regicide in Hamlet
4.2

Madness in Hamlet

4.2.1Madness in Hamlet
4.3

Guilt & Punishment in Hamlet

4.3.1Guilt in Hamlet4.3.2Punishment in Hamlet
4.4

Settings in Hamlet

4.4.1Physical Settings & Historical Setting of Hamlet
5

Writing Techniques

5.1

Structure

5.1.1Structure of Hamlet5.1.2'Play Within a Play' Structure5.1.3Play-Acting Motif
5.2

Form

5.2.1Soliloquy5.2.2Comedy
5.3

Imagery

5.3.1Imagery of Corruption & Decay5.3.2Imagery: Healing, Performance & Costume
5.4

Language

5.4.1Word Usage & Hendiadys5.4.2Questions & Classical Allusions
6

Context

6.1

Social & Historical Context

6.1.1Elizabeth I & Succession6.1.2Cosmic & Social Hierarchy6.1.3Renaissance & Emergence of Humanism6.1.4Regicide6.1.5The Reformation
6.2

Literary Context

6.2.1Seneca Tragedy6.2.2The Revenge Tragedy
6.3

Performance & Textual History

6.3.1Performance History of Hamlet6.3.2Textual History of Hamlet
7

Critical Debates

7.1

18-19th Century Responses to Hamlet

7.1.1Introduction to Critical Debates7.1.218th Century Commentary on Hamlet7.1.3Romantic Commentary on Hamlet
7.2

20th Century Responses to Hamlet

7.2.1Freudian Response to Hamlet7.2.2Other Early 20th Century Responses to Hamlet
7.3

Feminist Readings of Hamlet

7.3.1Introduction to Feminist Criticism7.3.2Feminist Readings of Hamlet7.3.3Presentation of Ophelia
7.4

Marxist/Political Readings of Hamlet

7.4.1Introduction to Marxist Criticisms7.4.2Marxist Readings of Hamlet

Practice questions on Act 4, Scenes 2-3

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  1. 1
    What has the King requested in his letters to the English court?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    What dark comedy does Shakespeare use in Hamlet's words in A4S3?Fill in the list
  3. 3
    What does Claudius mean by **"purposes"**?<br><br>King: <b>So is it, if thou knew’st our purposes</b>Multiple choice
  4. 4
    How does Claudius describe Hamlet in the final line of A4S3?Multiple choice
  5. 5
    What quotations does Claudius use in Act 4, Scenes 2 and 3?True / false
Answer all questions on Act 4, Scenes 2-3

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Act 4, Scene 1

Act 4, Scene 4