Act 4, Scenes 2-3

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

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

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

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"

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

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 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”

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.

1Introduction

1.1Introduction & Background to Hamlet

1.1.1Introduction to Hamlet

1.1.2The Literary Tradition of the Hamlet Story

1.1.3Introduction to the Settings in Hamlet

1.1.4Introduction to Social Issues Raised

2Plot Summary

2.1Act 1: Key Events & Ideas

2.1.1Act 1, Scene 1

2.1.2Act 1, Scene 2

2.1.3Act 1, Scene 3

2.1.4Act 1, Scenes 4-5

2.2Act 2: Key Events & Ideas

2.2.1Act 2, Scene 1

2.2.2Act 2, Scene 2

2.3Act 3: Key Events & Ideas

2.3.1Act 3, Scene 1: Key Events

2.3.2Act 3, Scene 1: Key Ideas

2.3.3Act 3, Scene 2

2.3.4Act 3, Scene 3

2.3.5Act 3, Scene 4

2.4Act 4: Key Events & Ideas

2.4.1Act 4, Scene 1

2.4.2Act 4, Scenes 2-3

2.4.3Act 4, Scene 4

2.4.4Act 4, Scene 5: Key Events

2.4.5Act 4, Scene 5: Key Ideas

2.4.6Act 4, Scene 6

2.4.7Act 4, Scene 7

2.5Act 5: Key Events & Ideas

2.5.1Act 5, Scene 1: Key Events

2.5.2Act 5, Scene 2: Key Events

2.5.3Act 5, Scene 2: Key Ideas

3Character Profiles

3.1Hamlet

3.1.1Hamlet's Speech & Mind

3.1.2Hamlet's Heroic Status

3.1.3Hamlet's State of Mind

3.1.4Hamlet's Indecision/Action Taking

3.2Claudius

3.2.1Claudius' Crime

3.2.2Changing Impressions of Claudius

3.3Gertrude

3.3.1Mystery & Hamlet's View of Gertrude

3.3.2Gertrude's Character

3.3.3Gertrude's Relationship with Hamlet

3.4Ophelia

3.4.1Ophelia

3.5Polonius

3.5.1Portrayal of Polonius & Treatment of Ophelia

3.5.2Polonius' Spying & Death

3.6Laertes

3.6.1Laertes' Popularity & Relationship with Ophelia

3.6.2Laertes' Character Traits

4Key Themes

4.1Regicide in Hamlet

4.1.1Regicide in Hamlet

4.2Madness in Hamlet

4.2.1Madness in Hamlet

4.3Guilt & Punishment in Hamlet

4.3.1Guilt in Hamlet

4.3.2Punishment in Hamlet

4.4Settings in Hamlet

4.4.1Physical Settings & Historical Setting of Hamlet

5Writing Techniques

5.1Structure

5.1.1Structure of Hamlet

5.1.2'Play Within a Play' Structure

5.1.3Play-Acting Motif

5.2Form

5.2.1Soliloquy

5.2.2Comedy

5.3Imagery

5.3.1Imagery of Corruption & Decay

5.3.2Imagery: Healing, Performance & Costume

5.4Language

5.4.1Word Usage & Hendiadys

5.4.2Questions & Classical Allusions

6Context

6.1Social & Historical Context

6.1.1Elizabeth I & Succession

6.1.2Cosmic & Social Hierarchy

6.1.3Renaissance & Emergence of Humanism

6.1.4Regicide

6.1.5The Reformation

6.2Literary Context

6.2.1Seneca Tragedy

6.2.2The Revenge Tragedy

6.3Performance & Textual History

6.3.1Performance History of Hamlet

6.3.2Textual History of Hamlet

7Critical Debates

7.118-19th Century Responses to Hamlet

7.1.1Introduction to Critical Debates

7.1.218th Century Commentary on Hamlet

7.1.3Romantic Commentary on Hamlet

7.220th Century Responses to Hamlet

7.2.1Freudian Response to Hamlet

7.2.2Other Early 20th Century Responses to Hamlet

7.3Feminist Readings of Hamlet

7.3.1Introduction to Feminist Criticism

7.3.2Feminist Readings of Hamlet

7.3.3Presentation of Ophelia

7.4Marxist/Political Readings of Hamlet

7.4.1Introduction to Marxist Criticisms

7.4.2Marxist Readings of Hamlet

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