Act 4, Scene 6
English Lit: OCR A Level - Hamlet, topic 2.4.6
Key Events & Ideas in Act 4, Scene 6
Horatio receives a letter from Hamlet, who says he was taken prisoner by pirates before negotiating his release. Hamlet asks Horatio to pass on letters to the King and then to follow the messengers who will take him to Hamlet.
Mystery of Hamlet's letter
- Hamlet insists that Horatio travels to meet him.
- Hamlet’s letter withholds information from Horatio and the audience, but promises that Hamlet has tales to tell which both will find shocking (“make thee dumb”). Likewise, we do not know the contents of the letters given to the King. Is Hamlet putting a plan into action?
Tone of urgency in Hamlet's letter
- Hamlet: “Repair thou to me with as much speed as thou wouldst fly death”
- There is a tone of urgency and determination in Hamlet’s letter. This suggests that Hamlet may be animated by the new note of resolve and action which was sounded at the end of Act 4, Scene 4. Momentum is building before the final Act.
Increasing tension & mistrust
- There is a growing atmosphere of mistrust in the play, with Hamlet and Claudius both engaged in a dangerous game of deception and double-dealing.
- The audience knows that Claudius is beginning to ‘work on’ Laertes, telling Laertes only partial truths concerning the death of his father to remove himself from any blame or responsibility.
- Likewise, Hamlet has “words to speak” to Horatio which he cannot trust to write in a letter in case it falls into Claudius’ hands.
- This all adds to the excitement of the drama.
Test yourself on Act 4, Scene 6
What does Hamlet say in his letter to Horatio?