Hamlet Act 3

Claudius and Polonius intend to spy on.. Hamlet’s confrontation with Ophelia
Describe Hamlet’s soliloquy when walking in the lobby. He says that the miseries of life are such that no one would willingly bear them, except that they are afraid of “something after death”. Because we do not know what to expect in the afterlife, we would rather “bear those ills we have”. In mid-thought, Hamlet sees Ophelia approaching.
Ophelia tells Hamlet that she wishes to return the tokens of love he has given her and he.. denies having given her anything. He laments the dishonesty of beauty, and claims both to have loved Ophelia once and never to have loved her at all. Bitterly commenting on the wretchedness of humankind, he urges Ophelia to enter a nunnery rather than become a “breeder of sinners”. He criticizes women for making men behave like monsters and for contributing to the world’s dishonesty by painting their faces to appear more beautiful than they are. Working himself into a rage, Hamlet denounces Ophelia, women, and humankind in general, saying that he wishes to end all marriages.
Claudius says that Hamlet’s strange behavior has clearly not been caused by love for Ophelia and that his speech does not seem like the speech of insanity but that he fears.. that melancholy sits on something dangerous in Hamlet’s soul like a bird sits on her egg, and that he fears what will happen when it hatches.
Where is Claudius going to send Hamlet in the hope that a change of scenery might help him get over his troubles? England.
Polonius asks Claudius to send Hamlet to Gertrude’s chamber after the play, where Polonius can.. hide again and watch unseen; he hopes to learn whether Hamlet is really mad with love for Ophelia.
Hamlet asks Horatio to watch.. Claudius carefully during the play so that they might compare their impressions of his behavior afterward.
Claudius is alone after the play, and he.. expresses his guilt and grief over his sin. He longs to ask for forgiveness, but says that he is unprepared to give up that which he gained by committing the murder, namely, the crown and the queen. He falls to his knees and begins to pray.
When the murderer pours the poison into the sleeping king’s ear during the play, Claudius.. rises and cries out for light.
Badly shaken by the play and now considering Hamlet’s madness to be dangerous, Claudius asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to.. escort Hamlet on a voyage to England and to depart immediately.
Polonius urges the queen to.. be harsh with Hamlet when he arrives, saying that she should chastise him for his recent behavior.
Hamlet sees the opportunity to kill Claudius while he is praying but he decides not to because.. if he ends the king’s life while he was seeking forgiveness for his sins, it would send Claudius’s soul to heaven. This is hardly an adequate revenge, Hamlet thinks, especially since Claudius, by killing Hamlet’s father before he had time to make his last confession, ensured that his brother would not go to heaven. Hamlet decides to wait, resolving to kill Claudius when the king is sinning—when he is either drunk, angry, or lustful.
Polonius plans to hide in order to eavesdrop on Gertrude’s confrontation with her son, in the hope that.. doing so will enable him to determine the cause of Hamlet’s bizarre and threatening behavior.
Gertrude tells Hamlet that he has offended.. his father, meaning his stepfather, Claudius.
Hamlet tells his mother that she has offended.. his father, meaning the dead King Hamlet, by marrying Claudius. Hamlet accosts her with an almost violent intensity and declares his intention to make her fully aware of the profundity of her sin.
Gertrude cries out for her life because of Hamlets behavior so Polonius.. calls out for help behind the arras.
Hamlet, realizing that someone is behind the arras and suspecting that it might be Claudius, draws his sword and.. stabs it through the tapestry, killing the unseen Polonius.
Hamlet shows his mother a picture of the dead king and a picture of the current king, bitterly commenting on.. the superiority of his father to his uncle, and asks her furiously what has driven her to marry a rotten man such as Claudius.
The ghost of his father appears while Hamlet is criticizing his mother but Gertrude.. is unable to see it and believes him to be mad.
The ghost has come to remind Hamlet of his purpose, that Hamlet.. has not yet killed Claudius and must achieve his revenge and have mercy on your mother.
Hamlet urges his mother to forsake Claudius and regain her good conscience and also.. not to reveal to Claudius that his madness has been an act.
Hamlet leaves his mother’s room, dragging.. Polonius’s body behind him.
July 24, 2019