Act III Scene One (III.I)

Act III scene one (III.i)

•R & G claim Hamlet will not answer questions about his behavior

•Polonius’ plan will be put to action

•Claudius is feeling very guilty

•Hamlet gives a soliloquy – “’To be or not to be….”’ To live or not to live? Should I kill myself and go towards an unknown which might be worse than the hell on earth I am experiencing right now?

•Ophelia tries to return gifts that Hamlet had given her

•He claims to have never given them to her – he asks if she is truthful and fair/beautiful

•She is confused by his questions and behavior

•Hamlet states he did love her once

•She says she believed he did love her

•Hamlet then says she should not have believed him because he never loved her – he knows he cannot trust her because of Polonius

•Hamlet - get to a nunnery (convent) so that she will never produce any sinners – all who are born are sinners

•Hamlet then tells her “’We are arrant knaves (all ;) believe none of us’” (Shakespeare III.i.130-140). Trying to let her know that he really does love her or that all men are deceiving her

•Hamlet – says that women trick men into falling in love with their “’paintings’” (makeup/cosmetics), women have two faces (fake) – love is what has caused him to go mad and all marriage should be banned – those whom are married already, all but one shall live

•Claudius claims that love didn’t do this to Hamlet, there is something else that has made him mad - danger will come from it (foreshadow!)

•Claudius decides that Hamlet must be sent to England

•Polonius devises another plan – the Queen will speak with Hamlet alone in her room – Polonius will hide behind the tapestry to listen in on their conversation – maybe she will be able to find out what is wrong with Hamlet

Act III scene 2 (III.ii)

•Hamlet instructs the players not to overact, it will ruin the play

•Hamlet trusts Horatio, asks him to watch Claudius throughout the play that Hamlet wrote – see if you notice any guilty behavior – Hamlet wants a backup to make sure he is not seeing only what he wants to see

•Hamlet talks nonsensically to everyone – acting insane

•He sits near Ophelia and then offends her – asks to lie in her lap and lie his head in her lap

•Hamlet - look at my mother, so happily married when my father is only dead two hours

•Ophelia corrects him and says it has been two months

•Play - King and Queen embrace, a man enters, takes off King’s crown, kisses it, pourpoison in the King’s ear. The Queen returns to find the King dead, the poisoner consoles the Queen. Dead King is carried away, poisoner woos the Queen with gifts and she accepts his love.

•Hamlet asks his mother what she thinks of the play

•Gertrude claims that the player queen is too dramatic

•King asks Hamlet the name of the play – it is “The Mousetrap”

•Hamlet says to Claudius that those who have free souls, it does not bother them.

•Claudius rises – showing guilt – yells “’Give me some light. Away!’” (Shakespeare III.ii.295).

•Hamlet and Horatio discuss how it is definitely an act of guilt on the King’s part

•Queen would like to speak with Hamlet in her room

•Hamlet mentions a recorder - he asks why do they think that they can play him? He is not fooled by them

•Hamlet (soliloquy) –claims he is filled with anger and vengeance, he wants to speak cruelly to his mother but not physically hurt her

Act III scene 3 (III.iii)

•Claudius is sending R & G to England with Hamlet – gives them letters to give to the King of England

•Polonius will be going to Gertrude’s room and he will be listening in on their conversation

Claudius is alone (soliloquy) – claims the guilt of killing his brother is killing him, asks for mercy but does not feel he deserves it because he still has the possessions of his sins (his ambition, his crown, his queen

•Enter Hamlet – Claudius does not see him

•Hamlet looks at Claudius and wants to kill him but thinks that it would be unfair to kill Claudius while he is praying – he would be purging his sins, and therefore, able to go to heaven – when his father did not have the opportunity to purge his sins before death. He decides to wait until Claudius is sinning to kill him – when he is drunk, in a rage or sleeping with his mother

•Claudius admits that he is unable to pray

Act III scene 4 (III.iv)

•Polonius gives the Queen advice on how to get info out of Hamlet - hides

•Gertrude tells Hamlet that he has offended his father (meaning Claudius)

•Hamlet says that she has offended his father (meaning the dead King Hamlet)

•‘”You are the Queen, your husband’s brother’s wife…”’ (Shakespeare III.iv.20).

•Queen is afraid for her life and yells for help

•Polonius, from behind the tapestry, yells for help also

•Hamlet assumes it is Claudius and stabs his sword through it, killing Polonius

• “’…almost as bad, good mother,/As kill a king and marry with his brother’” (Shakespeare III.iv.34-35).

Hamlet tells her that she is better off now because she will know the truth; her new marriage is a false one, his father was a good man (compares him to Gods), how could she go from him to Claudius?

•Gertrude says she is feeling ashamed for how she has acted

•Enter the Ghost

•Hamlet can see him, yet Gertrude can not

•Ghost returns to tell Hamlet to leave Gertrude to heaven and only seek revenge on Claudius

•Gertrude definitely believes that Hamlet is insane now

•Hamlet asks her to confess her sins to heaven, get rid of Claudius, don’t sleep with him any longer, don’t flirt with him, or kiss him or allow him to kiss you, he claims he is not mad just mad in craft – he also tells her not to tell anything that has told her to Claudius

•She promises not to tell Claudius anything

•He tells his mother that he must go to England on the King’s orders

•He takes Polonius’ body out of his mother’s room and leaves