Hamlet Answers - Act Three

What? Why? How?1. What do Claudius and Polonius do in scene one, that Hamlet and Horatio do in

scene two, that Hamlet does in scene three and Polonius does in scene four?Spy. Claudius and Polonius watch Hamlet meet Ophelia; Hamlet and Horatio keep the King under surveillance during the play; Hamlet observes Claudius supposedly praying, and Polonius spies upon Hamlet's meeting with his mother.This continual spying in the play (earlier examples are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's attempts to draw out the Prince and Reynaldo's mission in France) are a key component of the atmosphere of 'Hamlet'. The critic Frank Kermode said that the walls of Elsinore are made of ears. 'Hamlet' is an extremely claustrophobic play. No actions are private. Take Polonius. He knows about his daughter's relationship with Hamlet. He also knows of the prince's habit of walking 'alone' in the lobby. Everything that happens is seen by another character or their agents. The play contains an enormous number of minor characters, guards and lords, etc. Extra actors cost money, so why would Shakespeare, who part-owned the theatre he was writing for, create all these extras who say and do nothing? Because, I would suggest, their presence increases the sense of being watched all the time.

2. In what respects is the 'Play Scene' (III.ii) a turning point in the play? How is this turn compounded by Hamlet's actions in the 'Closet Scene' (III.iv)?

The Play Scene is, of course, Hamlet's attempt to obtain the proof he feels he needs to act on the Ghost's instructions. If he is able to make the King react guiltily to the play, he will know that the Ghost is not a devil and that he is justified in killing him.As it turns out, the Play Scene has other, unintended consequences. In presenting a depiction of the murder of his father, Hamlet tells Claudius that he knows about his crime. From now on, Claudius is the hunter, Hamlet the prey. The next time we see Claudius, in the following scene, he is planning the prince's death by sending Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with Hamlet to ensure that he goes to the English King. We must presume that he has already devised his scheme to prevent Hamlet from coming back.Claudius' realisation that Hamlet is a real threat rather than a minor irritation is compounded in III.iv., the closet scene. Hamlet kills Polonius by accident, hoping it is the king. The significance of this is not lost on the King, who tells Gertrude, "It had been so with us had we been there" in IV.i.Some critics, notably Terence Hawkes, have pointed out that the Play Scene doesn't actually prove as much as Hamlet imagines it does. 'The Murder of Gonzago' presents the murder of a King in his garden while he is sleeping. But the murderer, Lucianus, is the King's nephew, not his brother. The scene might have been read by the King as a threat of murder from Hamlet, rather than the depiction of his own crime. This additional uncertainty helps keep alive doubts about the Ghost's origins and integrity.

3. What does the fact that Hamlet's soliloquy in the 'Prayer Scene' (III.iii) was cut from performances of the play for nearly 200 years tell us about Shakespeare's likely intentions in writing this speech for the prince?

Samuel Johnson said this scene was "too terrible to be read or uttered". Elizabethan audiences and their descendants for the next two centuries would have found Hamlet unspeakably cruel and blasphemous in this scene.The Prince's intention to send the King to hell rather than 'merely' kill him would have more impact in an age when hell was such a real and terrifying proposition. To plan to commit a man to eternal damnation would have been viewed as a despicable thought. In any case, for Hamlet to attempt to second-guess God, to view himself as the judge of Claudius' fate, was wholly blasphemous, not to mention arrogant.It seems clear that Shakespeare intended us to see Hamlet becoming evil at this point in the play, capable of 'drinking hot blood' as he tells us at the end of the play scene. This is central to what the play has to say about revenge. When a person is put above the law, above the normal moral codes that we use to keep society running smoothly, anything can happen. Hamlet is freed from any sense of sinfulness in the murder of Claudius and becomes capable of cold-blooded murder on the slightest pretext. The fates of Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are examples of this.Some Nineteenth and early-Twentieth century critics have attempted to rehabilitate Hamlet, and this is still a view you may hear today. According to these Romantic critics, Hamlet is not capable of murder and says what he does in the prayer scene in order to put off the fatal moment for as long as possible. Frankly, this view is laughable. It depends upon a preconceived notion that Hamlet is a pale, romantic, melancholy poet who wouldn't hurt a fly. This is directly contradicted by the facts of the play. There is no reason not to take Hamlet at his word here and elsewhere when he speaks in soliloquy.

4. Does Claudius' soliloquy revise or compound your opinion of this character?It probably does a little of both. In terms of revising one's opinion, there has been little evidence thus far in the play that Claudius feels very much about anything. In this scene we find him on his knees and begging for forgiveness. Certainly, we must conclude that he is a man with strong feelings and a heavy conscience.However, looking carefully at the speech allows us to see the King's more villainous side. He knows he has sinned. He knows that his sins are so terrible that he is very likely to be damned for them. But what is his response? "May one be pardoned and retain th'offence". When Claudius says "th'offence", he means the things he has gained through killing his brother: the crown and Gertrude. The King wants God to pardon him for his crimes without giving up anything. He is not at all penitent: he simply wants to get out of being punished.That said, Claudius knows that this desirable state of affairs will not come to pass. This is why he finishes the soliloquy attempting to pray for the strength to repent properly. The final lines of the scene where Claudius tells us that he has been unable to pray are not simply an ironic joke about Hamlet's haplessness. Rather, they show us that the King's love for his ill-gotten gains outweighs his fear of damnation

5. Hamlet is often thought to have a lot of soliloquies, though in actual fact, he has fewer than Macbeth and around the same number as Othello, who are thought to be men of action rather than meditation. How does the placing and subject of Hamlet's soliloquies in this act encourage the idea of a meditative prince?

With regard to the placing of Hamlet's soliloquies, their positions within the third act, help to create the idea of Hamlet as a thinker. His soliloquy at the end of Act Two ("O what a rogue and peasant slave am I") is immediately followed the next time we see him by his soliloquy in Act Three, scene one ("To be or not to be, that is the question"). Thus we are given the idea that Hamlet has been thinking continuously in the interim. The same thing happens at the end of Act Three, scene two. Hamlet delivers his "Now is the very witching time of night" soliloquy and then the next time we see the Prince, he delivers his "Now might I do it pat" soliloquy in Act Three, scene three. Shakespeare creates the impression that Hamlet is always thinking by having him soliloquise in adjacent scenes.Regarding their subject matter, Hamlet's soliloquies are different to those given by other Shakespearian heroes in that they present thought rather than state positions or decisions. The "O what a rogue and peasant slave" soliloquy at the close of Act Two, scene two, shows us Hamlet wanting to feel more strongly, wishing he had killed the King already and then deciding not to. The 'To be or not to be" soliloquy in Act Three, scene one, debates the advantages of committing suicide and the reasons that we don't. The "Now is the very witching time of night" soliloquy in Act Three, scene two, presents Hamlet reminding himself not to kill his mother and the "Now might I do it pat" soliloquy shows us Hamlet deciding not to kill Claudius for the time being. Each of the soliloquies is negative: it retards the fulfillment of Hamlet's mission rather than advancing it. The only soliloquy which results in any action is the one at the end of Act Two, scene two, which results in Hamlet putting on 'The Murder of Gonzago'. But this is in preference to acting directly and has, in fact, been arranged already, immediately before the soliloquy.The 'To be or not to be' soliloquy is often felt to be central to Hamlet's personality. It provides an excellent example of Hamlet not doing anything. He says that it would be far better for us all to commit suicide, but that we don't because we are scared of what might happen to us in the afterlife. Furthermore, we very often put things off because of our understanding that we might be being sinful. We look too closely at our plans and find reasons for not carrying them out.In this context, one of the first things to note is that the soliloquy leads to nothing, except perhaps his barbarity to Ophelia. The second thing to note is that it has very little to do with what Hamlet is supposed to be doing. He has just planned to put on a play in order to discover whether the King is guilty as charged. The very next time we see him, he doesn't even mention it. Of course, the speech is relevant to Hamlet's own wish to be dead and to his failure to kill Claudius. But it has nothing to do with his immediate plans. Lastly, it is worth noting that Hamlet is not talking about himself, he is talking about humanity in general and and how unbearable all our lives are. The speech is more like an essay than a confession.This treatment of Hamlet's soliloquies is obviously very one-sided. There is much, much more to be said about them. But not here.

6. 'I essentially am not in madness' says Hamlet (III.iv.188). Name four lines spoken by Hamlet in this act which might make you doubt this.

"Get thee to a nunnery" (III.i.119) and "It hath made me mad" (III.i.140-1).What is Hamlet talking about? He has just insinuated that Ophelia has lost her virtue and now he is telling her to go to a convent. Why? To avoid becoming a "breeder of sinners". Hamlet says that all humanity is sinful and suffering: any addition to the race would be an increase of this wickedness. This relates, of course, to the "To be or not to be" soliloquy. He says there that life is unlivable, but that the alternatives are too terrifying to contemplate. The solution he comes up with seems to be "no more marriages", and consequently, no more children. Call me judgmental, but this seems like insanity.In the second line, "It hath made me mad", Hamlet tells Ophelia that the wicked, deceitful ways of women have driven him insane. One might well respond that Hamlet is pretending to be mad because he knows that Polonius and Claudius can hear this conversation. Indeed, it has become a theatrical commonplace for the actor playing Polonius to cough or otherwise reveal his presence. However, there is no information whatsoever in the text to suggest that anything of the sort happens. When characters hide in Elizabethan plays they stay hidden unless they directly reveal their whereabouts, as Polonius does in III.iv. Similarly, if someone puts on a disguise, they are never detected. So we must assume that Hamlet does not know that Claudius and Polonius are present. He might detect that Ophelia is behaving suspiciously and consequently start talking gibberish and attack her morals. But he doesn't say that she is. When he suspects that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are deceiving him in II.ii., he immediately tells them of his doubts. If he is suspicious of Ophelia, one would therefore expect him to mention it. I believe that Hamlet is speaking directly and passionately to Ophelia in this scene and is saying what he thinks. Indeed, the extent of his passion, the forcefulness of his attacks on Ophelia are a good argument for seeing these speeches as genuine rather than feigned madness."Nay but to live in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed" (III.iv.94)The Queen has just told Hamlet that she has seen how sinful she is. Hamlet does not encourage her penitence, rather he continues ranting about her sin. Three lines later, the Queen pleads for him to stop because she feels so guilt-stricken. Hamlet cannot stop himself and continues with a list of Claudius' vices. It seems very likely that he is out of control at this point."What would your gracious figure?" (III.iv.104)Hamlet sees the Ghost; the Queen can't. In Act One, the Ghost could be seen by everyone. The Ghost in Act One wore armour; the Ghost in this scene wears his normal clothes. The Ghost in Act One disappears into thin air; this Ghost uses the door. The Ghost in Act III, scene iv is more than a little fishy and might well be an hallucination."heaven hath please it so ... That I must be their scourge and minister" (III.iv.174-6)Hamlet says he's working for God. We know he's working for his father. Where has he got this idea of his own importance?

7. Is Hamlet at his worst in scene three or scene four of this act?It doesn't really matter which you decided. Take your pick.In scene three, Hamlet is blasphemously arrogant and cruel, as discussed above in the answer to question 3.In scene four, he murders Polonius in cold blood and then says that the old man deserved to die for being so nosey. He then berates his mother, arrogantly claiming to be God's messenger.

8. How do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern seem to have become more immoral since their first appearance in II.ii.?

In Act Two, scene two, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern fail abjectly in their mission. They look too guilty to fool Hamlet for a minute and when he questions them, they admit that they are working for the King.By Act Three they have become considerably more corrupt. They begin the act by lying to the King about their encounter with Hamlet. The next time we see them, after the play in Act Three, scene two, they are the King's messengers, telling Hamlet off for annoying Claudius and ordering him to go to his mother. At the beginning of Act Three, scene three, they are again the King's willing agents, happy to ensure that Hamlet gets to England as planned. Despite not living in Elsinore, they then see fit to deliver an obsequious speech proclaiming their loyalty to the King as the foundation of the nation's well-being.Everyone becomes worse as the play progresses. The disease of Claudius' crime, the play seems to suggest, spreads from character to character.

9. For what reasons might you think that the Ghost in III.iv is an hallucination, and for what reasons might you think it is real?

The reasons one might think it is an hallucination are covered in question six, above.On the other hand, how much do we know about what ghosts can and cannot do? There is no rule that says that ghosts have to be consistent in their appearance and behaviour. Furthermore, the Ghost in III.iv. is reminding Hamlet of its message which the prince seems to have forgotten. He tells Hamlet (again) to expend his anger on Claudius and not on his mother, the opposite of what the Prince seems to want to do.There is again, no true reading of the Ghost. Shakespeare does not give us enough information to be absolutely sure whether it is Hamlet's father, a devil, or (in part) an hallucination. I believe this element of doubt is useful. It makes us wonder about the morality of the Ghost's message, about the morality of revenge, which I would contend is the play's main theme.

10. After III.ii., the next time we see Ophelia she is mad. How are the seeds for this planted in this act?

We see Ophelia in the first two scenes of Act Three. She doesn't say a great deal in either scene. Readings of her frame of mind are therefore very conjectural.In her encounter with Hamlet in the Nunnery Scene, Ophelia seems a little unwilling to play her part and reject the Prince wholeheartedly in order to display his reactions to the onlookers. Instead, she muddles up her lines and implies that Hamlet is rejecting her (III.i.101). Then she shows her disappointment when Hamlet says he never loved her.

When he begins to rant about nunneries and the wickedness of women, she drops all pretence, exclaiming "Oh help him you sweet heavens!" When Hamlet leaves, she seems to seems to break down in her speech ending "Oh woe is me / T'have seen what I have seen, see what I see" (III.i.154-5). Ophelia's world is beginning to collapse. So far in her life, she has been under the continual direction of three men: her father, her brother and her lover. Her brother has gone. Her lover is insane. When her father dies at the hands of the man she loves, there is no-one to direct her. Back in I.iii., Polonius says to Ophelia "think yourself a baby", and tells her to stop believing what Hamlet has said and believe what he says instead. Ophelia has never had to make her own mind up and has been dissuaded from doing so. It might be fair to say that she does not have a mind of her own. What happens when that infant mind is left to fend with the loss of everyone who is important to her?This impression of Ophelia is strengthened, I think, in the Play Scene. Hamlet embarasses and confuses her publicly. She is almost completely incapable of responding. She has never been spoken to like this before and does not have the resources to cope.

Stagecraft1. Name three dramatic surprises in this act.

The Nunnery SceneThere is no reason to imagine that Hamlet would act in such a deranged way with Ophelia. Indeed, we would have every expectation that he would behave tenderly towards her.The Dumb ShowThe Dumb Show represents the King's murder of his brother in an entirely unambiguous manner. We expect Claudius to react, otherwise there wouldn't be a play scene. But he doesn't. This mystery has been solved by some directors and critics by having Claudius looking away or chatting with Gertrude while the mime takes place. A more plausible explanation is that Claudius is looking, but manages to contain himself.Polonius' MurderPolonius is frequently played as a bumbling old fool. Certainly, he is a failure as a secret agent, consistently misinterpreting the Prince, much to the latter's amusement. When Hamlet kills him, I think the audience might be genuinely shocked. Funny, harmless characters rarely get killed off.The GhostThe Ghost's reappearance is very surprising. We don't really expect to see it again after Act One, unless to deliver some sort of moral summary at the end. The Ghost's return is the more surprising as it interrrupts the climax of Hamlet's rage against Claudius and Gertrude.2. Name two sections which successfully create tension.The PlayAs discussed above, we fully expect the King to react suitably to the play, otherwise it wouldn't be shown to us. The audience's eyes, like Hamlet's, are trained on him from the beginning of the Dumb Show until the point at which he finally breaks.The Prayer Scene

Claudius is kneeling and vulnerable. Hamlet has a sword. The few seconds between the Prince's entrance and the point at which he talks himself out of killing the King are filled with tension.

Language and Imagery1. Find three references to disease or rottenness.

There are quite a few in this act. They are always used as metaphors for sin and corruption."The native hue of resolution / Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought" (III.i.84-5)"Thou mixture rank ... thrice infected" (III.ii.233-4)"my wit's diseased" (III.ii.291)"hell itself breathes out / Contagion to this world" (III.ii.350-1)"Oh my offence is rank" (III.iii.36)"This physic but prolongs thy sickly days" (III.iii.96)"a blister" (III.iv.44)"like a mildewed ear / Blasting his wholesome brother" (III.iv.64-5)"the rank sweat of an enseamed bed" (III.iv.92)"It will but skin and film the ulcerous place, / Whiles rank corruption mining all within, / Infects unseen" (III.iv.147-9)