Hamlet Act 4

What sequence of events is triggered by Hamlet killing Polonius? As a result of Polonius’s death, Hamlet is sent away. Laertes comes back to try to take over the throne and then to seek revenge. Ophelia goes mad and drowns. Laertes and the king plot Hamlet’s death
What does Claudius’s speech at the beginning of Scene 3 (lines 1-11) reveal about the difficult situation in which he finds himself? Claudius realizes he must get Hamlet out of Denmark because he represents a serious threat to him and Gertrude. However, Hamlet is beloved by the people, so Claudius must act carefully and avoid the appearance that Hamlet is being sent away abruptly or for the wrong reasons
Reread lines 41-52 in Scene 3. Hamlet has already confided to his mother at the end of Act 3 that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been assigned to lead him into a trap. What does this suggest regarding his character that he now appears eager to go with them? Hamlet does no trust the king-and with good reason. So far in Act 3, his behavior with the King has been flippant. The same appears to be true here in Scene 6. In a way, he is taunting the King, pretending not to care where he goes or why.
Reread lines 48-68 in Scene 4. Paraphrase the view of honor that Hamlet praises in the speech. Is this view consistent with his other comments in the scene? Why or why not? Hamlet conflates an honorable action with quick, brave action at the least effrontery (“to find a quarrel in a straw when honor’s at the stake”). Hamlet innately resists such an attitude, but “all occasions do inform against” him and force him to reconsider his position.
Ophelia has fallen into madness following her father’s death. In Scene 5, do her statements and singing suggest she is only disturbed by his death, or is something else troubling her? Explain Ophelia is disturbed by more than her father’s death. Her songs about young women betrayed by untrustworthy lovers make it clear that she feels twice by Hamlet-first because he has spurned her love an second because he has murdered her father.
A foil is a character whose traits contrast with those of another character. Very often, a minor character is employed as a foil to emphasize traits of the main character. Explain how Fortinbras and Laertes serve as foils to Hamlet. Both Fortinbras and Laertes serve as foils because they are able to summon the resolution to act-Fortinbras to win possession of a meaningless plot of land, Laertes to vindicate his father’s death. The contrast emphasizes Hamlet’s hesitation and intellectualizing f a situation rather than reacting with emotion.
Hamlet send two letters announcing his return to England, one to Horatio an one to Claudius. Why might Shakespeare have chosen to have him send the letter to Horatio, even though it is not needed to advance the plot? The two messages excite suspense on he part of the audience and increase the pace of the plot. Horatio’s letter clarifies past exploits and alludes to secrets ad plots to come; Claudius’s letter inspires suspicion an spurs him to action.
In Scene 7, lines 130-142, Claudius describes an elaborate scheme to kill Hamlet. What advantages does this scheme have for both him and Laertes? Based on what has happened s far in the play, what might be a disadvantage of the scheme? By staging Hamlet’s “accidental” death during a fencing match, the King avoids hurting his wife by taking direct action against her son. Laertes, too, can safely avenge the deaths of his father and sister while also appearing blameless. Incorporating poison into the plan presents a disadvantage in that it might cause more than one death or the death of the wrong person