| Theme: Corruption | Hamlet becomes more corrupt when he starts plotting to kill Claudius, Claudius was a already corrupt when he killed his brother and sent spies to watch Hamlet, Claudius suspects Laertes of not loving his father and just faking his grief |
| Theme: Madness | Ophelia is thrown into madness when her father dies and she finds out that Hamlet killed him, then she kills herself because the madness is too much to bear. |
| Theme: Loyalty vs. Betrayal | Loyalty- Hamlet was loyal to his father, Horatio was loyal to Hamlet Betrayal- Claudius betrayed his brother by killing him, Gertrude betrayed King Hamlet by marrying his brother |
| Theme: Revenge vs. Justice | Revenge- Hamlet wanted revenge for his father’s death so he starts plotting against Claudius, Laertes comes to kill Claudius to revenge his father, |
| Events Scene 1 | Gertrude tells Claudius about Hamlet killing Polonius, they decide to send him to England. Claudius then asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find him and bring him and Polonius’ body |
| Events Scene 2 | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern find Hamlet, but he wont tell them where the body is. He’s also acting insane around them and asks if they will take him to see the king who is “A thing of no importance” |
| Events Scene 3 | Hamlet is brought to Claudius and Hamlet tells the King that he fed Polonius’ body to the worms. Claudius makes his plans clear to the audience that the King of England is to kill Hamlet. |
| Events Scene 4 | Fortinbras sends someone to ask King Claudius if he can move his troops across Denmark so they can meet. Hamlet, and others meet Fortinbras’ captain and he tells them that Fortinbras has people stationed in Poland (they have traps). 20,000 are going to their death. |
| Events Scene 5 | Claudius and Gertrude talk to Ophelia, she’s gone insane from her father’s death. Laertes arrives in Denmark and is being fed gossip, he assumes Claudius is to blame. He leads a rebellion and they shout that they want Laertes to be king. Ophelia “gives flowers” out to people. She gives Gertrude fennel and columbines which symbolize adultery, and rue to Claudius which symbolize repentance. |
| Events Scene 6 | Hamlet sends Horatio letters to give to Claudius about the pirate ship who perused his and captured him. |
| Events Scene 7 | Claudius and Laertes plan to kill Hamlet since he is coming back to Denmark. Laertes is planning to fence Hamlet with a sharp sword that’s dipped in poison, and Claudius is going to poison the wine. Gertrude tells Laertes and Claudius that Ophelia has drowned. |
| Hamlet”Marriage vows as false as dicer’s oaths” | Hamlet says that Gertude’s marraige is fake. |
| Claudius”I’ll have prepared him a chalice for the nonce.” | Claudius is gonna kill Hamlet. |
| Claudius”And where the offence is, let the great axe fall” | Claudius wants Laertes to kill Hamlet |
Hamlet Act 4
September 10, 2019