| What does Hamlet think of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? | He’s onto them spying for King Claudius. He calls them “sponge” because the soak up the King’s words. He thinks they are weaklings and not smart enough to see how the King is using them. |
| Why must the King “not put the strong man on” Hamlet? | The common people love Hamlet and so does his new wife. Remember, the country is on the verge of unrest. If Claudius kills Hamlet, he loses more than he gains. |
| When the King asks Hamlet where Polonius is, what is Hamlet’s answer? | Hamlet at first says that Polonius is “not where he eats, but where he is eaten.” He later tells the King to look for him in Heaven, and if he can’t find him there, then the King should go to hell himself to find him. |
| What is the content of the letter the King sends with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to England with Hamlet? | Claudius wants Hamlet killed as soon as he reaches England. |
| What prompts Hamlet to say, “My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth!”? | He realizes that his father has been murdered in cold-blood. His uncle is a murderer. His mother is living in an incestuous marriage. He sees Fortinbras getting revenge in violent ways and decides he will follow in suit. |
| What has happened to Ophelia? | Ophelia has lost her mind. She is like a zombie. She is drowned and it’s questionably suicide. |
| Why does Laertes force his way in? What does he want? | He wants revenge for his father’s death. |
| What is the content of Hamlet’s letter to Horatio? | It is an explanation that he escaped Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and is now on a pirate ship. They are treating his well because he can do favors for them. He wants for Horatio to give letters to the King and Queen and to come see him. |
| What plan do the King and Laertes discuss to kill Hamlet? | They want to poison his drink. |
| What news does the Queen brings Laertes? | She tells Laertes that Ophelia was drowned. |
Hamlet Act IV
August 28, 2019