Hamlet Reading Journal Notes Act 3 Scene 4 and Act 4

Act three scene four starts with Polonius hiding behind Gertrude’s curtain, so that he might hear the conversation between Gertrude and Hamlet. Gertrude promises to be blunt with Hamlet, and as soon as he enters he tells him that “thou hast thy father much offended.” This refers to Claudius being the father of Hamlet, something which absolutely rifles Hamlet, as the audience understands. Hamlet says to Gertrude he wishes she wasn’t his mother, while referring again to her new marriage, calling her “your husband’s brother’s wife.” This is the first time Hamlet has lambasted Gertrude openly to her face, prior to this he had been speaking to other people or criticising through his play. At the beginning of the play Hamlet said that he had to “hold his tongue,” but tonight he is filled with emotion, having just proven Claudius’s guilty, filling him both with victory and dread. This comment seems to deeply hurt Gertrude, and she wishes to call in others to talk to him, but in a dramatic moment Hamlet seems to attack his mother, forcing a mirror to her face so that she may seem what she has become. Gertrude is alarmed, and believes Hamlet may be trying to kill her, though I doubt Hamlet has any intention of killing her he certainly seems to attack her with some force. She calls out for help, and Polonius also calls out for help. Hamlet, hearing him, goes over to the curtain and stabs it with his sword, killing Polonius in the climax of Act three. After so much thought and debate over death from Hamlet previously in the play, and so much procrastination over killing Claudius, who undoubtedly deserves it, Hamlet has in the blink of en eye become a cold blooded murderer of an innocent victim. There is nothing evil about Polonius, though Hamlet, associating him with Claudius and Ophelia, feels resentment towards him. There is a very real question over why Hamlet kills Polonius, and how he can kill him so easily having previously struggled so much with the act of killing. After killing Polonius, Hamlet asks if it is the King, which would provide an explanation for the killing, if Hamlet mistook Polonius for Claudius. It’s also possible that Hamlet was filled with so much emotion and hatred towards Claudius and Gertrude after proving the ghost’s story that Polonius was the merely the unfortunate victim of Hamlets release of anger. While Hamlet isn’t fond of Polonius, it seems unlikely that Hamlet would have killed him did he know exactly who it was, as there is no real reason to kill Polonius. The murder of Polonius signifies Hamlet’s downfall, which all tragic hero’s must experience. In this case the downfall has strangely resulted from a quality that Hamlet could have used at the end of Act 3, rash hot-blooded killing. Either Hamlet has killed Polonius mistaking him for Claudius, in which case this would have avoided had Hamlet killed him earlier, or from a build-up of angry emotions, that have increased the longer Hamlet has waited to kill the king. Though the murder of Polonius seems to have been caused by rash, hot-bloodedness, the audience is aware it has really been caused by Hamlet’s procrastination over killing Polonius, which is his great flaw.

Hamlet doesn’t seem to show any remorse for the killing of Polonius, saying that he mistook him for Claudius but Polonius deserves it for eavesdropping on their conversation. Though a tragic hero is supposed to maintain audience sympathy for the whole of the play, I think I lost quite a bit of sympathy for Hamlet here, when he refuses to show remorse, his excuse being that murdering Polonius isn’t as bad as the sin Claudius and Gertrude have committed “almost as bad as kill a king and marry with his brother.” Claudius killing his brother doesn’t justify Hamlet killing someone else, but Hamlet seems to have become completely obsessed with his uncle’s sin and mother’s betrayal, blocking all else out. Straight after killing Polonius, Hamlet again begins laying into her mother about her marriage, while she is still shocked and bewildered by her son’s bloody act. He says he wishes to wring her heart, if it has not become too hard and stone-like by her deeds “If damned custom have not brassed it so.” It does seem as if the sin of Claudius and Gertrude has become so large in Hamlet’s mind that he is blind to all else, in which case he could be accused of being mad and frenzied with bitterness. Hamlet asks his mother how she could stoop so low as Claudius after being married to his great father. And says “Proclaim no shame when the compulsive ardor gives the charge” meaning acting on impulse seems to be ok now the older generation are doing it, perhaps trying to justify his murder of Polonius. Gertrude seems to acknowledge her sins, begging Hamlet to stop, “thou turnest mine eyes into my very soul, and there I see such black and grained spots.”

Just then the Ghost appears, but surprisingly it is only visible to Hamlet, Gertrude is not able to see it. As Hamlet speaks to what appears to be thin ear Gertrude believes even more that Hamlet has gone insane. Hamlet asks if the ghost has come to scold him for not completing his mission, and while the ghost confirms this is one of the reasons, to make him remember what he must do, he also has come to protect Gertrude, and wishes Hamlet not to lambast her anymore and stop her from going mad, having just witnessed a bloody murder. Hamlet asks how she is, but all she can ask is who Hamlet is talking too. Hamlet insists there is a ghost, which then promptly exits. Hamlet insists he is not mad but it is Gertrude’s sin that is the problem, again her sin has blocked out any sin of his own in his mind. Hamlet demands Gertrude repent her sins to stop evil spreading, and Gertrude exclaims Hamlet has broken her heart. Hamlet suggests she lives life with the better half of her heart, and prepares to leave, but first demands his father not sleep with Claudius tonight, and begin to stop going to bed with him at all. Hamlet then acknowledges Polonius, and finally shows remorse “For this same lord, I do repent.” But blames heaven for punishing him by making him commit this murder “but heaven hath pleased it so, to punish me with this.” The word punish suggests Hamlet is in fact suffering for Polonius’s death, but is still not blaming himself entirely for the murder, looking to blame others. Hamlet mentions his trip to England, before dragging Polonius away with him, there is not definite reason for this, though perhaps Hamlet feels he should bury him now he has killed him.

At the beginning of Act 4 Gertrude tells Claudius of what Hamlet has done. Claudius, in a show for Gertrude, exhibits guilt for letting Hamlet’s madness get out of control, but claims he loved him too much to take measures to restrain him. He never mentions punishing Hamlet to Gertrude, saying he will use his power as King to pardon him. Gertrude claims Hamlet shows remorse, and weeps for what he has done. In the brief scene 2 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern find Hamlet and ask where the body is. Hamlet says he has buried it, but will not tell them where as they are sponges that follow the kings orders. He then goes to see the King. In scene three Claudius tells his attendants that the reason they can’t properly punish Hamlet is he is too loved by the people, who will be blind to his crime, and as such a more subtle punishment is needed. Claudius asks Hamlet where Polonius’s body is, and Hamlet is remarkably unhelpful and lippy towards the King, not showing the remorse Gertrude claimed, or perhaps this is a show for the Kings sake. Claudius tells Hamlet he is to be sent England, and Hamlet seems very happy and enthusiastic about it, going off to start his trip. When Hamlet leaves Claudius writes a letter to the King of England, calling in a favour and asking him to kill Hamlet as soon as he arrives in England. After Claudius’s show of guilt in Act 3 he has again become a villain, now planning to use others to kill his nephew, worrying purely over his own safety and the truth of his murder being kept secret. Suddenly audience sympathy shifts back to Hamlet, as the audience is rooting for him to escape Claudius’s plan.

 In scene 4 Hamlet encounters the Norwegian army, and is told they have only been assembled to fight over a small patch of Polish land (though the audience realizes it is to takeover Denmark.) Hamlet is amazed at how so many men are willing to give up their lives to fight merely over a patch of infertile land in Poland, and in comparison Hamlet sees himself as a coward for not yet killing Claudius. These men are prepared to fight and die over nothing but their honour, but Hamlet, with grave crimes committed against his family, has still to kill Claudius. Hamlet mentions he shouldn’t be alive to say he has yet to commit the deed, suggesting that Hamlet thought he would himself be killed for murdering Claudius, suggesting why it has taken him so long to do it, fearing for his own life. Now Hamlet, inspired by the Norwegian soldiers says that from now he must concentrate on his revenge and nothing else, really deciding to finally do the deed.
In scene 5 the audience sees Ophelia's madness. Madness is a great theme in the play, and Ophelia's madness is completely genuine, her beloved father has just been killed by the man she loves, so she has understanably gone a bit loopy. She sings a song about a death (her father) then goes onto to sing about a young man who seduced a young virgin, and refused to marry her because she was no longer a virgin (referring to Hamlet, though we're not sure if this story actually happened between them.) Claudius and Gertrude are alarmed at her madness, and Claudius regrets burying Polonius so quickly as rumours have begin spreading that it was Claudius who killed him. More news comes that Laertes, having been told of his father's death, has come straight to Denmark from France and has whipped up a frenzy, he now has a mob of supporters who wish him to be king instead of Claudius. This means that the people of Denmark are unhappy with the leadership of Claudius. This is the third son seeking revenge for his fathers death, along with Hamlet and Fortinbras. Fortinbras has assemblied an army and marched on Denmark, and Laertes has also assemblied an army of sorts and marched on the royal house immediately, both hungry for blood and revenge. Both of these in contrast to Hamlet, who instead pretended to be mad while procrastinating and thinking. Hamlet's procrastination and build-up of emotion has resulted in the death of Polonius, which has caused the madness of Ophelia and the wrath of Laertes. Hamlet's own downfall has caused the downfall of this whole family. Laertes smashes in and completely disregards his oath of allegiance to the King, asking who killed his father and preparing to kill the one who did it, who he believes is Claudius.