Reading journal notes on Hamlet Act 2 and Act 3 scenes 1-3

The time that has passed between act 1 and act 2 is unspecified, but it seems to have been a few weeks or even months. Hamlet, despite promising to avenge his father, has yet to kill Claudius, a delay that has been greatly bothering him. The Act starts with Polonius sending his servant Reynaldo to Paris to spy on his son Laertes, and make sure he has not been drinking, gambling, fighting or visiting prostitutes. Reynaldo leaves and Ophelia enters, in a flap. She tells her father that last night Hamlet came into her room while she was sewing, he wasn't wearing a hat, his shirt was unbuttoned and his stockings were dirty and down around his ankles, he held Ophelia by the wrist and stood staring at her for a long time, then shook her arm and jerked his head up and down before leaving without taking his eyes from Ophelia. Ophelia mentions he looked as pale as his shirt and "as if he had loosed out of hell to speak of horrors" (this is a reference to the old King Hamlets ghost, which had come from hell to speak of horrors.) Polonious believes Hamlet is mad with love, "This is the very ecstasy of love, whose violent property forbodes itself and leads the will to desperate undertakings," having made Ophelia spurn his advances, and goes to tell the King of the incident. This is the first known incidence of Hamlet's madness, which he said he would put on at the end of Act 1. The audience is aware that if Hamlet is actually mad, it will have been because of the secret he keeps, and not because of Ophelia. There is a question of why he has chosen Ophelia as a vessel to show his feigned madness, and the answer is probably because he knew Ophelia would tell her father, who would then tell Claudius. Through using Ophelia it also looks like Hamlet really is mad with love, and acts as a smokescreen for the real cause of his prentended madness.

In Act II Scene II the King and Queen, concerned at the change in Hamlet have sent for two of his dearest friends, Rosencratz and Guildenstern, and appeal to them to find out what has caused Hamlet's madness (other than the death of his father and quick marriage of Claudius and Gertrude) and to try and cheer him up. They agree and go to find him. The royal couple have sent for these two friends even before Polonius tells them of the incident with Ophelia, so Hamlet has been acting mad presumably ever since his encounter with the ghost. The minister who was sent to Norway returns and tells them that the King of Norway, unaware of his nephew Fortinbras's preparations for war, has put a stop to it, and Fortinbras has promised never to attack Denmark but wishes to go through it in order to attack Poland. Immediately the audience thinks that Fortinbras, more of a passionate being than Hamlet, is still wishing to avenge the death of his father and is going to betray his promise to Denmark as soon as he is in the country, however the audience must wait to see if this is so, as Claudius and Polonius accept this promise and move on to the subject of Hamlet. Polonius shows Claudius and Gertrude the love letters from Hamlet to Ophelia, and Gertrude agrees this may well be the cause of his madness. Polonius insists it is, and suggests the next time Hamlet is wandering around he will get Ophelia to meet him while he and the King hide behind the Arras to hear the conversation. Next Hamlet appears and begins to talk to Polonius in a babble "For if the sun breed maggots in a dead dog, being a good kissing carrion." Hamlet tells Polonius to never let Ophelia walk in the sun incase she gets pregnant, and Polonius reflects this is again referring to Hamlet's madness over his love. Polonius leaves and point Guildenstern and Rosencratz in the right direction. Hamlet and his two friends greet each other warmly. Hamlet describes Denmark to them as a prison, and describes lady luck as a slut. Hamlet, realising they have been sent for, asks why they are visiting and says he knows that the king and queen sent for them, Rosencratz hesitates in telling them, but Guildenstern crumbles and admits it. Hamlet now seems to have a mistrust of Rosencratz "Nay then, i have an eye of you." Hamlet explains that the reason they have been sent for is because Hamlet has become very depressed for no reason "i have of late- but wherefore i know not- lost all my mirth" And says he is not interested in men nor women, to which Rosencratz laughs, saying he will thereofore be bored with the actors that are coming to Elsinore. The three discuss the modern theatre, and how it has taken a turn for the worse, and Hamlet tells his friends his mother and uncle are wrong, he is only crazy sometimes. Hamlet is introduced to the actors, and begins to recite a speech he once heard the actors recite. Polonius is impressed with Hamlet's acting ability, though knows very little about acting, something which is ridiculed by Hamlet. Hamlet asks the first player to perform "the murder of gonzago" the next night, including a speech written by Hamlet himself. Hamlet is left alone, and reveals how angry he is with himself for not killing Claudius yet, he calls himself a coward "but i am pidgeon livered." He is angry that all he has been doing is mope around, while a braver man would have taken action by now. He not only considers himself a coward but perhaps a little bit of a villain, for letting Claudius continue to be happy while his father suffers in purgatory. He wishes someone would hit him or pull off his beard, to punish him for his delay and spur him into action. Hamlet still detests Claudius, and compares himself to a whore for only swearing instead of taking action. Later in the sololloquiy Hamlet decides that he will get the actors to perform something like his fathers death, and then watch for Claudius's reaction, as proof of wether the ghost's story was true. Hamlet convinces himself the ghost may have been the devil sent to tempt him to hell, and that he needs proof to act.

I think he is only convincing himself he needs furthur proof to make him feel better about his delay, and really he knows Claudius is guilty and that he must be murdered. This soliloqy is important as it is when Hamlet realises his main flaw. According to the usual prototype of a tragedy the tragic hero should posess a fatal flaw which is the cause of their downfall, but before their final doom they should realise this flaw. Hamlet's fatal flaw is the procrastination caused by his weak personality, which he realises, thinking himself a coward. Hamlet perhaps is a coward for not exacting revenge, but hot-blooded impulsiveness is not a part of his personality, unlike his warrior father. Perhaps why Hamlet is so angry is he realises he is closer in personality to Claudius than he is to his father. Claudius maticulously planned the murder of his brother, and i assume Claudius was always jealous of his brother's wife and crown, in which case Claudius waited years to exact the murder, reminding me of Hamlet's waiting and deep thinking. Hamlet the elder, you expect, would have rushed straight into Claudius's room and beheaded him had he been in his son's position, making Hamlet's cowardice all the more serious to himself.

Act three begins with Guildenstern and Rosencrantz reporting to the King and Queen, and Polonius inviting the King and Queen to the play which is to be performed that night. Claudius tells Gertrude to leave, as he and Polonius have arranged for Ophelia to stay in the room so that she may bump into Hamlet, while Claudius and Polonius hide to hear their conversation and gage if Ophelia is the reason for Hamlet's madness. The two men hide, and soon Hamlet appears, and says the most famous soliloqy in shakespeare "to be or not to be." Hamlet considers whether it is better to be alive or dead, and considers that because of all he difficulties and horrors of life everyone would just commit suicide if it wasn't for the fear and unknown of what is coming after death. "thus conscience does make cowards of us all; and thus the native hue of resolution is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought." Hamlet in these lines is speaking of how thinking about the afterlife makes men not kill themselves out of fear. He is of course speaking about how his own task, and how thinking about the consequences of killing Claudius has made him delay and thus has made a coward of him. Hamlet sees Ophelia, Ophelia offers Hamlet his gifts and love letters back, as she no longer wants them now Hamlet has changed. Hamlet gets angry with her, and begins ranting, about how beauty in a woman is a great sin that turns women into whores, and goodness in a woman is not enough to cure her sluttiness. He tells Ophelia he did love her once, then retracts this statement, saying he should not believe him as he, like all humans, is a sinner. He commands her to "get thee to a nunnery" so she won't give birth to anymore sinners. Hamlet at this point seems to have completely lost his faith in humanity, and in partiular his home country. Ophelia is shocked and upset at Hamlet's outburst, but Hamlet goes on to say that if she does marry it should be to a fool, as wise men know what monsters are made of them by women. He goes on to say how he is fed up of women's manipulative and two-faced ways, and that he will ban marriage to anyone not already married. He also makes a reference to the coming murder of Claudius "those that are married already -all but one- shall live." Hamlet leaves. Hamlet seems to have become a misogynist, openly hating women, probably because of his anger at his mother's quick marriage to Claudius. He now considers Gertrude a slut, and resents her for the murder of his father, of which she was certainly one of the motivations for. This opinion of his mother has now extended to all women-kind. Perhaps Hamlet is also frustrated that Ophelia is trying to give him back his letters and distract him when he has a much bigger problem to deal with, he sees her an innocent and insignificant, and Hamlet has already proven he has no time for fools. Ophelia despairs for Hamlet's change. Claudius comments that Hamlet's madness is not out of love, and has realised that Hamlet is not actually mad, but feigning madness in order to cover-up the hatching of a plan. Claudius comments that this may be dangerous, and plans to send Hamlet to England to reclaim some debts owed to Denmark, which he says is to distract him. I think it is at this point that Claudius has become to get suspicious of Hamlet's knowledge and plan, and it could be argued that this is the point that Claudius does realise that Hamlet knows what he did, even before the play. Sending Hamlet to England is purely to protect himself, and i'm sure Claudius would send him straight apart from it would raise suspision if Claudius acted too quickly. Polonius, in less knowledge than Claudius, still believes Hamlet's madness was caused out of unrequited love, and suggests that Gertrude spend time alone with him to find out his true feelings, while Polonius hides and listens. Claudius agrees.

In Act II Scene II the play is performed, and Hamlet enlists Horatio to help him watch his uncle and gage his reaction. Everyone sits down to watch the play, and Hamlet decides to sit next to Ophelia, and begins flirting and teasing with her. I think this is cruel and unnesscary of Hamlet, and is again an example of misogny. The play is performed, with first the women saying about how she will never take another husband should her husband die, a jibe at Gertrude, to which she replies "the lady doth protest too much me thinks." When it comes to the scene of the murder Claudius stands up and demands the play is halted at once, confirming his guilt. The King retires to his chamber, angry and upset, Gertrude is also upset and astonished at Hamlet's behaviour. Hamlet revels in his victory with Horatio, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tell Hamlet of the kings anger, and beseech him to share his problems with them. Hamlet demands Guildenstern plays one of the actors flute, when Guildenstern insists he can not Hamlet likens himself to the flute, saying that neither Guildenstern nor Rosencrantz can play opon him. Polonius enters and tells Hamlet that Gertrude wishes to see him. Hamlet agrees to go. Hamlet says to himself that he is ready to murder Claudius, but will go to see his mother first, and despite the fact he almost wishes to kill her as well, he will not harm her, "I will speak daggers to her, but use none. My tongue and soul in this be hypocrites."

Claudius decides to send Hamlet to England accompanied by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, wary of Hamlet's increasing insanity. Polonius goes to hide so that he may overhear the conversation between Gertrude and Hamlet. Claudius is left alone, and expresses huge guilt over his brother's murder, he wishes to pray, so that he may be forgiven for his sin, but he realises heaven can not forgive him while he is still reaping the rewards of the murder, like his crown and wife. Eventually he forces himself to kneel and try to pray. Hamlet stumbles across him, and prepares to kill him, but realising he is praying Hamlet thinks Claudius will go straight to heaven, a thought he can't bear seeing as his father remains in purgatory, and was killed before he could confess his sins. Hamlet decides to wait for a better oppurtunity. The irony is Hamlet could have killed Claudius then, as when Hamlet goes Claudius says that while his words went to heaven his thoughts stayed on earth, meaning Claudius is not forgiven as his prayers have not gone to heaven.