Act 4 Notes

Summary:
In scene 1 not very much happens, Gertrude tells Claudius that Hamlet killed Poloinous then Rosencratz and Guildenstern go to get Hamlet and the dead body to bring them to the chapel.

In scene 2 Rosencratz and Guildenstern find Hamlet but he refuses to give them the body, then Hamlet calls them sponges to the king (they seek information for him then he squeezes them dry) and fools.

In scene 3 Hamlet talks to Claudius and is told he has no choice but to go to England, and Hamlet doesn't really put up much of a fight. In a strange way he tells Claudius that he is his mother, because when man and wife marry they become one flesh. Then at the end of the scene we hear Claudius confess that he is going to have Hamlet killed in England.

In scene 4 Hamlet has a conversation with a captain of the army of Norway as they are on their way through Denmark to invade Poland. Hamlet talks about how everything in anyones life has a core of evil and that if he doesn't see the evil in a thought that its not worth a moment of his time.

In scene 5 Ophelia sings a song to the king and queen and it is very obvious that she has lost her mind. When Claudius is complaing to his wife that is when Laertes and a mob come in, because they all believe that he should be kind, not Claudius. However Claudius calms Laertes down somewhat enough to an agreement that he will listen to Cladius's story before seeking revenge.

In scene 6 Horatio receives a letter from Hamlet saying that he is a prisinor on a pirate ship, he says to show these letters to the king and to come save him.

In scene 7 Claudius tells Laertes that he is completely innocent and that the death of his father is all Hamlet's fault and the only reason he hasn't killed Hamlet is because his mother and the public loves him. They decide that they want to trick Hamlet into his own death, by setting up a fencing between the two when he gets back. Then Gertrude comes in and tells them that Ophelia has drowned.

Soliloques':
All of Hamlet's soliloques are very significant because they let us hear what is going on inside his mind. Some people wonder if Hamlet really is mad or if he just wants everyone to think that he is. I think the soliloques' show us that he is not pretending, because it shows us not only what he says to other people, but what is going on in his own head.

Ophelia:
After Polonius dies Ophelia seems to loose her mind, her song she sings to the queen is all about love. Then she presents the characters with flowers-
Rosemary--remembrance, to Laertes: (remeber their father)
Pansies--thoughts, also to Laertes (they must be strong in their minds and hearts to get through the loss)
Fennel--flattery, to King (Because no one except Hamlet ever speaks a bad word about him)
Columbines--thankfulness, to Queen (she should be thankful for the love in her life)
Rue--sorrow, also to Queen (she shouldn't forget the hearache of her lost love)
Daisy--a warning to women who are too easily persuaded to love, to Gertrude (she married her dead husbands brother)
Violets--faithfulness, cannot give--explanation toward Horatio (they all died with the death of her father)