Hamlet - Act 3 Scene 4

Hamlet - Act 3 Scene 4

How does Polonius tell Gertrude to deal with Hamlet? - ✔✔lay into him & be blunt with him

As Hamlet enters, where does Polonius hide? - ✔✔behind the tapestry wall-hanging in the queen's bedroom

How does Hamlet speak to his mother? - ✔✔He is very rude, & he speaks down to her in a degrading way.

Why does Hamlet's mother, Queen Gertrude, call for help? - ✔✔because she thinks Hamlet is going to kill her

What happens as Polonius moves behind the tapestry wall-hanging? - ✔✔Hamlet stabs him.

How does Hamlet respond to what he has just done? - ✔✔at first, he wonders if he has killed the king (Claudius)

As Hamlet continues the accusations against his mother, what does he do? - ✔✔discovers it is Polonius behind the tapestry wall-hanging

What does Hamlet say about his father in contrast to his uncle? - ✔✔compares pictures of the two: his father (King Hamlet) was kind, gentlemanly, & agile & looked like a Greek god; his uncle (Claudius) was like a mildewed ear of corn infecting the healthy one next to it

What is Gertrude's response to the comparison? - ✔✔his words are hurting her & he is making her feel guilty

Why does Gertrude conclude that Hamlet is mad (crazy)? - ✔✔because she sees him suddenly begin looking & talking to no one (he is taking to the ghost, but his mother doesn't see the ghost, so she thinks Hamlet has gone completely crazy)

Why does the ghost say that he has come? - ✔✔to sharpen Hamlet's appetite for revenge & to remember that his mother is weak, so he needs to talk calmly to her

Does Gertrude see the ghost? - ✔✔no

What does Hamlet beg his mother to do? - ✔✔to NOT have sex with Claudius that night

What news does Hamlet give his mother? - ✔✔that he is preparing to go to England with Rosencrantz & Guildenstern

What does Hamlet say about his friends, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern? - ✔✔he does not trust them

What does Hamlet do with the body of Polonius at the end of this scene? - ✔✔He drags Polonius's body offstage.