Act 4 Study Questions

Act IV, Scene 1

What is Claudius' main fear in the immediate aftermath of Polonius' death?

· That he will be blamed for Claudius’ death, not directly but because Hamlet is his responsibility he is going to get blamed for not being able to control him.

Act IV, Scene 2

What does Hamlet refuse to tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?

· Where Polonius’ dead body is.

Act IV, Scene 3

What image does Hamlet use (ll. 19-29) to warn Claudius he's only king temporarily?

· He says that killing a skinny beggar and a fat king are just two dishes for one meal, which is basically saying two birds with one stone. And that killing Polonius was just a plus before he kills Claudius.

Claudius ends the scene by writing a letter: to whom, and what order does it contain?

· It is a letter to the King of England asking him to kill Hamlet immediately after he arrives.

Act IV, Scene 4

What's the value of the land Fortinbras' army is marching to capture in Poland (l. 20)? What will the invasion itself cost (l. 25)?

· The land they are planning to take over has absolutely no value, but it is just something to put his name to. The captain says that he wouldn’t pay 5 ducats for the land but it is costing Fortinbras 20,000 ducats.

Hamlet's soliloquy (ll. 32-66) is self-critical; summarize his main fault.

· He is ultimately saying that his he needs to stop being a coward and go ahead and kill the king already. He has all the tools and ability to do it but he keeps putting it off.

Act IV, Scene 5

Ophelia's songs during her first appearance in this scene deal with love, death and sex. Why? What do they tell us about her at the moment? What might they reveal about Her, Hamlet and Polonius?

· The last few songs talked about how hamlet took her virginity but refused to marry her because she was un pure because they slept together.

Why is Laertes a danger to Claudius' throne (ll. 98-103)? (Actually two or three related reasons.)

· Because he has an armed army

· Because he has the people’s support and they want him to be king.

What does Claudius offer as assurance that he had no part in Polonius' death (ll. 190-9)?

· He tells him to go choose his wisest friends and have them listen to both sides of the story and if they find him guilty he will give up his kingdom, crown, and life.

Act IV, Scene 6

Horatio receives a letter from Hamlet explaining how he escaped from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. How did he?

· They were sailing to England and pirates attacked their ship. And before much could happen Hamlet hopped over to the other boat and since the pirates had him they kept him captive and left Rosencrantz and Guildenstern on the ship alone.

Act IV, Scene 7

What reason does Claudius give Laertes for Hamlet's killing of Polonius (ll. 1-4)?

· He says that Hamlet was trying to kill Claudius and accidentally killed Polonius, assuming it was Claudius. Even though we know this to be untrue because Hamlet did indeed know it was Polonius spying on him and his mother.

What are his two reasons for not charging Hamlet with murder (ll. 9-24)?

· Because Gertrude loves Hamlet and Claudius loves Gertrude and he cant put her through that pain and sadness.

· And the public loves Hamlet and to convict him of murder would upset the people, which isn’t something the king wants to do.

3. Claudius reveals that Laertes is famous for his skill with the rapier (a fencing weapon) and that Hamlet is envious of this fame. How does Claudius plan to exploit this envy to give Laertes a chance for (publicly) guiltless revenge (ll. 126-38)?

· He tells Laertes that he is the best fencer around basically and Hamlet has challenged him and that he should put hamlet in his place. The king does this so he will be motivated and willing to fence with Hamlet. However the king says that instead of having a normal fencing sword, he is actually going to have a sword with a sharp end so that he can kill Hamlet.

5. How does Laertes refine the plan (ll. 138-147)?

· He says that he will coat the sword with poison just to make sure that when he stabs him he dies, incase the sharp sword isn’t enough.

6. What announcement does Gertrude make to end Act IV?

· She tells Laertes and the king that Ophelia has drown.