Hamlet - Act 4 – Falling Action
Scene 1:
- “There’s matter in these sighs, these profound heaves. You must translate, ‘tis
fit we understand them” - Diplomatic or self-serving? From the point of view of
those at Elsinore, a mad Hamlet is dangerous (“madness in great ones must not
unchecked go”) and so it is important that Claudius understand what has
happened. However, there is also a possibility that he is afraid for himself, and that
Hamlet’s madness is only really a threat to him and therefore only worth expending
the energy on when he is himself threatened. He appears paranoid and desperate,
what for and for whose purpose we are unclear of
- “Where is your son?” - Claudius, despite what he said in Act 1 Scene 2 (“And think
of us as of a father”,” my cousin Hamlet and my son”) does not lay claim to Hamlet
when it is not self-serving – his paternal show is for the public rather than for Hamlet
- “How does Hamlet? / Mad as the sea and wind when both contend which is the
mightier” - Gertrude keeps Hamlet’s secret (“If words be made of breath, and
breath of life, I have no life to breath what thou hast said to me”), for what purpose?
Understands Claudius’ villainy? The imagery of madness is also perhaps fearful to
Claudius – both the sea and the wind are incredibly mighty, and therefore Gertrude
describes Hamlet and his madness in the same way. His might and his madness
contend, but it will be Claudius who suffers the damage of the madness
- “In his lawless fit, behind this arras hearing something stir, whips out his
rapier, cries, ‘A rat, a rat!’ and in this brainish apprehension kills the unseen
good old man” - she may be trying to protect Hamlet – she either believes him to be
mad and is therefore being honest, or she believes Hamlet and is trying to protect
him against his own actions, thereby siding with Hamlet against Claudius and
retaining some sense of moral conviction. However, this makes her as deceptive as
all of Elsinore
- “O heavy deed! It had been so with us, had we been there.” - his immediate
thought is his own wellbeing and the threat against himself. He doesn’t care about
Polonius and doesn’t actually see him as “a man both faithful and honorable”, he
used him as a means of understanding Hamlet. Claudius’ ultimate priority is
himself, Gertrude and his crown (“my crown, mine own ambition and my queen”)
- “His liberty is full of threats to all; to you yourself, to us, to everyone.” - He is
being dishonest with Gertrude too – Hamlet's revenge is against Claudius alone; he
is not interested in “everyone”. Claudius attempts to reconfigure the problem at
, hand to be as expansive as possible and therefore as dire as possible in order to get
rid of the threat to himself
- “It will be laid to us, whose providence should have kept short, restrained and
out of haunt this mad young man; but so much was our love, we would not
understand what was most fit” - he is being dishonest with Gertrude – he does not
love Hamlet and orders him to be sent to England (“for like a hectic in my blood he
rages and you shall cure me”)
- “To draw apart the body he hath killed, o’er whom his very madness, like some
ore among a mineral of metals base shows itself pure; ‘a weeps for what is
done” - Gertrude actually loves Hamlet and wants to care for him whether or not
she believes he is mad – her concern is not with the threat that Claudius says
Hamlet is, but with ensuring that Hamlet is treated well by Claudius – she wants to
protect him from his own actions – this is her last speech of the scene and she is not
seen again until Ophelia speaks with her. While Claudius plans the murder of
Hamlet in England, she wants to protect him despite his actions
Scene 2:
- “What have you done my lord with the dead body? / Compounded it with dust
whereto tis kin” - Ambiguous – Hamlet does not trust them at all and, strangely,
doesn’t seem to trust the audience either. This scene appears evidence for his
madness, as he rambles about dust and sponges, but he is on stage with other
characters and may just be his antic disposition. Also provides commentary on
death and what happens after – kin to dust
- “Do not believe it. / Believe what? / That I can keep your counsel and not mine
own.” - Finally being honest about his relationship with them – he no longer needs
to “hold [his] tongue”
- “Besides, to be demanded of a sponge, what replication should be made by the
son of a king” - ambiguity about which king, Hamlet or Claudius? He acknowledges
his position as prince very few times, and is normally on a level with characters of
lower rank, what makes him mention it now?
- “Ay sir, that soaks up the King’s countenance, his rewards, his authorities. But
such officers do the King best service in the end; he keeps them like an ape in
the corner of his jaw, first mouthed to be last swallowed. When he needs what
you have gleaned, it is but squeezing you and, sponge, you shall be dry again” -
Alludes to their death – they have been used by the King and for now “soak up his
rewards” but will eventually prove useless to him and their death will only be
mentioned once without consequence by Hamlet and Horatio. Hamlet is being
Scene 1:
- “There’s matter in these sighs, these profound heaves. You must translate, ‘tis
fit we understand them” - Diplomatic or self-serving? From the point of view of
those at Elsinore, a mad Hamlet is dangerous (“madness in great ones must not
unchecked go”) and so it is important that Claudius understand what has
happened. However, there is also a possibility that he is afraid for himself, and that
Hamlet’s madness is only really a threat to him and therefore only worth expending
the energy on when he is himself threatened. He appears paranoid and desperate,
what for and for whose purpose we are unclear of
- “Where is your son?” - Claudius, despite what he said in Act 1 Scene 2 (“And think
of us as of a father”,” my cousin Hamlet and my son”) does not lay claim to Hamlet
when it is not self-serving – his paternal show is for the public rather than for Hamlet
- “How does Hamlet? / Mad as the sea and wind when both contend which is the
mightier” - Gertrude keeps Hamlet’s secret (“If words be made of breath, and
breath of life, I have no life to breath what thou hast said to me”), for what purpose?
Understands Claudius’ villainy? The imagery of madness is also perhaps fearful to
Claudius – both the sea and the wind are incredibly mighty, and therefore Gertrude
describes Hamlet and his madness in the same way. His might and his madness
contend, but it will be Claudius who suffers the damage of the madness
- “In his lawless fit, behind this arras hearing something stir, whips out his
rapier, cries, ‘A rat, a rat!’ and in this brainish apprehension kills the unseen
good old man” - she may be trying to protect Hamlet – she either believes him to be
mad and is therefore being honest, or she believes Hamlet and is trying to protect
him against his own actions, thereby siding with Hamlet against Claudius and
retaining some sense of moral conviction. However, this makes her as deceptive as
all of Elsinore
- “O heavy deed! It had been so with us, had we been there.” - his immediate
thought is his own wellbeing and the threat against himself. He doesn’t care about
Polonius and doesn’t actually see him as “a man both faithful and honorable”, he
used him as a means of understanding Hamlet. Claudius’ ultimate priority is
himself, Gertrude and his crown (“my crown, mine own ambition and my queen”)
- “His liberty is full of threats to all; to you yourself, to us, to everyone.” - He is
being dishonest with Gertrude too – Hamlet's revenge is against Claudius alone; he
is not interested in “everyone”. Claudius attempts to reconfigure the problem at
, hand to be as expansive as possible and therefore as dire as possible in order to get
rid of the threat to himself
- “It will be laid to us, whose providence should have kept short, restrained and
out of haunt this mad young man; but so much was our love, we would not
understand what was most fit” - he is being dishonest with Gertrude – he does not
love Hamlet and orders him to be sent to England (“for like a hectic in my blood he
rages and you shall cure me”)
- “To draw apart the body he hath killed, o’er whom his very madness, like some
ore among a mineral of metals base shows itself pure; ‘a weeps for what is
done” - Gertrude actually loves Hamlet and wants to care for him whether or not
she believes he is mad – her concern is not with the threat that Claudius says
Hamlet is, but with ensuring that Hamlet is treated well by Claudius – she wants to
protect him from his own actions – this is her last speech of the scene and she is not
seen again until Ophelia speaks with her. While Claudius plans the murder of
Hamlet in England, she wants to protect him despite his actions
Scene 2:
- “What have you done my lord with the dead body? / Compounded it with dust
whereto tis kin” - Ambiguous – Hamlet does not trust them at all and, strangely,
doesn’t seem to trust the audience either. This scene appears evidence for his
madness, as he rambles about dust and sponges, but he is on stage with other
characters and may just be his antic disposition. Also provides commentary on
death and what happens after – kin to dust
- “Do not believe it. / Believe what? / That I can keep your counsel and not mine
own.” - Finally being honest about his relationship with them – he no longer needs
to “hold [his] tongue”
- “Besides, to be demanded of a sponge, what replication should be made by the
son of a king” - ambiguity about which king, Hamlet or Claudius? He acknowledges
his position as prince very few times, and is normally on a level with characters of
lower rank, what makes him mention it now?
- “Ay sir, that soaks up the King’s countenance, his rewards, his authorities. But
such officers do the King best service in the end; he keeps them like an ape in
the corner of his jaw, first mouthed to be last swallowed. When he needs what
you have gleaned, it is but squeezing you and, sponge, you shall be dry again” -
Alludes to their death – they have been used by the King and for now “soak up his
rewards” but will eventually prove useless to him and their death will only be
mentioned once without consequence by Hamlet and Horatio. Hamlet is being
