Hamlet review
Act I
1. Review Act I scene I and ii: the use of foil
2. The first soliloquy “Oh That this too too solid flesh”… the central metaphor of the “unweeded
garden” and the central image of “rank and gross” (diseased). The central theme of
unnaturalness.
3. Scene iv: sets up the visit from Horatio in telling Hamlet about the ghost and the meeting at
midnight
4. Plan A—“putting on an antic disposition” in his revenge vs. Claudius
Act II
1. Introduces the eavesdropping motif in the play
a. Pol asking Reynaldo to spy on Laertes in France (II. i)
b. King asking Rosencrantz & Guilderstern to spy on Hamlet (II.ii)
c. Pol asking Ophelia to spy on Hamlet (III.i)
2. Focus on King Claudius’ statement “Something have you heard of Hamlet’s transformation”
3. Hamlet’s Plan A: “antic disposition” What has happened since? Is the plan working?
4. What is Hamlet’s problem?
5. Introduction of the players
6. Discuss the Mousetrap play (play within the play)
7. Scene ii has the second soliloquy and the longest one: “What a rogue and peasant slave am I”
a. Why does he berate himself?
b. What does the soliloquy reflect about the revenge?
c. Why does he ask if he’s a coward?
d. Plan B: “The play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king”
e. Do we as an audience believe him now? Why or why not?
Act III
1. Theme of appearance vs. reality is reflected in the “To Be or Not To Be” speech
a. Is all what it appears (to be) or is all nothing but appearance (Not to be)
b. Is his mother innocent? Does Ophelia love me? Is the ghost real?
2. Scene i: The nunnery scene
a. Double entendre of nunnery—whorehouse
b. Nunnery mentioned 5xs in 25 lines
c. Why is he abusive to Ophelia, a woman he professes to love?
d. Is this related to this mother? “Frailty, thy name is woman”
3. Scene ii: play within play
a. Realizes that Claudius is guilty
b. This means the ghost is real
4. Scene iii: Claudius is in chapel praying
a. Or is he?
b. Dramatic irony---Hamlet thinks he is praying
c. Soliloquy of Hamlet: “Now, might I do’t pat; now that he’s a praying?”
d. Decides to wait for a better opportunity to Claudius
e. Goes on to Mother’s chamber to confront her about Claudius
5. Scene iv (the bedroom scene)
a. Polonius decides to spy on Hamlet behind the curtains in Gertrude’s bedroom
b. Hamlet comes in a “murderous rage”
c. Mother screams for she fears him
d. Polonius screams too; Hamlet thinks it is the king and stabs the person behind the
curtain, realizing that it is Polonius.
e. Hamlet then continues to berate his mother for marrying Claudius
f. Ghost revisits to remind Hamlet about the revenge
g. Gertrude thinks Hamlet is mad as she cannot she the ghost “This is the very coinage of
his brain”
h. Hamlet then takes the body of Polonius.
i. Gertrude cries
6. In Acts II and III, we have the results of excessive grief---Hamlet’s belief in the power of beauty
and love diminishes. He has become obsessed with the finality and ugliness of death because
he sees no goodness in the world.
7. Major irony: That Claudius is also guilty---even more so than Hamlet ---simply adds to the irony
of a good man destroying himself for an evil one.