ipl-logo

Hamlet Act 3 Analysis

1384 Words6 Pages

Act 3 opens with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern reporting to Claudius about how they have not yet been able to find the root of Hamlet’s madness but that Hamlet requested Claudius attend the actor’s play. Polonius and Claudius then execute their plan to use Ophelia to understand Hamlet’s behavior. As they watch behind cover, Hamlet bumps into Ophelia right after delivering his famous “to be or not to be” speech where he contemplates suicide. In his conversation with Ophelia, rather than being kind, he berates her and tells her to go to a nunnery. Claudius then concludes that Hamlet is not mad because of his love for Ophelia, but rather, because of a different, unknown reason. To be safe, he decides to send Hamlet off to England. Polonius also …show more content…

Hamlet and Horatio enter and are fascinated by the fact that one of the grave diggers is so desensitized to death that he whistles while digging a grave. After finding the skull of his old caretaker, Yorik, Hamlet then begins to ponder death and the universal and inescapable nature of senescence. His thoughts are interrupted by a funeral procession that turns out to be for Ophelia. During the burial, an emotionally distressed Laertes jumps into the grave and asks the grave diggers to bury him alive, prompting Hamlet to also jump into the grave and claim that he loves Ophelia more than forty thousand brothers. After a brief scuffle, Hamlet and Horatio leave, and Claudius reminds Laertes of their plan to murder Hamlet. The next scene shows Hamlet telling Horatio about his journey to England and how Hamlet replaced the King’s letter requesting for Hamlet to be killed with a letter ordering the execution of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who continued on their way to England even after Hamlet jumped on the pirate ship. Orsic, a courtier, then interrupts their conversation, and tells them that Claudius has requested a duel between Laertes and Hamlet. After Horatio and Hamlet mock Orsic’s ornate language, Hamlet agrees to the duel, and although Horatio fears that Laertes has more skill, Hamlet counters that he has been practicing for quite a while. At the actual duel, a table has been set up for Claudius and Gertrude to watch. Before the duel, Hamlet requests forgiveness from Laertes who partially accepts it, but claims that he must still duel for the sake of his honor. As the match begins, with Laertes surreptitiously using the poisoned sword, Hamlet wins the first point. The king drinks to Hamlet’s success, and offers a drink to Hamlet, who declines. Hamlet wins the second round, and this time Gertrude drinks

Show More
Related
578 Words | 3 Pages

Hamlet reaches for the dropped dagger and wounds Laertes and then lunges over also killing Claudius too. As Gertrude, Laertes, and Hamlet begin to die it is Laertes that recognizes the gaps in the story and is able to place Ophelia as the cause of all of their problems. In Hamlet’s last moments he is forgiven for the misconception about his sanity. Ophelia’s truth is revealed but it is too late to save those who were poisoned. Horatio observed the scene play out and is awe stricken by the total misconception that was

Read More
520 Words | 3 Pages

Laertes complains to the priests to perform a full service for his sister. Suddenly Laertes jumps into Ophelia’s grave and exclaims that he wants to be buried next to her. Hamlet jumps in too and insults Laertes saying that he doesn’t love her as much as he does. They fight each other and are pulled apart. At the end of this scene, Claudius reminds Laertes about their plan to murder Hamlet.

Read More
1361 Words | 6 Pages

Threatened by his step-son, Hamlet, Claudius sets up a plan to try to kill Hamlet. He enters Hamlet into a fencing battle, but puts poison on the end of his opponent’s foil. Just in case Hamlet does not make contact with the end of his opponent’s sword, Claudius puts poison in a cup of wine that will be handed to Hamlet if he wins the duel. In the heat of the battle, Hamlet and his opponent end up switching swords, killing Hamlet’s opponent instead of himself. In addition, Hamlet’s mother ends up drinking from the winner’s wine cup.

Read More
798 Words | 4 Pages

Hamlet has come to see his mother, Queen Gertrude, and ends up stabbing Lord Polonius, which ultimately leads to his death. Lord Polonius’ final words include “O, I am slain!” Even though this provides a slight amount of comic relief to the reader, it has a reverse effect on Ophelia’s mental state. Her father’s death seems to be the potent punch in this fight because she officially goes mad after this final event. This is apparent in Scene IV Act I, when Laertes has come back to visit his sister and check on her well being.

Read More
1154 Words | 5 Pages

When Ophelia returns all his letters and gifts he tells her that he has never loved her and that she should “get thyself to a nunnery.” This is one example how his mood changes throughout the play. Then after all this her father, Polinous, is murdered by Hamlet. The Hamlet is sent away to England All of these actions result in her feeling such stress that she becomes insane in the end.

Read More
742 Words | 3 Pages

Claudius, Hamlets uncle now father, and Polonius come up with a plan to figure out why Hamlet is so upset so they send Ophelia to go break up with him because they want to see if she is the one making him upset. While hamlet is walking the corridors debating with himself if he should live with lifes hardships or if he should commit suicide he spots Ophelia. Ophelia immediately tries to give back his things that she has being her way of ending things. Hamlet says "No, not I. I never gave you aught."

Read More
621 Words | 3 Pages

The final duel between Laertes and Hamlet is also a major deception and the final scene of the play. Claudius set up the duel as a secret between himself and Laertes to end Hamlet’s life. Claudius is so set on killing Hamlet, he accidentally kills Gertrude, in the process along with everyone else in the scene, including himself. Thus, no one ever wins with

Read More
753 Words | 4 Pages

He is also trying to cope with the fact that he lost a woman he loved, Ophelia. Hamlet even goes on to talk about how he has thought about self-inflicted death. All of these aspects of Hamlet’s life create a giant problem for him to handle on his own, with no one to talk to. Hamlet talks to his dead father’s ghost in the woods when it is revealed that he, Hamlet Sr., was murdered by his own brother. The Ghost retells the story when he says, “Ghost: You should know, my noble son, the real snake that stung your father is now wearing his crown.

Read More
1467 Words | 6 Pages

Hamlet’s mind was set on killing Claudius to get revenge on his father. While plotting to kill his uncle Hamlet, in a fit of rage, stabbed and killed Polonius while he was hiding behind a curtain. After Ophelia found out about her father 's death she became mad and decided that she could take her own life to fix all her pain. Shortly after Laertes discovered his sister killed herself, he wanted to fight and kill

Read More
513 Words | 3 Pages

As this whole thing is happening, Claudis joins in to make Laertes even more against Hamlet and even helps him to compose a plan for his nonexistence. So presently, Claudius and Laertes have a plan to diminish Hamlet, and when that doesn’t go as planned, they go to a back up plan to have Hamlet drink from a cup that Claudius has poured poison into. . . but that also backfires because Gertrude ended up drinking it and dying from it. In advance of Gertrudes death. . . Laertes and Hamlet have a fencing fight in front of everyone, but

Read More
937 Words | 4 Pages

Hamlet has not only become distraught from his conniving and lying stepfather but also his mother, Queen Gertrude as well. The unfaithfulness that Gertrude shows to Hamlet’s father and Hamlet has a toll on him and plays a part in his insanity. The facade that Hamlet displays slowly leads to his insanity, causing him to show mistreated love towards Ophelia. In the beginning of the play, Ophelia displays a very honest

Read More
905 Words | 4 Pages

In Act III, scene i of The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare, readers will come upon Ophelia’s soliloquy. After Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have failed to find a reason as to why Hamlet is acting in a peculiar and mad way, Claudius is persuaded by Polonius that the reason for Hamlet’s madness is the broken romance between Hamlet and Ophelia. To prove this, Claudius and Polonius plan to spy on Ophelia’s meeting with Hamlet. During their conversation, Hamlet denies ever having loved her and curses her. Ophelia is left fretting over his sanity.

Read More
937 Words | 4 Pages

Hamlet once again fails to understand that Ophelia much like himself is only trying to stay loyal to her father, much like what he is doing himself. In addition, Hamlet blames woman for giving birth to such evil and deceiving men like Claudius and himself. When he was talking to Ophelia he told her "Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better

Read More
1313 Words | 6 Pages

Unaware of the role Hamlet is playing, Ophelia feels rejected and hurt. Eventually, Ophelia’s heartache, along with the death of her father, causes her to commit suicide. Next, Claudius and Gertrude’s role play affect their relationship with Hamlet. At the beginning of the play, Claudius takes on the role of a kind, just king; he seems to genuinely care for Hamlet. He often gives him fatherly advice, and shows affection for Hamlet in ways that an uncle would.

Read More
1306 Words | 6 Pages

These continuous deaths heighten the tension, as the suspense and mystery revolving around who would die next, magnifies the sense of anticipation in the audience. These deaths occur gradually, with King Hamlet being the first, as he had died before the play even started. This is followed by Polonius’ death by Hamlet in Act 3, Scene 4. As a result of her father’s death, Ophelia had reached a mental decline and resorted to committing suicide by drowning herself in Act 4, Scene 7. The climax of the play is in the final act which is Act 5, Scene 2; where multiple characters such as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Gertrude, Claudius, Laertes and Hamlet have reached their untimely deaths.

Read More

More about Hamlet Act 3 Analysis

Open Document