This document provides summary and analysis of William Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" which is an excellent study aid and a huge help for learning quotes and writing essays. With these notes I received a top grade in my English state exam.
At the start of this scene, we once again see how clever Claudius he is sees Hamlet’s
behaviour as a danger and a threat. He refers to his “dangerous lunacy”. Shortly after this
we see him being clever again, but this time it is to pretend to his wife that he actually cares
about Hamlet. When he hears that Hamlet is happy about the arrival of the actors, he says it
lifts his heart. “With all my heart; and it doth much content me To hear him so inclin’d”
We get a further picture of how clever Claudius is when we see his plan to spy on Hamlet.
He wants to see with his own eyes, is Hamlet crazy because of love, or because of
something else? “We may of their encounter frankly judge, and gather by him, as he is
behav’d, If’t be the affection of his love or know that this he suffers for”.
Polonius says something to Ophelia. What he says brings a reaction from Claudius. It is the
first indication we get from Claudius that he has in fact done something wrong, He says
“thou shan’t a lash that speech doth my conscience!”. He also refers to the weight of guilt he
has “O heavy burden!”. For the first time we see Claudius admit he has done wrong.
Claudius and Polonius are hiding. Hamlet comes along. Even though there are others around
we take this speech as a soliloquy. We assume that the words Hamlet speaks are heard by
no one else. This speech is the most famous in any Shakespeare play. It is referred to as the
“To be or not to be” speech. In the speech, Hamlet talks about life and death. He says that
life is tough. It is a life where we “suffer”. A life where “arrows” hit us. A life where things do
not run smooth. “Outrageous fortune”. He sees life as “a sea of troubles”. He asks is it better
to fight against all of this? “Take arms against”.
All of this shows us that Hamlet is not in a good place mentally. He speaks about a world
where love isn’t appreciated. “The pangs of disprized love”. He asks why do we even bother
putting up with all of this? “To grunt and sweat under a weary life”.
Hamlet says that people put up with this because of a fear of the unknown. To die would be
to escape from all of this; “To die, to sleep; to sleep; perchance to dream”. He speaks about
the fear of death; The dread of something after death, the undiscovered country from who’s
born, no traveller returns. For that reason, we put up with stuff in life that we would rather
run away from. “And makes us rather bear those ills we have than fly to others that we
know not of?”. He says this fear makes us cowards in the face of death; “Thus conscience
does make cowards of us all”.
The fact that Hamlet is speaking like this shows us, that he sees the world around him in a
very negative way. It is not a world he is happy living in. his father’s death and his mother’s
marriage is causing this unhappiness.
What follows next is Hamlet’s meeting with Ophelia. It is often referred to as the Nunnery
scene because a number of times during the scene, Hamlet tells Ophelia to go to a convent.
When he sees Ophelia first, he seems quite happy; “Soft you now! The fair Ophelia! Nymph
in thy orisons”. But this quickly changes when she tells him, that she wants to return gifts he
, has given her. This sets Hamlet off; he becomes harsh with her and sarcastic. She refers to
his nasty behaviour, she says “Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind.”
What follows next is absolutely disgraceful behaviour from Hamlet. He uses Ophelia to vent
his anger at his mother. He takes it out on her.
2nd March 2023
Hamlet’s treatment of Ophelia in the ‘Nunnery scene’ cannot be defended in any way. The
following are some of the very hurtful things he says to Ophelia; “Get thee to a nunnery.
Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?”. Hamlet attacks all women and vents this anger
at Ophelia. “Get thee to a Nunnery, go; farewell. Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool;
for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them”. He says that all women
are two-faced but once again, takes his anger takes his anger out on the innocent Ophelia.
“God hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another”. We see just how upset
Ophelia is, when she shouts “O! Help him”. She also says, “O heavenly powers, restore
him!”. She says his previously good mind is now gone; “O! What a noble mind is here
o’erthrown”. She says she is sad to have seen what has happened to Hamlet. “O! woe is me
To have seen what I have seen, see what I see!”.
From what many people say in this play Hamlet was a really nice person before his father’s
death and his mother’s marriage. He loved music, art and drama. He was a student in
Wittenburg university. The Hamlet we see is very different. He is hurting. It is clear he
adored his father. He doesn’t like Claudius and is resentful that this man has married his
mother. Even though he is hurting, we cannot excuse the way he treats Ophelia. She is not
the reason he is hurting, but yet he takes that hurt out on her. He may not realise it, but he
is damaging her mentally.
While Hamlet is talking to her, Claudius and Polonius are listening. When Hamlet is gone,
the clever Claudius says that Hamlet’s strange behaviour is nothing got to do with love. He
says, “love! his affections do not that way tend”, he says what he saw “Was not like
madness”. We know Claudius is clever. He says he is going to send Hamlet to England to get
him out of the way. Like any good ruler, he sees a threat and decides to deal with that
threat, just like he did with Fortinbras. When Hamlet was talking to Ophelia, he said
something that would’ve alarmed Claudius. Hamlet said, “I say we will have no marriages;
those that are married already, all but one, shall live”. Claudius would see this as a threat on
his life. Claudius’ words at the end of the scene show just how clever a man he is, “Madness
in great ones must not unwatch’ed go”. That means if people in power behave in a crazy
way, it is dangerous.
ACT 3 SCENE II
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