What is the summary of Act 4 in Hamlet?
Gertrude informs Claudius of Polonius’s death and Claudius realises that it could have been him if he had been there (L13). Claudius is more fearful that he will be blamed for Hamlets actions rather than showing emotion at the death of Polonius (L16-18).
What Happens in Hamlet Act 3 Scene 4?
Polonius hides behind Gertrude’s curtain to eavesdrop, but calls out in fear after Gertrude does so. Hamlet hears him and stabs him through the curtain, killing him. The prince angrily confronts his mother, and, hearing Polonius’s calls for help, mistakes him for Claudius and stabs him through the curtain.
What happens to Ophelia at the end of Act 4?
Ophelia, mad with grief, has drowned in the river. Anguished to have lost his sister so soon after his father’s death, Laertes flees the room.
What happened at the end of Act 4 in Hamlet?
The concluding scene of ”Hamlet,” Act 4 sets the play’s final plot in motion. Shakespeare shows that the corruption of the court has already started to turn on itself. Claudius and Laertes hatch a plan to counter Hamlet’s dangerous return to Denmark. Ophelia is the play’s first innocent victim.
What is Hamlet’s theme in Act 4?
Act 4 Scene 4: After his encounter with Fortinbras, Hamlet marvels that people kill one another over so slight a gain as ‘a little patch of land’ and resolves that from now on all his thoughts will be ‘bloody. ‘ Act 4 Scene 5: In contrast to Hamlet’s reflectiveness, Laertes determines on revenge without hesitation.
What does Hamlet mother criticize Act 3 Scene 4?
Hamlet enters challenging, “Now, Mother, what’s the matter?” Gertrude tells him he has badly offended his father, meaning Claudius; Hamlet answers that she has badly offended his father, meaning King Hamlet. He accuses Gertrude of lustfulness, and she begs him to leave her alone.
What is Ophelia’s fate in Hamlet?
In Act 4 Scene 7, Queen Gertrude reports that Ophelia had climbed into a willow tree (There is a willow grows aslant the brook), and that the branch had broken and dropped Ophelia into the brook, where she drowned.
What is the central theme of Hamlet?
Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare around 1600, is a tragedy that explores themes of friendship, madness, and revenge.