Class Blog Entry

Hey everyone! We made it through one whole cycle! Here is what we talked about today...

- We got our Act III Scene ii quizzes back.
- We continued our discussion on Act III Scene iv

• Is Hamlet asking his mother not to sleep with Claudius? - Yes he is but he is saying it in a weird way. Gertrude asks what should she do and Hamlet responds with don't do what I am telling you to do. There are two main requests he has, (1) Don't let the king tempt Gertrude and to stay clear of him (the longer you stay away from him the easier it gets) and (2) Don't tell anyone especially Claudius about the truth of his "madness". Hamlet wants Gertrude to go to Heaven and he wants to save her soul but she has to repent.

• Is Hamlet giving Gertrude a choice? - Yes, he is asking is she going to be the Queen, who is loyal to Claudius, or his Mother, who is loyal to Hamlet. So far throughout the play, she has been acting like the Queen, not his Mother. Her response is that she will be loyal to Hamlet but there is a high possibility that she could be lying to get out of the situation.

• "...Hoist with his own petard..." - it means to kill with one's own weapon. This is what Hamlet is planning on doing to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in England or on the way to England since they are taking Hamlet there. Polonius has already been killed by his own weapon by spying and being in the wrong place in the wrong time. Claudius hasn't told R & G that Hamlet is not supposed to be coming back. Right now Claudius is more concerned with his self-preservation than what is best for the kingdom.

• What has Polonius achieved in death? - He has finally shut-up and he now can keep secrets since he can't tell anyone them because he is dead.
• Connection: 3 young men with dead fathers. Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras
• Side note: Claudius must be in his 50s or 60s
• Going into Act IV...we are about to experience a government cover-up!

Last Questions tomorrow for Act III and talk of the test