Hamlet: Act III
Hamlet's development throughout the play occurs in such a way to prepare the audience for the tragedy of the final scene. If Claudius had died in Act III, this would have diluted the tragic effect of the final scene. Furthermore, it would have robbed Hamlet's character from the opportunity of further growth and development, which ultimately makes for a more satisfying audience experience. In Act III, Hamlet's madness is still somewhat uncertain. This is especially so in his harsh treatment of Ophelia, whom he orders to a "nunnery" for multiple times when seeing her just after his "To be or not to be" speech. His way of determining the royal couple's guilt through staging a play is however ingenious, and the audience is reassured of his underlying sanity. At this stage of the play, however, he does still prove himself to be somewhat unstable in terms of emotion, if not of rational thought. The death of Polonius shows this. Hamlet's murder of Polonius is pivotal in Act III.
/ I will bestow him, and will answer well / The death I gave him. This is a willingness that he stated right after the event in Act III, scene iv: "I do repent: but heaven hath pleased it so,/ To punish me with this and this with me, /That I must be their scourge and minister. This reflects on the Prince's character in two respects. This further emphasizes the fact that he is in fact not mad. The fact that Hamlet takes the responsibility that is his and adheres to the truth throughout helps the audience to relate to him and mourn his death. The King and Queen use Laertes, her brother, in his grief to make another attempt on Hamlet's life. " Hamlet's reaction here also shows his willingness to accept and face what fate bestows upon him. Despite Claudius and Gertrude's attempt to have him executed abroad, Hamlet manages to return to continue with his plans. It is here that Ophelia's funeral procession reveals to him the death of the lady he once loved. First, it reiterates Hamlet's willingness to take responsibility for Polonius's death. His increasingly morbid obsession with death furthermore appears prophetic of the end of his own life. Worse, he is indirectly responsible for Ophelia's death. It is only through the deaths of Polonius and Ophelia that the audience becomes fully aware of the depth and integrity of Hamlet's character. In the first scene of the final Act, Hamlet attempts to quiet Laertes' temper with the words "I loved Ophelia: forty thousand brothers / Could not, with all their quantity of love, / Make up my sum. Hamlet does not shy away from his responsibility for this, nor will he take responsibility that is not his.
Common topics in this essay:
Act III,
Polonius Hamlet's,
III Hamlet's,
III Claudius,
Act Hamlet,
Claudius Gertrude's,
Queen Laertes,
,
Act IV,
Polonius Ophelia,
act iii,
hamlet's character,
polonius hamlet's,
hamlet's reaction,
final scene,
ophelia's death,
|
Acceptance Essays
