Gina Tangelo

5/16/17
English 10
Miriam Rock

Hamlet Act 4 Homework

The motif of role-playing and acting is a very important motif in this

play. It is mostly associated with Hamlet because he himself even states that

he would act mad: How strange or odd someer I bear myself- as I

perchance hereafter shall I think meet to put an antic disposition on-

(1.5.178-80), antic disposition meaning strange behavior. He first acts upon

this when he talks with Polonius in act 2. This is where we see his acting start

to maybe turn into actual madness. When Polonius says he will take his leave

for Hamlet, Hamlet has a slight moment of realization: You cannot, sir, take

from me anything that I will not more willing part withal- except my life,

except my life, except my life. (2.2.212-14). In these lines he repeats

himself three times because he is taking into consideration what he says

before he has to go back into acting. His sudden change of mood by

repeating himself several times, something that is interpreted, shows that

maybe he is taking his act a little too seriously. In Hamlets case, it is seen as

a bad thing because hes the prince and he normally doesnt act like this and

so people think this is regarding grief, though no one is particularly sure.

In act 4, there are some sudden changes to the plot. In scene 4,

Hamlet has the chance to kill Claudius but he doesnt and because of this he

decides something drastic: O, from this time forth my thoughts be bloody or

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be nothing of worth. (4.4.65-66). To me, this means that he has gone mad

because of the desire to avenge the death of his father and so now Hamlet

thinks that he has to only think bloody in order to be able to kill Claudius

when he really shouldnt be worrying so much about it. In scene 5, Ophelia

shows moments of being mad. She starts acting so mad that Gertrude wants

nothing to do with her. She comes in singing songs about how her father is

dead, implying the fact that she is very much not over it: Say you? Nay,

pray your mark. [sings] He is dead and gone lady, He is dead and gone,

(4.5.28-30). Her madness is caused by grief, like Hamlet, and yet the king

and Gertrude want nothing to do with anyone grieving because they think

they Hamlet and Ophelia should just get over it. This only occurs with grief

and normally only applies to Hamlet but Ophelia seems to not be able to

cope with anything either.