Emily Chen, Sean Lerkvikarn, Emily Kelley, Courtney Timmins

What new information did you learn about your character in Act 4 that would help an actor or actress understand him better?

 Claudiuss guilt is turning into fear.

Fear for his own safety Fear for reputation Fear of public opinion Fear of Hamlets antic disposition

Suppressed guilt reemerging

Claudius sees the consequences

of regicide

Hamlets madness Polonius murder Laertes anger Ophelias death

 Authority
Assert control as the king of

Denmark. Reassure his people and himself.

Decisiveness
Sending Hamlet to

England. Hamlets execution.

Confrontational
Reasoning with Hamlet. Searching for information.

 Fear of Religion
Unclean conscience. Cannot be truly forgiven. Biblical reference to

Abel and Cain

Hesitation
Never faced consequences

of murder Seeks advice of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Hamlets good reputation with the public.

 Split personalities
Inner conscience

(praying when alone, evident in his asides, full awareness of consequences) Outward appearance (confident, caring father and husband)
Mixed emotions to portray

Guilt Anxiety Intimidation Greed

In each scene where your character appears, what is his or her motivation and objective? In other words, what does he or she really want?

 Claudiuss objective is to send

Hamlet off to England. His motivation is to protect himself.

Hamlet is a more threatening

presence
Physical Danger Psychological Danger to Claudius

and People of Denmark

 Claudiuss objective is to obtain Poloniuss body. His motivation is to remain in control and maintain his

public appearance.

 Claudiuss objectives are still to obtain the corpse, and

also to reason with Hamlet and inform him that he is going to England. His motivation is to kill Hamlet, which is revealed in his aside on page 199.

 Claudiuss objective is to make

Laertes murder Hamlet. His motivation is the restoration of order.

 Claudiuss objective is to allow Laertes to kill Hamlet. His motivation is Hamlets death, which will prevent

others from discovering his murder of his brother.

How does your character feel about the events in Act 4? About Hamlet?

 Poloniuss murder Ophelias insanity and death Laertes returns from France Hamlet being sent off to

England

 Claudius plotting to kill

Hamlet with Laertes Wicked plans consisting of poisons, sharp blades (guaranteeing death for Hamlet) Hamlets letters back to Claudius/Gertrude, Hamlet evading Death

 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

report that Hamlet is completely mad. Had Claudius been behind the arras, then Hamlet would just have easily killed Claudius.

 Claudius decides Hamlet is a threat and sends Hamlet

off to England for his own safety and keeping a public image of control intact.

 Feels uneasy around Hamlet

and threatened by Hamlet; hasty to defend his own safety. Feels a duty to maintain his public image. Hopeful that his problems with Hamlet will be quickly resolved by using Laertes rage.

 Hamlet identifies Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as spies,

but agrees to go with them to see Claudius.

 The king first reveals his plans for Hamlet to his

attendants. After Hamlet reveals the location of Polonius body and agrees to go to England, their discussion ends.

 This discourse by Hamlet is

an insight into the nature of death. Claudius demands Hamlet reveal the location of Polonius body...
Hamlet talks about death as

an equalizer. Worms do not discriminate between bodies. Hamlet says the lawyers witty words are gone

 Firm resolve in his actions. Claudius sticks to his plans for

Hamlet, and commands Hamlet, as opposed to conversing with Hamlet. Feels hopeful that England will be the last chapter in Hamlets life, and maybe relieved that things will calm down.

 Hamlet crosses paths with Young Fortinbras, who is on

his way to attack Poland.

 The major event of this scene is Laertes return and

anger towards Claudius for the death of Polonius. Claudius addresses Polonius death bluntly, and does not panic in dealing with Laertes rage. Claudius implies that Hamlet is responsible for Polonius death, and attempts to direct Laertes anger towards Hamlet. Again, manipulation of Laertes by Claudius

 Still fears Hamlet and tries to turn Laertes into another

defense against Hamlet. Remains collected despite the mob outside his castle, showing his ability to conceal his inner guilt and remain focused on the situation at hand.

 Claudius schemes with

Laertes against Hamlet, and turns his hints towards killing Hamlet into plans for action.

 Manipulative of others
Tool for his success resides in others

Using Laertes as an easy way out.

What do other characters say about your character and how do they react to him or her? How does your character feel about other characters?

 Most of the characters in the play (e.g. Gertrude,

Polonius, Ophelia, Laertes) are oblivious to Claudiuss true intentions. Hamlet is the only exception. When Hamlet reveals the truth to Gertrude, she realizes how much Claudius cant and doesnt compare to King Hamlet.
Although a wicked man and the murderer of her husband,

Gertrude is still showing greed.

 With the death of their father, Ophelia and Laertes are

extremely vulnerable to manipulation

Minds are occupied by grief, anger, and confusion.

Laertes comes back from France with a mob, storms the

castle.
Believes it was Claudius who murdered Polonius.

 Hamlet feels triumphant

because he was able to trick Claudius with the play.

Hamlet feels confident that he

can overcome Claudius obstacles. Gained confidence from confirming Claudius' guilt. Finally, his plan can commence.

 With Gertrude, he is stubborn and refuses to give her up

along with the crown and power. With Hamlet, Claudius acts cautiously, suspecting that Hamlet is knowledgeable about the murder. Laertes and Ophelia do not hold a particular importance to Claudius
Mere tools he can use to achieve his own goals.

How does your character affect the events of each scene in which he or she appears? How is he or she affected by the events in which he or she appears?

 Claudius is informed by Gertrude that Hamlet is indeed

mad and has killed Polonius. This news is unsettling to Claudius because he would then need to figure out a way to handle this problem without inflicting damage on his reputation. Claudius takes immediate action (e.g. finding Hamlet) to ensure that the problem is solved as efficiently as possible.

 Claudius announces Polonius death

and his plans to send Hamlet away to England to a group of attendants. After Hamlet enters, Claudius is able to discover the location of Polonius body. In doing so, he trying to assert his role as a leader and restore order.

 Claudius experiences relief because

once he gets rid of Hamlet for good, his secret will remain undiscovered and his reputation, untouched. He also experiences stress in his haste to repair what damage has been done when Polonius was killed. These two emotions conflict and Claudius must find a way to resolve them.

 Claudius believes that Ophelia has gone mad when he

hears her singing nonsensical songs. Laertes storms the castle with a mob, in anger and vengeance for the murder of his father. Claudius is able to calm Laertes down and even manipulate his anger to benefit his own purposes. Claudius feels renewed hope when he spots this opportunity to use Laertes as his puppet.

 Claudius begins to formulate his plans for Hamlets

death; he and Laertes discuss the details of Polonius death. While doing so, word arrives with news of Hamlets swift return from England. Based on Claudius explanation of Polonius death burial, Laertes is eager and ready to take revenge on Hamlet for killing his father. Claudius feels triumphant.

How is your character important to this act? In other words, do you learn something new about the plot through him or her? Do you gain any insights about Hamlet by comparing/contrasting him to your character?

 The readers gain further insight into the mind of

Claudius (through asides). Gain insights to other characters through his perspective. As king, Claudius makes important decisions
Impact characters. Incites major events in the act. Indirectly steers the plot.

 Claudius plans to send Hamlet to England. Hamlet will be sentenced to death. Polonius did not have the proper burial that was expect

of someone with his social status. Laertes, outraged by the death of his father, is manipulated by Claudius to take revenge on Hamlet. Horatio is respected by both the king and Hamlet.

 We learn that Hamlet has become more dangerous

Mental tricks/Logic Physical Action

Hamlet is losing patience

Insults Rosencrantz Insults Claudius by saying

Claudius is a phony father.

 Claudius: Selfish, motives are power and lust. Hamlet: Looks outwards, motives are justice and loyalty.
Sees value in true friends, praises Horatio.

Hamlet: Sees life as pessimistic, says ones position never

matters come the end Claudius: Content in worldly desires. Both are cunning. Both are manipulative.

 Gertrude is an interesting

presence. Conflict between Claudius and Hamlet. Different types of affection towards her. Neither can let the other win.
How?

What questions are raised by your characters words and/or behavior in this act?

 Did Claudius marry Gertrude for love

or power? Will Claudius attempt to repent before Hamlet kills him? What will Claudius do with Laertes after Hamlet is dead? What will become of Claudius' and Gertrudes marriage after all the chaos in this act? Will Gertrude ever find out that Claudius sentenced Hamlet to death? Will the king continue to use Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?

Act 4 is a fast paced act; a series of events occurs quickly.

This undoubtedly leaves the excited reader/audience with great anticipation.

What questions that youve previously had are answered by your characters words and/or behavior in this act?

 What Claudius will do to preserve order in the country?

He will bury Polonius quietly and handle the situation

with caution because he knows Hamlet is beloved by the public.

What will to happen to Hamlet after he murdered a

person of great public influence?

Claudius orders Hamlets murder under the guise of exile.

Will the ghost appear again and will Hamlet actually kill

Claudius?
The ghost does not appear again in Act 4, and Hamlet is

starting to lose the chance to kill Claudius because he is being sent to England.