Transcript Act II: Rising Action page 37

Act II: Rising Action
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Scene 1: Polonius' Room
o Peculiar parenting and Ophelia's new relationship with
Hamlet
Scene 2: Elsinore
o Extremely Long! 5 parts:
 King and Queen ask Hamlet's childhood friends for
help (1-40)
 News from Norway (62-90)
 Polonius and Hamlet's madness (91-237)
 Hamlet talks to friends (240-340)
 A troupe of players (actors) arrive at Elsinore,
players Hamlet intends to use against his uncle
(340-570)
Act II: Scene 1
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Polonius, Reynaldo, Ophelia
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Polonius, for all his advice and apparent trust in Laertes,
is not really letting Laertes be his own man. How so?
What does it tell you about Polonius as a person and
his parenting skills?
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What theme arises from the above?
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Ophelia seems to look for comfort from her father. Does
he offer comfort to her?
Act II Scene 2 (Lines 1-40)
Claudius and Gertrude seem legitimately upset
about Hamlet: after Hamlet's interactions with the
Ghost, do you trust them and their instincts?
Do you think that Claudius is guilty?
Do you think that Gertrude is complicit in
Claudius' betrayal?
What could be the king and queen's motives in
digging up Hamlet's distress?
Are they being good parents? Or are they
being shrewd politicians?
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Act II Scene 2 (Lines 62-90)
Norway has just learned of Fortinbras'
intentions against Denmark (as a result of the
diplomatic mission embarked upon by
Cornelius and Voltemand): Fortinbras has
been stopped.
Do you think that Fortinbras is sincere in
stopping his revenge?
This part of the scene is, in many ways,
besides the point of Hamlet's revenge, but
why might Shakespeare have included it?
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Act II Scene 2 (Lines 91-182)
Polonius has a letter from Hamlet as "proof" of Hamlet's
madness originating in unrequited love.
Do you think that the letter confirms what Polonius
believes?
o Is Hamlet sick with love over Ophelia?
o Is this part of Hamlet's "antic" act?
Consider the plan that evolves from Polonius's "insights":
Same questions as before...
What could be the king and queen's motives in digging up
Hamlet's distress?
Again…Are they being good parents? Are they being
shrewd politicians?
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Act II Scene 2 (Lines 183-237)
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Notice the shift to prose? What could be the
purpose?
To what extent is Hamlet playing with
Polonius and to what extent is Hamlet
actually "mad"?
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Fishmonger--reference to lower class, but also a
pun: refers to the father of a whore (or pimp)
To what extent is Polonius aware of Hamlet's
wordplay?
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Is he even trying to make sense of Hamlet, or has
he already convinced himself that Hamlet is mad?
Act II Scene 2 (240-340)
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To what extent is Hamlet "testing the
truthfulness" of his friends?
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Does Hamlet want to trust Rosencrantz and
Guildensterm, or does he want to warn them that he
knows of their "mission"?
How does Hamlet conform to his "antic" acts
in this scene?
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Is he truly mad at some of these moments? How
could you tell?
How does the appearance of madness give him
opportunities to "test" the people of the court?
Jephtha (Bible)
• Jephtha: Old Testament—Judges 11
• Made a vow to God before setting off for war:
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if he were to return home victorious,
"whoever is the first to come through the
doors of my house" to meet him would be
sacrificed to God. He was victorious, but was
met by his daughter.
Connection to Polonius?
Pyrrhus
(Mythology)
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Mirrors the story of Hamlet in many respects in that both
experience triumphs, yet suffer the consequences of their
actions.
Pyrrhic Victory: derived from a battle which took place in
279 (Battle of Asculum) in which Pyrrhus was victorious
over Rome, but lost many of his best soldiers.
Other similarities? Priam’s murder parallels King Hamlet’s
murder
Pyrrhus – King Claudius
Priam – King Hamlet
Hecuba- Gertrude
Differences: Hamlet and Pyrrhus have opposite
personalities
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Act II Scene 2 (340-570)
What does Hamlet's choice of speech ("Aeneas' tale
to Dido... especially when he speaks of Priam's
slaughter") reveal about his interest in the players?
What value does Hamlet assign the players?
o Consider this question from two perspectives:
 What would Shakespeare want to imply about
the value of theater?
 What is the value of assuming an appearance
that communicates truth, even if the
appearance is not "truth"? Why is acting
truthful?
Hamlet's Soliloquy: The Conflict
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Soliloquies are always moments of internal
conflict for Hamlet:
o What details, language, and syntax and
diction reveal the nature of his conflict
here?
o What figurative language enhances his
attitude towards himself?
o What do line breaks (especially 585, 609,
and 610) do to structure his response?
Soliloquy (cont)
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Hamlet has some resolution by the end of the speech:
what does he intend to do and why?
o What are the merits of his plan?
o What are the problems?
But wait, Hamlet seems to be doubting his father's
truthfulness! Find the lines.
o What does this impulse of "testing truthfulness"
reveal about Hamlet?
o Is he mad? Does the self-doubt make his character
seem stronger or weaker? Explain.