Hamlet Act III Activity – On a separate piece of paper ...



Hamlet Act III Activity – On a separate piece of paper, paraphrase each of the following quotations for #1-4 in your own words. Make your paragraphs as long or short as necessary, while retaining the key points and essential meaning of each quotation. Then, answer the rest of the questions as well.

#1 - Act 3, Scene 1 lines 56-88 – Hamlet’s Soliloquy

To be, or not to be, that is the question,

Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer (best, according to “sovereign” reason)

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing, end them: to die, to sleep,

No more; and by a sleep, to say we end

The heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to; ‘tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep,

To sleep, perchance to dream, ay there’s the rub, (obstacle)

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil (turmoil of mortal life; coil of flesh encircling body)

Must give us pause – there’s the respect (consideration)

That makes calamity of so long life: (makes living long a calamity)

For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,

Th’ oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, (contempt)

The pangs of disprized love, the law’s delay, (longevity of lawsuits)

The insolence of office, and the spurns (officials)

That patient merit of th’ unworthy takes,

When he himself might his quietus make (settlement of his debt)

With a bare bodkin; who would fardels bear, (mere dagger) (burdens)

To grunt and sweat under a weary life,

But that the dread of something after death,

The undiscovered country, from whose bourn (unknown, unexplored) (boundary)

No traveller returns, puzzles the will,

And makes us rather bear those ills we have,

Than fly to others that we know not of.

Thus conscience does not make cowards of us all,

And thus the native hue of resolution (natural complexion)

Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,

And enterprises of great pitch and moment,

With this regard their currents turn awry, (change their course)

And lose the name of action.

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#2 - Act 3, Scene 3 lines 36-37 – King’s Soliloquy

O my offence is rank, it smells to heaven,

It hath the primal eldest curse upon ‘t, (curse of Cain)

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#3 - Act 3, Scene 3 lines 53-60 – King’s Soliloquy

That cannot be, since I am still possessed

Of those effects for which I did the murder: (results)

My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.

May one be pardoned and retain th’ offence?

In the corrupted currents of this world,

Offence’s gilded hand may shove by justice,

And oft ‘tis seen the wicked prize itself (fruits of the crime bribe the judge)

Buys out the law; but ‘tis not so above,

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#4 - Act 3, Scene 4 lines 116-124 – Queen to Hamlet

Alas, how is’t with you,

That you do bend your eye on vacancy, (nothing)

And with th’ incorporal air do hold discourse? (bodiless)

Forth at your eyes your spirits wildly peep, (vital forces)

And as the sleeping soldiers in th’ alarm,

Your bedded hairs, like life in excrements, (lying flat) (outgrowths – of the body)

Start up and stand an end. O gentle son, (on)

Upon the heat and flame of thy distemper

sprinkle cool patience. Whereon do you look?

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#5 Discuss the scene in which Hamlet finds Claudius praying. Why does Claudius say that his crime “hath the primal eldest curse upon’t”? Why can’t he pray when he tries so earnestly to do so? What does this say about Shakespeare’s attitude toward him? What is Hamlet’s rationale for not killing Claudius? Is this logical? Why or why not? Discuss the irony of Hamlet’s choosing not to kill Claudius at this time. How does the concept of appearance vs. reality fit into this scene?

#6 Discuss Polonius’ death. Does Hamlet behave rashly when he kills Polonius, or is he doing what he said he would do? What is Hamlet’s response to Polonius’ death? Do you think he is sad to see Polonius dead? Why or why not? Based upon your understanding of Polonius’ character, do you think he deserved to die? Justify your answer.

#7 Discuss Hamlet’s visit to his mother in her rooms. Is he crazy? Gertrude seems to think so. Aside from his murder of Polonius, what else might lead her to believe this?

#8 Hamlet receives a second “ghostly” visit while in his mother’s rooms. Compare this visit to the one in Act I, scene v.

#9 Chart the two sides of Hamlet’s argument in the “To be or not to be” soliloquy. What is the purpose of this speech? Who is his audience?

#10 How is the motif of metadrama played out in 3.2? What effect does this have on us as the audience?

#11 What is Hamlet’s views on women? How do his relationships with women reflect this attitude?

#12 How does Hamlet’s character evolve or not evolve during this Act?

Give evidence from:

1. his 3rd soliloquy

2. his reaction to the play within a play

3. his almost killing his uncle

4. his reaction to Polonius’s death

#13 Find where these motifs appear in Act 3 and give their function to overall themes.

- Disease, rotting, decay - Spying, Questioning - Impossibility of certainty - Silence vs. Voice

- Actors and the theatre - Poetic Justice - Complexity of action - Conscience

- Ears and hearing - Appearance vs. Reality - Misogyny - Incest

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