Hamlet Act 4
Claudius hears the deep sighs of Gertrude and questions her about their cause. Gertrude asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to leave them alone. She tells Claudius that Hamlet is as mad as ever, and in the depth of his madness he struck Polonius dead. Claudius is shocked by the news and expresses his worry that it could have been him behind the tapestry, and so decides that Hamlet must leave for England immediately. He calls forth Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, informs them of Hamlet’s crime, and commands them to bring Hamlet with Polonius’s body. Gertrude and Claudius then leave to discuss the occurrence with their friends. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern find Hamlet and attempt to discover the location of the body, but Hamlet avoids all questions. He finally agrees to go with them to see the King but says nothing about the dead body.
Claudius enters with his attendants and discusses the gravity of Hamlet’s crime. He is certain that the people of the kingdom would oppose any severe punishment since Hamlet is so well-loved by the people. Hamlet is then brought to the King by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Claudius attempts to learn where Hamlet has stowed Polonius's dead body, but Hamlet answers him in riddles. However, he finally reveals the location of the dead body, and the King sends his attendants for it. He then informs Hamlet that he needs to be hidden from the public for a short while as they deal with the fall out of Polonius’s death. He tells him that he needs to go to England, and Hamlet concedes and leaves.
Claudius is left alone, and he begins to think out loud. He hopes the King of England will remember the authority of the Danish King, and follow the letter that asks the King to deliver death to Hamlet.
Fortinbras leads his Norwegian army to fight the Poles and sends a captain to the King of Denmark to allow the Norwegian army to march through the Danish lands. The captain encounters Hamlet, who questions the captain about the aim of the Norwegian army. He learns that the Norwegian’s are attacking the Polish to gain control of a small and worthless piece of land. Hamlet is left alone and ponders how people in the world committed murderous acts for little reason while he has been unable to bring himself to murder Claudius despite having a significant reason.
Gertrude and Horatio meet a grieving Ophelia who has been driven insane by the loss of her father. Gertrude pities the poor girl, while she sings songs about her father’s death. Claudius enters and sees the singing Ophelia, he expresses his regret for having her father buried in secret haste. He has heard of Laertes’s return from France, and that the rumor mongers have had his ear. The King fears what Laertes is likely to do. Gertrude sends Horatio to look out for Ophelia as she leaves the chamber so that just Gertrude and Claudius remain. A messenger hurries into the room, to warn the King of a rebellion that is being led by Laertes, who now marches towards the King in front of the rabble that calls him King. Gertrude laments the betrayal of the people, and their resolution to punish the wrong man. A loud noise outside the chambers indicates the arrival of Laertes and a whole host of people. Laertes sends the people out of the doors to examine the King about the whereabouts of his father. The King tells him plainly that Polonius has been killed, but that the King had no part in the crime, and that he grieves for Polonius much as Laertes does. Laertes is reluctant to believe this account and cites the lack of formality in his father’s funeral as one of the reasons why he believes there was a ploy against his father.
A maddened Ophelia comes into the room and sings her children’s songs while giving them all flowers that have different meanings. Laertes is struck with sadness as he sees his beautiful sister so transformed by the loss of their father. The King convinces Laertes to call forth a company of friends, so that he may present his account of Polonius’s death, after which Laertes would be free to proceed as he wishes.
Horatio receives a letter from Hamlet, who has become the singular captive of a pirate ship that had attacked the England-bound Danish ship that he had been aboard. Hamlet writes that he has learned of things that would leave Horatio in disbelief both about the King and his friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who are still traveling to England. He urges Horatio to hurry to him and tells him to pass along the letters he has written for the King and Queen.
Laertes becomes convinced that Claudius had not been involved in the murder of Polonius but rather that the death blow to Polonius had been meant for Claudius. Laertes questions the King as to why he had chosen not to bring Hamlet to justice despite the danger he posed to the people around him. Claudius confesses that it had been due to the love he felt for Gertrude and because he felt that the public, who loved Hamlet greatly, would not have abided by his punishment. Claudius manages to calm Laertes down and wins a promise of loyalty from him. Laertes feels a desire for revenge and Claudius promises him that plans for such a thing are already in motion. The King then receives a letter from Hamlet and reads its contents before Laertes. The letter states that Hamlet has returned ‘naked’ to Danish lands and that he intends to explain how that came to be tomorrow, which is when he intends to reach the castle to meet the King. Claudius and Laertes then hatch a plan to exploit Hamlet’s envy for Laertes’s ability in fencing. They plan to have Laertes use a pointed rapier so that he can kill Hamlet when he eagerly wishes to fence with Laertes. Furthermore, Laertes decides that he will anoint his rapier with a poison that would kill Hamlet with a single scratch. However, if all else were to fail, they hope to poison Hamlet through a drink when he seeks to quench his thirst from the duel. Gertrude enters the room and informs Laertes that Ophelia fell into a brook and drowned in it as she was weighed down by her clothes. Laertes is struck with yet another loss of a loved one and rushes out of the door. Claudius and Gertrude follow him as Claudius fears that Laertes will get too excited once again.
Analysis
The first few scenes of this act develop the character of Claudius and Gertrude, while the previous act had developed the complicated character of Prince Hamlet. It involved Hamlet's 'discovery' that Claudius was indeed guilty of the murder of his father. However, instead of proceeding with his revenge, Hamlet defers his plans to murder the King until he can ensure the King's soul is damned to hell. It becomes evident that Hamlet is unable to overcome his indecisiveness, as he changes the parameters of his decision every time one of his pre-conditions for revenge becomes satisfied. Hamlet's interaction with Gertrude reveals the near-incestuous obsession he has with her sex life. He tells her not to get aroused when Claudius fondles her neck and asks her to stay away from Claudius's semen-stained sheets. During that interaction, Hamlet finally acts but does so in a rash and indecisiveness manner. The wild stab that kills Polonius is meant for Claudius, and so it can be argued that Hamlet is almost afraid of acting in a controlled manner.
The previous act ends with Hamlet requesting his mother to keep their conversation a secret from Claudius, and Gertrude accedes to his request. However, she reveals nearly all the details of her conversation with Hamlet to Claudius at the very beginning of the fourth act. In this way, Gertrude and Ophelia become thematically linked in that they both rely on the men around them to make decisions for them.
Claudius is firmly established as the antagonist in the fourth act, as Shakespeare reveals the inner workings of his mind. This development begins with Gertrude's revelation of Hamlet's crime in killing Polonius. Claudius's reaction to this tragic news is not to express any concern for Gertrude's security or grief for the death of one of his most trusted advisors. Claudius first experiences fear at the possibility of being the one to have received Hamlet's killing blow and then begins to plan for the removal of the threat that Hamlet poses him. Claudius is not concerned with establishing justice in his kingdom, but only concerned with the stability of his power. He decides to send Hamlet away to England to ensure that the authority of his throne is not compromised due to Hamlet's execution. Claudius is contrasted with the old King Hamlet since he had been a warrior and leader who was driven to expand the borders of his realm, while Claudius is a politician whose only concern remains the continued existence of his power and authority.
Shakespeare makes us question whether Hamlet can truly be categorized as the hero of the play, mainly due to the interaction he has with Claudius when he is summoned in connection to Polonius's death. Hamlet is outwardly hostile towards Claudius and dismissive of his crime in murdering Polonius. He appears to experience little remorse at Polonius's needless death and expresses his excitement about traveling to England.
