Act IV, scenes 5. 6. 7.

Objectives
1.To understand possible reasons for Ophelia's madnes and death
2. To compare the character of Laertes with that of Hamlet

Journal
a. How would you define true madness? How does it differ from Hamalet's feigned insanity?
b. What severe strains has Ophelia been subjected to that might explain her loss of reality? What kind of person might she be originally? What evidence can we find from the play to show that she might very well be susceptible to a mental breakdown?

Learning Activities:

1. Ophelia's Madness
   1. How do the two verses sung by Ophelia at first give an explanation of her breakdown? How do you explain Ophelia's singing of a song like "Tommorrow is St. Valentine's Day"?
   2. How appropriate is Laertes's epithet "Rose of May" to Ophelia?
   3. When Ophelia distributes flowers to the King, Queen, and Laertes, each flower is meant to have symbolic meaning. What does each flower represent, and who should be given each flower?

Why do you think Ophelia goes mad?

1. According to the King’s speech (lines 75-98), what have the people been whispering about the death of Polonius? What does this show about the kind of reputation Claudius must have had in and around Elsinore?

2.What is Laertes’s reason for bursting in on the King at the head of a mob? How does the King act in this dangerous situation? How is the situation of Laertes now similar to that of Fortinbras and that of Hamlet? Which of the two does Laertes most resemble in his actions? How does the King manage to calm Laertes’s rage?

3.What does the King seem to have in mind when he says to Laertes, " Where the offense is let the great axe fall"?

4.In scene 7, what two reasons does Claudius give to Laertes for his relatively gentle treatment of Hamlet? How, at this point, might Laertes expect to have his revenge?

5.How does Claudius use flattery in preparing Laertes for his scheme against Hamlet? When Laertes shows a willingness to "cut his throat in the church," how are we reminded of an earlier scene in the play? How does Laertes compare to Hamlet in this respect?

6.What plot does Claudius propose to Laertes? How does Laertes add some refinements of his own?

Why do you think Claudius responds as he does to Laretes?

Were you surprised by the turn of events in this act( Claudius turned the table from being passive to plotting to kill Hamlet; Hamlet's interactions with other characters) ?Describe your reactions.

Summary

1. At her death, how does Ophelia appear to the audience? Are there any strength to compensate for her apparent weakness?
2. When Ophelia dies, how villainous does the character of Laertes appear to be? Why?
3. At Ophelia’s death, and Hamlet’s return, what state of mind is Claudius in? Why?
4. Discuss Claudius’s lines in term of the three sons in Hamlet (Hamlet, Laertes, Fortinbras):

Homework:

1.In this act, both Fortibras and Laertes are foils to Hamlet. What important aspects of Hamlet's character are revealed by means of the contract between Hamlet and these two foil characters?

2. Write an official press release from Elsinore explaining how Ophelia was drowned (Remember you will write a news article soon for Elsinore Post about what is going on within the castle -King Hamlet's death, Claudius's becoming a new king, the Queen's marriage to Claudius, Hamlet's insanity, Polonius's death, Fortnbras's visit, Hamlet's leaving for England, and Ophelia's madness etc. Try to start collecting some details about each event).

Enrichment
Have advanced students read J. Paris’s "Three Sons in Hamlet" in The Atlantic, June 1959, to compare the ways the three sons reacted to the burdens placed upon them as a result of their father’s deaths.