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While on board a ship for England, Hamlet took a sneak peek at the sealed orders given to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

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Q: How had Hamlet discovered claudius orders to have Hamlet beheaded?
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How does the king propose to rid himself of Hamlet?

His first plan is to send Hamlet off to England along with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. R & G will have orders to have the English execute Hamlet. That doesn't work out, however, so Claudius then proposes to make use of Laertes's desire to avenge his father's death, and have Laertes kill Hamlet. Or if that doesn't work out, Claudius proposes to poison Hamlet.


What is the name of the antagonist in Hamlet?

Claudius, the king is Hamlet's major antagonist. He is a shrewd, lustful, conniving king who contrasts sharply with the other male characters in the play. Whereas most of the other important men in Hamlet are preoccupied with ideas of justice, revenge, and moral balance, Claudius is bent upon maintaining his own power. The old King Hamlet was apparently a stern warrior, but Claudius is a corrupt politician whose main weapon is his ability to manipulate others through his skillful use of language. Claudius's speech is compared to poison being poured in the ear-the method he used to murder Hamlet's father. Claudius's love for Gertrude may be sincere, but it also seems likely that he married her as a strategic move, to help him win the throne away from Hamlet after the death of the king. As the play progresses, Claudius's mounting fear of Hamlet's insanity leads him to ever greater self-preoccupation; when Gertrude tells him that Hamlet has killed Polonius, Claudius does not remark that Gertrude might have been in danger, but only that he would have been in danger had he been in the room. He tells Laertes the same thing as he attempts to soothe the young man's anger after his father's death. Claudius is ultimately too crafty for his own good. In Act V, scene ii, rather than allowing Laertes only two methods of killing Hamlet, the sharpened sword and the poison on the blade, Claudius insists on a third, the poisoned goblet. When Gertrude inadvertently drinks the poison and dies, Hamlet is at last able to bring himself to kill Claudius, and the king is felled by his own cowardly


What is the message that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern carry out to the King of England?

If the King you are talking about is the King of England: He has them killed because Hamlet changes the message. Nice friends, eh? However, in Hamlet, "the King" means Claudius, not the king of England. R+G bring him several messages. At the beginning of Act 3 Scene 1 they tell the king that although they cannot find out what is bothering Hamlet they were able to ascertain that he was excited about the arrival of the players. The king replies that they should encourage him in this interest. In Act 4 Scene 3 they bring the message that they could not get Hamlet to tell where Polonius's body was hidden but that he was captured and standing outside. Claudius orders Hamlet to be brought before him.


What is the King's original plan for killing Hamlet?

The first plan for killing Hamlet which we know about is to send him to England to deliver orders to the English authorities that they should put Hamlet to death.


Was Hamlet's madness feigned or genuine?

Hamlet's madness begins as feigned, to distract from the fact that he is attempting to kill Claudius as revenge for Claudius killing Hamlet's father. He even tells Horatio and Marcellus not to be concerned if they see him acting strangely because he will be putting on an "antic disposition" (Act 1 Scene 5). However, the farce of his madness can be questioned later as the play continues. Hamlet is under incredible stress and pressure, with his love interest Ophelia breaking up with him, his obsession with killing Claudius, his mother's hasty marriage to Claudius himself, and his madness seems more and more genuine. His blow-up at Ophelia in Act 3 Scene 1 is one such example. After first saying he did love her, he reverses and insists he did not, then orders her to "get thee to a nunnery," amongst other orders and insults. How much of this is just an act and how much is genuine madness is continually debated. Other examples include Hamlet's irrational and hasty actions throughout the play, such as his murder of Polonius through his mother's bedroom curtain without even knowing who it was hiding there (Act 3 Scene 4). There is no definite answer as to whether Hamlet's madness truly is an act throughout the play or whether he does begin to genuinely go mad. His words and actions must be carefully evaluated and interpreted and his personal situation must be understood in order for each reader to come up with a personal opinion on this question.

Related questions

Who imprisoned St. Valentine?

Valentine was taken prisoner, tortured and beheaded under orders from the Roman Emperor Claudius II Gothicus.


Did Claudius tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that they must tell the players not to obey any of Hamlet's orders?

No. There is nothing like that in the play.


What orders does the ghost give Hamlet?

The ghost tells Hamlet the secret of his father's death. Hamlet's father was not killed by a serpent, but was murdered with poison. He also told hamlet that it was his uncle who murdered his father, and that he also seduced Gertrude, his mother. He orders him to revenge his murder against Claudius but to leave Gertrude alone.


Who did King Gonzago represent in Hamlet?

The play which Hamlet orders the players to perform is called "The Murder of Gonzago". Hamlet intends that the play (already similar in many respects) should be made even more similar to "The Murder of King Hamlet by his brother Claudius" so as to "catch the conscience of the king" Gonzago represents King Hamlet, Hamlet's father, while Claudius is represented by "Lucianus, a nephew of the king"


Why does the king send Hamlet to England?

Claudius is concerned that Hamlet knows the truth about how he killed King Hamlet and has been watching Hamlet since he killed the king. When Hamlet kills Polonius he sees how unstable Hamlet is and that he can not take the chance and let Hamlet stay, which would risk his own safety. Claudius sends Hamlet to England so that on the way he can have him killed and he would no longer have to worry about the problem that is Hamlet.


Why do the trumpets and cannons sound according to Hamlet?

When King Claudius takes a drink, he orders the cannons and trumpets to sound. It was a custom in Denmark apparently. Hamlet says "it is a custom more honoured in the breach than in the observance." In other words, it is a custom which it is more honourable not to follow. Hamlet's dislike of this custom is probably brought on by Claudius's love of doing it (he does it again in Act 5 at the contest between Hamlet and Laertes); anything Claudius likes, Hamlet feels bound to hate.


How does the king propose to rid himself of Hamlet?

His first plan is to send Hamlet off to England along with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. R & G will have orders to have the English execute Hamlet. That doesn't work out, however, so Claudius then proposes to make use of Laertes's desire to avenge his father's death, and have Laertes kill Hamlet. Or if that doesn't work out, Claudius proposes to poison Hamlet.


Where does the King plan to send Hamlet?

Claudius tries to send Hamlet to England, accompanied by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. However, R & G don't know it's a mission to have Hamlet killed. We can be certain of that just because of the fact that they continue to England without Hamlet.


Who becomes Claudius's new ally in the plot against Hamlet?

Polonius is about the only friend Claudius had and maybe the faithful guards and courtiers. Though even his allegiance is questionable, as he also would have served Hamlet Sr. similarly. Truly, Claudius does not have any notable friends in the play as most of the major roles are taken by his subordinates and enemies. For instance, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern followed their orders until their doom; however they were really just doing their jobs. It can be argued that Gertrude was Claudius' friend, considering she was his wife. But it is possible that like Polonius, she just shifted loyalties to suit who ever was in the seat of power.


What is the name of the antagonist in Hamlet?

Claudius, the king is Hamlet's major antagonist. He is a shrewd, lustful, conniving king who contrasts sharply with the other male characters in the play. Whereas most of the other important men in Hamlet are preoccupied with ideas of justice, revenge, and moral balance, Claudius is bent upon maintaining his own power. The old King Hamlet was apparently a stern warrior, but Claudius is a corrupt politician whose main weapon is his ability to manipulate others through his skillful use of language. Claudius's speech is compared to poison being poured in the ear-the method he used to murder Hamlet's father. Claudius's love for Gertrude may be sincere, but it also seems likely that he married her as a strategic move, to help him win the throne away from Hamlet after the death of the king. As the play progresses, Claudius's mounting fear of Hamlet's insanity leads him to ever greater self-preoccupation; when Gertrude tells him that Hamlet has killed Polonius, Claudius does not remark that Gertrude might have been in danger, but only that he would have been in danger had he been in the room. He tells Laertes the same thing as he attempts to soothe the young man's anger after his father's death. Claudius is ultimately too crafty for his own good. In Act V, scene ii, rather than allowing Laertes only two methods of killing Hamlet, the sharpened sword and the poison on the blade, Claudius insists on a third, the poisoned goblet. When Gertrude inadvertently drinks the poison and dies, Hamlet is at last able to bring himself to kill Claudius, and the king is felled by his own cowardly


Why was queen elizebeth beheaded?

She was not beheaded. It was Mary Queen of Scots who had been executed by her orders.


What does Claudius do when he sees the reenactment of king hamlet?

He gets increasingly worried, and eventually orders that the play be stopped partway through. He calls for more light, and leaves in a hurry. It's all very suspicious.