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Queen Gertrude scolds Hamlet in Act 3, Scene 4 of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" because she is upset with his disrespectful behavior and harsh words towards her, particularly regarding her marriage to Claudius. However, her scolding quickly turns to fear when she realizes the intensity of Hamlet's emotional turmoil and the danger he poses. When Hamlet confronts her and accidentally kills Polonius, she cries out for help, reflecting her panic and the realization that she is in a precarious situation, caught between her son and her new husband. This moment highlights the tension in her relationships and her vulnerability.
What else can I help you with?
How does polonius die?
Hamlet stabbed him right behind the arras in Queen Gertrude's room.
What was the Tapestry in Hamlet?
The Tapestry in Hamlet refers to the play within the play, also known as "The Mousetrap." This play is performed by Hamlet in an attempt to confirm Claudius' guilt in the murder of King Hamlet. The Tapestry serves as a metaphorical device within the play to mirror the events taking place in the actual story of Hamlet, highlighting themes of deception, manipulation, and the blurred lines between reality and performance.
Why does Hamlet stab through the curtains or arras in gertrude's room?
His mother Gertrude called for help and a voice came from behind the curtain repeating the call for help. Hamlet assumed that it was Claudius and his chance to kill him had come so he stabbed through the curtain. It was only after that he found that it wasn't Claudius after all.
What did polonius hide behind?
It's actually an arras that Polonius hides behind. Both times Polonius hides behind an arras, he does so to eavesdrop on what Hamlet says to somebody else. First, Polonius hides to listen to Hamlet talk to Ophelia, then later, he hides to listen to Hamlet talk to Gertrude.
What are some questions to ask Hamlet?
Some unanswered questions in Hamlet are: Does Hamlet truly go "mad" or is it all an act? Does it matter? Why doesn't anybody dislike Claudius even though he's a murderer? Did Gertrude play a part in Hamlet's father's death? Does the ghost of Hamlet's father tell him not to blame Gertrude, Hamlet's mother? Does Hamlet love Ophelia? Is Hamlet in love with his mother? If he is in love with his mother is he also still in love with Ophelia?
How did Ophelia's father die?
Prior to Hamlet's entry into Gertrude's (Hamlet's mother) chamber, Polonius is having a discussion with the queen. As Hamlet enters his mother's room rather abruptly, Polonius chooses to hide behind a tapestry on the wall. When Hamlet begins to threaten his mother, Polonius believes Hamlet is trying to kill her, and so Polonius cries for help. Hamlet "thinking it was King Claudius" (it is unclear as to whether he actually believes its the King or not), stabs Polonius through the tapestry, killing him. As he dies he lets out his iconically obvious line "Oh, I am slain".
What or who stops Hamlet from doing violence to getrude when he forgets his fathers commandment?
Polonius, after Gertrude cries out in her closet (private chamber), calls "What, ho! Help!" and Hamlet hears it, thus turning his attention to the spy. Polonius loses his life for it.
What promises does hamlet get out of his mother In hamlet?
In Shakespeare's "Hamlet," Hamlet confronts his mother, Gertrude, about her hasty marriage to Claudius following King Hamlet's death. He demands that she refrain from being intimate with Claudius, urging her to repent for her actions and to remember the late king. Hamlet promises to help her find redemption, emphasizing the need for her to reject Claudius and seek a more virtuous path. This confrontation reflects Hamlet's deep disappointment and desire for his mother to recognize the moral implications of her choices.
Why has Shakespeare made the choice for the Ghost to be seen and heard only by Hamlet?
He did not. The ghost is only heard by Hamlet but Bernardo, Marcellus and Horatio see it. This is a clue to us that the ghost is not just a figment of Hamlet's imagination. Gertrude, however, cannot see or hear the ghost even when it is present in the same room. This suggests that the ghost can appear to anyone if that suits its purpose; it is important to be seen by the guards so they will bring it to Hamlet's attention, but also important that he not be seen to be involved by his widow. But the real reason, as ever in a Shakespeare play, is dramatic. The scenes where the ghost appears to the guards is a dramatic scene good for opening the play, and the fact that they have seen the ghost allows for a number of wonderful scenes: Horatio's description of the ghost in 1,2, the attempts by Horatio to hold Hamlet back in 1,3, and Hamlet's insistence that they swear an oath of secrecy. All of this would be lost if the Ghost was visible only to Hamlet. But in Act 3, the scene is between Hamlet and Gertrude, and the ghost is a minor distraction. Having him appear to Gertrude would necessitate some kind of confrontation between them, and the scene would become one between Gertrude and the Ghost and Hamlet would be superfluous. Since such a scene is not necessary to the plot (Hamlet will convince Gertrude of Claudius's guilt without the help of the ghost), Shakespeare wisely avoided it.
Why does Hamlet stab and kill Polonius?
Before Hamlet enters his mother's chamber, Polonius is having a discussion with Hamlet's mother Gertrude. As Hamlet enters the room, Polonius conceals himself behind a tapestry hanging from the wall. When he hears Gertrude begin to feel threatened by Hamlet, he cries out for help, thinking that he would kill them both. Hamlet hears Polonius, and believes him to be a rat/spy (possibly even King Claudius, but it is unclear if he truly believes this). Hamlet stabs through the tapestry killing Polonius, who remarks "O, I am slain".
How does Claudius kill King Hamlet and why?
Hamlet stabs Claudius with a poisoned sword, but only the tip is poisonous and it is dubious whether Laertes' poisoned tip cuts the king as King Claudius cries out for help claiming he is only hurt. Hamlet then holds him down and forces him to drink the last of the poisoned wine that had been intended for Hamlet, but his mother, the queen, drank it and died. Laertes says the king "is justly served; It is a poison temper'd by himself. [the king]" Implying Laertes' poison didn't kill Claudius, Claudius's poison killed himself, just as Laertes was slain by his own posion from the sword. So, Hamlet kills Claudius by making him drink a cup of poisoned wine that Claudius had intended for Hamlet.
How does Gertrude seek to shield Hamlet?
In Act 4, Scene 1 when Claudius asks Gertrude "How does Hamlet?" she tells him that he is as "Mad as the sea and wind", not telling him what Hamlet has admitted to her in the previous scene that he is actually "mad in craft" as opposed to actually mad, thereby protecting his plan. On top of that while she tells Claudius that Hamlet killed Polonious accidentally in the last scene, she does not tell him that Hamlet was openly disappointed that he had not killed Claudius. She also says that Hamlet "weeps for what is done" when in fact after murdering Polonious Hamlet said "Thou wretched, intruding fool, farewell. I took the for thy better."
