Hamlet - Hamlet 6 - Hamlet and his Mother (Act 3, Scene 4)

In Act 3, Scene 4, Hamlet goes to his mother, Gertrude, who has asked for him to have a talk with her. When Hamlet asks what there is to discuss, his mother replies: "Hamlet, thou hast they father much offended" (III.iv.12). Hamlet replies by stating: "Mother, you have my father much offended" (III.iv.13). From Gertrude's perspective, Hamlet's "father" is Claudius, yet from Hamlet's perspective his father is still and will always be the late King Hamlet. Both of them see that the other has committed some sort of fault against these fathers. Gertrude is upset that Hamlet staged the play while Hamlet is upset that his mother married his uncle so soon after his father's death. The conversation continues with Gertrude chiding: "Come, come, you answer with an idle tongue," and Hamlet replying: "Go, go, you question with a wicked tongue" (III.iv.14-15). These sentences are structured the same way, but differ quite noticeably when it comes to the words used. This juxtaposes Gertrude and Hamlet's viewpoints. Hamlet then stabs Polonius, believing him to be Claudius, and makes the point that Gertrude has done just as worse a deed when she "[killed] a kind and [married] with his brother" (III.iv.34-35). Hamlet then speaks to the duality of pure and impure, using the example of "[taking] the rose / From the fair forehead of an innocent love / And [setting] a blister there" (III.iv.51-53). The rose represents purity and beauty, while the blister, an open wound, is impure and grotesque. After pointing out just how much better his father was than Claudius, Hamlet finally gets his mother to admit her guilt as she states: "Thou turn'st my eyes into my very soul, / And there I see such black and grained spots / As will not leave their tinct" (III.iv.100-102). Gertrude sees the impurity, the "black and grained spots," that stick on her soul. They will not fade away no matter what she does, for the sin is too far gone. Gertrude later asks Hamlet how to repent and he tells her not to go back to Claudius.

Poem - Chapter 16

I taste the salted sea spray on my lips and
Feel its sting in my ever-vigilant eyes
As once again I oversee the Sun as it
Falls over the edge of the world.
I gaze upon the continuous waves on the horizon that
Dance as my ship passes through them,
Never stopping on its way to new lands.
The sounds of voices puncture through gusts of wind
Which cool my skin that's weathered by its constant touch.
My motionless face is evermore turned towards the unknown, and I
Keep one steady hand over my heart as a steadfast vow of
Protection for those who dare to brave the
Callous, ever-shifting sea.
Whether it be days, months, or years,
This body of mine, bound to this ship,
Will perform its duty, and it shall perform it well.
Until my pine has rotted away or until this ship is sunk,
I will be what I was made to be:
The figurehead positioned on the prow,
The sentinel of this ship, and
The overseer of the Sun as it
Falls over the edge of the
world.

Hamlet - Hamlet 5 - The Cloud

At the end of Act 3, Scene 2, Hamlet makes some remarks about a cloud in the sky. He first states that the cloud is "almost in shape of a camel," but then that "it is like a weasel," and finally concluding it to be "like a whale" (III.ii.406-411). Polonius looks towards the cloud and after every statement of Hamlet's, he acknowledges that the cloud does looks like the animal in question even though all three of these animals are quite different from one another. The animals may have been meant as symbols. Camels are said to symbolize the "type of people who would not forgive or forget an insult or a mistake easily and he would wait for the right chance to burst and take revenge , keeping grudge & malice deep in the heart" ("What Does a Camel Symbolize?"). This description fits Hamlet well as a man who is hiding behind a mask of insanity and therefore not revealing his true intentions of revenge. Weasels are symbols of stealth, cleverness, and confidence. This also relates to Hamlet, for he is seeking out the truth of his father's murder in a clever and undercover way. He can see through all spies and therefore he is confident in his ability to find the truth. Whales are symbols of life and death. This is a prevalent topic in Hamlet, for The Ghost comes to Hamlet after death to tell of knowledge of life.


"What Does a Camel Symbolize?" WikiAnswers. Answers, n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. <http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_a_camel_symbolize>.

Hamlet - Hamlet 4 - Polonius' Long-Winded Style of Speech

Polonius is the chief counselor to King Claudius and the father of Laertes and Ophelia. He speaks in a slightly confusing, bumbling sort of way where he never means to speak long, yet always ends up being long-winded. An example of this is when Polonius says: "My liege, and madam, to expostulate / What majesty should be, what duty is, Why day is day, night night, and time is time / Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time" (II.ii.92-96). This sentence, which is supposed to express how short Polonius wants his speech to be, is in fact long and unnecessary. While he speaks of how "[wasting] night, day, and time" is bad, he wastes more time explaining himself elegantly than by simply saying what he means straight out. Polonius is also using this sentence to speak of "what majesty should be," therefore comparing showy speech and over exaggerated words to what it means to have stateliness. This juxtaposition displays that Polonius is not as stately as he believes himself to be. Another example of this sort of speech is when Polonius is talking to Hamlet about the troop of actors that are coming. He states that they do "tragedy, comedy  history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral , tragical-historical, tragical-comical-historical-pastorical, scene individable, or poem unlimited" (II.ii.421-424). Reciting all of these types of plays all at once takes a while and is almost like a tongue twister. Polonius goes to the extremes with his long speech, even if he does not realize it himself.

Poem - Chapter 14

Three steps forward,
two steps
back.

Charging ahead just
to fall
behind.

Getting closer then
replacing some
distance.

Just give me
a bit
longer.

I'll catch up
in due
time.

Poem - Leaving for College (Parent's Perspective)

Keep these things in mind while
you are at school:
Study hard, but not too hard.
Have fun, but don't neglect your work.
Stay strong when times get tough.
Be safe always.
You won't be too far away, so visit.
I love you.
Good luck at college.

Hamlet - Hamlet 1 - Oxymoronsin Claudius' Speech

In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the character of Claudius is Hamlet's uncle who has just usurped the throne by marrying Hamlet's mother very soon after the death of Hamlet's father, King Hamlet. There are many controversies at one time: marriage after a funeral, marrying the widow of his brother, taking the throne instead of the last king's son. Throughout all of this, Claudius speaks using oxymoronic language such as "defeated joy," "auspicious and a dropping eye," "mirth in funeral," and "dirge in marriage" (I.ii.10-21). He seems to be trying to blur the line between happy and sad, making his new subjects feel a sense of correctness and stability. These oxymorons are also trying to link together the idea of death and marriage, which is a strange and unnatural concept. There is not a cycle there like there is for life and death.

While not an oxymoron, Claudius also says that Hamlet is "unschooled," but then tells him not to go back to school and to instead stay in Denmark (I.ii.101). These opposing statements are strange and there is a hint of something fishy going on in Claudius' intentions.