Lesson 12 Setting the Trap Act III scene 2 and scene 3

Objectives
1. To appreciate the dramatic conflicts and the "open" antagonism between Hamlet and Claudius arising as a result of the shadowing of the Murder of Gonzago
2. To analyze what is usually considered the turning point of the play and to judge its importance
3. To interpret Shakespeare's(Hamlet's) theories of acting
Do now: Journal writing
At this point in the play, if Hamlet were to appear before the court and denounce his uncle as the murderer of his father, what would result? If Hamlet, at this point, were to kill Claudius and then explain his reasons, what would be the result? What other ways might Hamlet consider for avenging his father's murder?

Procedures:
1. Discuss: What might Hamlet have expected to occur during the performance of "The Mousetrap"? Has he thought of any possible consequences? Any responsible or decisive action on his part?
2. Part A Before the Play
1). What feeling does Hamlet express towards Horatio in this scene before the play begin? How does he appraise the character of Horatio? What request does Hamlet make of Horatio at this point?
2). Interpret Hamlet's speech "I must be idle".Give examples od his idleness in action.
3). How do you explain Hamlet's coarse remarks to Ophelia? Why is she not more offended then she seems to be?
4). What method can you find in the seeming madness that Hamlet speaks between lines 124-135?
5). Describe Hamlet's possible emotional state before the showing of the play.
6). At the beginning of scene 2, Shakespeare takes 44 lines of prose to expound upon a theory of acting. How much of Hamlet's advice to the players would still be applicable today? How much of the Stanislavsky ( or Brecht ) "method" does Hamlet seem to have in mind?
7). Read the modern ideas about acting. Compare Shakespeare's notes on acting and the ones you have just read, what are some of the major differences?
8). What rude remarks does Hamlet say to Ophelia? Does he insult anyone else? How? At this point, what is driving Hamlet? How much of a risk is he taking with the play experiment?

3. Part B During the Play
1). Why does Claudius not take offense during the presentation of the "dumb show"?
2). What does Hamlet have in mind when he comments on the brevity of women's love?
3).How closely do the events of the play parallel the experience of old Hamlet' and Gertrude? What is the meaning of Hamlet's "wormwood" comment?
4). What does Gertrude's remark, "The lady doth protest too much. me thinks," show about here reaction to the play? What does this show abut her character and sensitivity?
5). Where does the King first show his uneasiness about the play?
6). Why does Hamlet call the play "The Mousetrap"?
7). When the King rises and Polonius calls off the performance, what must the attending lords think? How is this a parallel situation to the banquet scene in Macbeth?
8). What seems to be Hamlet's emotional state at the conclusion of the play? How has is it changed from what it was before this play within the play began? Why?
9). Comment on the Player king's speech,"But what we do determine oft we break/ That even our loves should with our fortunes change."
Homework Assignment for this scene:
Try to reproduce a conversation between two lords as they might have spoken after seeing the King's actions at the performance of The Murder of Gonzago.
OR
Write a short scene involving Claudius and Gertrude after the play has stopped and they are alone.

4. Part C After the Play
1. How dies Hamlet respond to Guildenstern's request that he visit his mother in her closet? What new motive do we see for Hamlet's hatred of Claudius in his quoting of the proverb, " While the grass grow, the horse starves"?
2. Some critics believe that the exchange between Hamlet and Guildenstern over the playing of the recorders is one of the finest scenes in the play. Do you agree?
3. Many people see the lines between Polonius and Hamlet about the shape of the clouds as the funniest moment in Hamlet. Point out the humor.
4. In the closing soliloquy of scene 2, Hamlet speaks in an uncharacteristic way, sounding more like Macbeth himself. How do you explain this change in Hamlet's manner of speaking? With what idea does he conclude the scene?
5. How do you think Gertrude sees herself and her relationships with Hamlet and Claudius after her encounter with Hamlet?
6. What is your impression of Ophelia so far? Explain why you feel this way about her.Read the information on this site. Compare your impression of Ophelia with what you have read. Do you still have the same impression about her?
Scene 3
5. How much does Claudius now seem to know about Hamlet's awareness of his crime? What plans has he made for Hamlet?
6. Rozencrantz expresses a theory about the importance of the King that must be judged in Elizabethan terms. How accurate a description is his account of a king's central position?
7. Claudius again shows remorse as he attempts to pray. How sincere does this feeling of remorse seem to be? What line in this soliloquy did Shakespeare use again, almost unchanged, in Macbeth?
8. When Hamlet enters, Claudius is kneeling, evidently praying, and defenseless. Why does Hamlet restrain his immediate impulse to kill Claudius?
9. The poet Coleridge calls Hamlet's reason for sparing Claudius almost unbearably evil. Why?
10. Some critics say Hamlet is merely rationalizing and not prepared to kill Claudius. Do you agree? Explain.
11. The supreme irony of this scene is revealed by Claudius's closing couplet. What is the irony?
12. Internal conflict occurs when a struggle between opposing emotions or ideas take place within a character. Describe an internal conflict that Hamlet deals with during Act III. What effect does this conflict have on him?
13. So far what is your impression of Claudius? Read some lines depicting Claudius's character, and see if you could add more lines from tha later scenes.

Homework Assignment for Scene 3
1. The turning point of the play is usually seen as Hamlet's failure to kill the King in this scene. If Hamlet is a traditional tragic hero, what is his tragic flaw? How does his tragic flaw cause his inaction at this crucial moment in this play? Would he have been a better or worse man had he killed Claudius? Hamlet has often been accused of his delaying his actions too long. Can you justify this accusation?
2. Imagine you are a gossip columnist who attends the performance at Elsinore. Write a newspaper column in which you spread rumors about the royal family.
3. Each student will prepare an interpretation of one of the three soliloquies: 3.2.419-432("'Tis now the very witching time of night" by Hamlet); 3.3.40-76("O, my offense is rank" by Claudius); 3.3.77-101 ("Now might I do it pat" by Hamlet).
Suggestions: Use the double entry journal to begin the "dilogue".