Gertrude and Claudius Group

Question:

cuero
cuero
Student
High School - 12th Grade

What new information did you learn about Laertes in act IV that would help an actor or actress?

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Posted by cuero on Wednesday March 21, 2007 at 7:51 AM and tagged with act iv, characters, gertrude and claudius, laertes.

Answers:


  1. amy-lepore Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    In Act IV, Laertes comes home in a fluster because his father has been murdered.  We learn that he is willing to cut a deal with Claudius to get at the murderer...Hamlet.  He is resolved to act against Hamlet in a contrived plan to make it seem an accident.  From this we know that Laertes is more of a person who acts than who thinks--the opposite of Hamlet.  We also know he believes what he is told--not at all like Hamlet. Laertes seems a bit gullible in that regard.  He also misreads Claudius since he does not think through how evil the King is, how far he will go, and what consequences would come of the mixed up swords.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/gertrude-claudius-qn/laertes

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    Posted by amy-lepore on Wednesday February 13, 2008 at 6:43 PM