Act II, Scene 2 Summary and Analysis
Act II, Scene 2:
King Claudius and Queen Gertrude greet Hamlet’s old school friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Increasingly distressed by Hamlet’s odd behavior, the king and queen have invited his friends to the castle in the hopes that they will be able to uncover the cause of Hamlet’s madness. As Rosencrantz and Guildenstern go off to find Hamlet, Polonius enters and announces that Voltemand and Cornelius have returned from Norway. He also informs the king and queen that he has discovered the reason for Hamlet’s erratic behavior. Though Claudius is eager to hear more, Polonius convinces him to meet with the ambassadors first.
Cornelius and Voltemand report that the old king of Norway had no knowledge of young Fortinbras’s plans to attack Denmark and, once informed, immediately put a stop to them. After vowing never to raise arms against Denmark again, young Fortinbras was given permission to use his forces to attack Poland instead of Denmark. For that purpose, the old king asks Claudius to allow Fortinbras’s army to pass through Denmark’s lands. Pleased with this outcome, Claudius dismisses Voltemand and Cornelius.
Polonius turns the conversation to Hamlet, and—despite saying “I will be brief”—he gives a long-winded, wordy introduction before finally revealing that he believes Hamlet’s feelings for Ophelia to be the source of his madness. As proof, he produces a love letter that Hamlet sent to Ophelia. To test his theory, Polonius suggests that they send Ophelia to Hamlet and then spy on their conversation. The king agrees just as Hamlet enters, reading a book. (Some of Hamlet’s later speeches suggest that he may have heard Polonius’s plan, and this scene is often staged in a way that suggests Hamlet overhears their conversation.) The king and queen exit, and Polonius goes to confront Hamlet. On the surface, Hamlet appears confused during his conversation with Polonius, apparently mistaking him for a “fishmonger”; however, his seemingly absurd statements mask a biting assessment of Polonius’s character. Eventually, Polonius exits to make the arrangements for the meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter and greet their friend. Hamlet is happy to see them but quickly realizes that they must have been summoned on Claudius’s orders. When he presses them, they admit that the king and queen did indeed send for them. Hamlet says that his depressed behavior is the reason they have been summoned, admitting that nothing delights him anymore. Rosencrantz informs Hamlet that an acting troupe is en route to the castle. As the trumpets sound the approach of the actors, Hamlet tells his friends that they are welcome at Elsinore. He warns them that his mother and his uncle are mistaken about his madness, claiming enigmatically that he is only mad sometimes.
Polonius reenters to announce the arrival of the acting troupe. Hamlet asks them to show their talents by giving a speech. The first player recites a dramatic speech about the murder of Priam that pleases Hamlet and bores Polonius. As the actors follow Polonius out of the room, Hamlet takes one aside and, after requesting that they perform The Murder of Gonzago, asks whether they could add in several lines of his own devising. The actor agrees, and Hamlet is left alone.
In his second soliloquy of the play, Hamlet berates himself for his inaction. Comparing himself to the talented actor from earlier, he says that it is monstrous that an actor can summon such passion over an imaginary character, while he cannot seem to summon the same passion over an actual act of treachery. It is revealed that Hamlet intends to have the actors perform a scene mimicking his father’s murder for the court. By closely watching Claudius’s reaction during the play, Hamlet feels sure he will obtain proof of his uncle’s guilt.
Analysis
The lengthy second scene slows the lively pace which was characteristic of Act I, which had five fairly brief scenes, followed by the brisk first scene of Act II. This slowdown allows Shakespeare to establish beyond doubt that Claudius is guilty of the King’s murder, and to begin to explore Hamlet’s tortured mental state, caught between love, grief, and vengeance. The loyalty of Hamlet’s friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, is turned against him by his parents; yet, when Hamlet presses them, they give up the charade and admit their mission. They have even arranged the theatrical interlude because they know Hamlet was “wont to take … delight in” their performances (II. ii. 331). Their obvious affection for Hamlet creates a problem for the reader when, in Act V, Scene 2, Hamlet reveals that he has forged the letters which will result in their deaths. He will justify his actions, saying essentially that his friends got caught in the middle, between him and Claudius; that their “own insinuation” (meddling) has brought about their defeat.
The conversation about the established adult acting companies versus the increasingly popular child actors was not only topical for Shakespeare’s audiences, but is also dramatically integral to the intergenerational motif of the play: the youth rising up to supplant their elders. Furthermore, the motif of illusion vs. reality which pervades the play is reinforced here with the several mentions of young boys playing the parts of women, also a timely reference. In addition, the suggestion that women are weaker or otherwise inferior is a recurrent motif: “frailty, thy name is woman—” (I. ii. 146); “O most pernicious woman!” (I. v. 105); “ … it is such a kind of gain-giving as would perhaps trouble a woman” (V. ii. 216-217).
Voltemand and Cornelius bring news of Norway’s curbing of Fortinbras’ revenge aimed at Denmark, reinforcing another of the recurring motifs in this play: parents vs. children, and its flipside, children (sons, in this case) seeking to avenge their fathers’ deaths. Fortinbras’ father had lost his lands to Hamlet’s father in the recent war, and young Fortinbras plans to regain them by attack. His uncle, now King of Norway, intercedes and sets him against Poland. Hamlet and Fortinbras are both dispossessed heirs to the throne; in Act V, Scene 2, Hamlet will give his “dying voice” to Fortinbras’ accession to the throne of Denmark, and Fortinbras will eulogize Hamlet as “a soldier” and “most royal.” Thus, out of the chaos, we are assured order will be restored, and power passed into capable and worthy hands.
Hamlet’s inane conversations with both Polonius and with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are riddled with vulgar innuendoes, which foreshadows his scenes with Ophelia and Gertrude. The discrepancy between outer appearances and inner qualities is thus manifested once again; Hamlet even states this theme directly in his conversation with Gertrude in Act III, Scene 4, when he tells her that her trespass “will but skin and film the ulcerous place / Whiles rank corruption, mining all within, / Infects unseen” (lines 147-149). That Hamlet’s madness is merely pretense in Act II, Scent 2, is suggested by his remark as Polonius departs (“These tedious old fools!”) and by his disclosure that his parents are “deceived” about his madness (lines 221, 379).
When Polonius announces the arrival of the players, Hamlet remarks to Guildenstern and Rosencrantz “That great baby you see there is not yet out of his swaddling clouts”; to which Rosencrantz counters, “ … they say an old man is twice a child” (II. ii. 385-386, 388). Clearly Hamlet does not respect Polonius, despite his politically important position. Throughout the play, Polonius appears as arrogant, foolish, self-important, and unaware that others find him amusing, if not tedious. In proclaiming his own skills as an advisor and father, he has apparently forgotten that he was earlier forced to admit his change of mind, abandoning his assumption that Hamlet meant to trifle with Ophelia: “I am sorry that with better heed and judgment / I had not quoted him … / By heaven, it is as proper to our age / To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions / As it is common for the younger sort / To lack discretion” (II. i. 111-117).
Hamlet continues to bait the king’s advisor with allusions to Jeptha, a Biblical king who sacrificed his daughter, implying a parallel to Polonius’ “loosing” Ophelia to Hamlet to verify his madness. That Hamlet understands the motives of those around him to be duplicitous is becoming increasingly clear, and that Hamlet’s madness is merely pretense, increasingly certain. If he is not mad, we may perhaps assume that his actions—and his inaction—are conscious and calculated.
Many critics have argued the issue of Hamlet’s inaction—that is, his delay in avenging his father’s death. The prince frequently laments his procrastination, contrasting himself to Fortinbras (who must be restrained from his planned vengeance for his father’s death) and to Pyrrhus (who takes sporting delight in “mincing” Priam—merely the father of Paris, the actual murderer of Pyrrhus’ father, Achilles). What is it that holds Hamlet back? Probably no one theory will encompass the body of evidence to be found in the entire work, but several major interpretations have been supported over the centuries by critics.
It is possible that Hamlet really had no opportunity to kill Claudius, with the exception of the time he found him at prayer in Act III, Scene 3. Not wishing to kill Claudius when the king’s soul and conscience were clear, Hamlet delays. Ironically, Claudius reveals that although he has prayed, “Words without thoughts never to heaven go” (III. iii. 99). Hamlet could have damned Claudius, had the prince only carried out his impulse.
In Act III, Scene 1, Hamlet himself suggests another of the popular theories: his “native hue of resolution / Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought” (lines 84-85). In other words, he is not able to carry out the deeds which he has resolved to do, mired in his own “analysis paralysis.” In Act II, Scene 2, Hamlet suggests that Denmark is a prison, and compares it to his mind: “ … there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so” (lines 252-254). This passage also supports the theory of action arrested by intellect.
The question of Hamlet’s inaction is further complicated by the attitudes evidenced by several characters. In Act 3, Scene 2, The Player King tells the Player Queen that when her passions (i.e., her grief and loyalty) have cooled, her actions will be governed by other concerns and she will remarry. In Act 3, Scene 4, Hamlet chides Gertrude about her hasty remarriage, saying because of her age, she cannot have been ruled by her passions (i.e., lust), and must have been ruled by “judgment” (i.e., reason). The Ghost restrains Hamlet’s rebuke of Gertrude, urging him to channel his anger at Claudius; in other words, to control his passions as he seeks vengeance. And when Hamlet pays tribute to his loyal friend Horatio in Act III, Scene 2, he remarks that Horatio is not “passion’s slave” and whose “blood [passion] and judgment” is so well blended that he is not vulnerable to Fortune’s “buffets and rewards” (lines 68-73). For Hamlet, the dilemma is the proper yoking of passion, which would spur him to immediate vengeance, with reason, which is God-given, and which would temper Hamlet’s actions with prudent judgment. Hamlet seems unable to strike the balance, and is forever trying to weigh the emotional against the rational. The result is his inaction.
Hamlet has been dubbed the Melancholy Dane because of the many expressions of his sense of loss and grief at his father’s death. Elizabethans were familiar with the concept of melancholia, believed to be caused by an excess of the humour (bodily fluid), black bile. The sufferer’s moods would swing from deep depression and self-deprecation, to highly emotional outbursts. Certainly Hamlet’s puzzling behavior, which appears insane to others, could be a manifestation of this supposed disorder.
More modern critics note the Oedipal pattern in Hamlet’s relationship with his mother. To the extent that Claudius has done that which Hamlet himself desired to do (kill his father and marry his mother), the personae of Claudius and Hamlet merge. To avenge the murder-marriage is to commit suicide; indeed, Hamlet contemplates that very thing in his famous “To be or not to be” speech. Perhaps Hamlet hesitates to kill Claudius because of religious strictures against suicide, rather than against murder.
Other critics believe that Hamlet fears the apparition of his father is not an “honest Ghost,” and that his uncertainty restrains his vengeance. If the Ghost is “a devil … [in] a pleasing shape” who “abuses [Hamlet] to damn [him],” then to take matters into his own hands would go against Hamlet’s religious beliefs (II. ii. 604-605, 608). Beliefs of the time held that royalty ruled by divine right, so the murder of Hamlet’s father would therefore call for divine justice. If Hamlet is merely God’s tool, the murder is divinely ordained and sanctioned. However, if the Ghost is not heaven sent, if Hamlet seeks revenge for his own purposes, the murder is not holy and Hamlet’s revenge against Claudius would be a sin. As he says, “I’ll have grounds / More relative than this” (II. ii. 608-609); he will let Claudius’ reaction to the “mousetrap” guide him, rather than depending solely on the Ghost’s injunction.
A very generous critical reading credits Hamlet with an awareness of his own selfish motives; murdering Claudius would clear the path to his own kingship. In Act 5, Scen 2, Hamlet suggests this thinking as he explains his cause to Horatio, noting that Claudius “Popped in between th’ election and my hopes … ” (line 65). He delays throughout the play, these critics say, because he wants to make sure that he is truly avenging his father, not merely seeking his own advancement.
Each of these major theories can be supported with textual evidence, some more strongly than others. Hamlet’s obvious intellect and education might persuade the reader that he is less a victim of circumstances and more a creature tormented by his ability to see the situation from many angles, fraught with consequences political and spiritual, public and personal.
Hamlet’s plan to have the players enact The Murder of Gonzago with the addition of “some dozen or sixteen lines which [he] would set down” is another example of the use of indirection to learn the truth. Of course, the players themselves embody this principle of “acting” or pretending, engaging in “seeming” rather than in “being.” Hamlet alludes to this ironic duplicity when he notes the actor’s ability to “drown the stage with [real] tears / And cleave the general ear with horrid speech” (II. ii. 565-566) over an imagined murder, while he himself, “the son of a dear father murdered” (II. ii. 588), can only manage to curse his own inaction “like John-a-dreams” (II. ii. 572).
If we think of the players as actors—those who do, who perform, who carry out resolve—Hamlet’s invidious comparison of the player’s performance to his own, further reinforces his disgust at his own delay and inaction in carrying out the Ghost’s charge to avenge his father’s death. For instance, at Ophelia’s graveside, Hamlet insists that he loved her more than “forty thousand brothers” (V. i. 279) but later tells Horatio that “the bravery of [Laertes’] grief” (V. ii. 79) made him forget himself, “For by the image of my cause I see / The portraiture of his” (V. ii. 77-78).
Expert Q&A
Why does Shakespeare change Hamlet’s language from poetry to prose starting from act 2, scene 2?
3 Educator Answers
Quick answer:
Shakespeare changes Hamlet’s language from poetry to prose in act 2, scene 2, to reflect Hamlet's interactions with characters of lower status and his "antic disposition." Hamlet speaks in prose to characters like Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern, whom he deems beneath him. Additionally, prose allows Hamlet to use puns and riddles to confuse his adversaries, reserving poetic language for private moments and trusted friends.
Hamlet speaks in verse to characters of equal or higher status, and he speaks in prose to those characters who are beneath his status. This means that Hamlet speaks to his mother, Gertrude, and his uncle, Claudius, in verse, and he speaks to everyone else in prose. This remains consistent throughout the play.
In act 1, scene 5, after the ghost of Hamlet's father tells Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius, Hamlet tells Horatio, Marcellus, and Bernardo that he intends to "put an antic disposition on" (1.5.192). In other words, Hamlet's going to act emotionally unstable, or maybe even a little insane. As a frame of reference, Hamlet speaks to Horatio, Marcellus, and Bernardo in prose throughout this scene, and he spoke to them in prose in previous scenes.
It seems reasonable to assume that Hamlet's "antic disposition" would include his speech patterns, his manner of speaking, and might also affect his use of verse or prose.
In act 2, scene 2, the audience hears Hamlet speaks to Polonius for the first time in the play. Because Hamlet and Polonius haven't interacted before, the audience doesn't know if Hamlet usually speaks to Polonius in verse or prose. Since Polonius is of a lower status than Hamlet, it would be appropriate for Hamlet to speak to Polonius in prose, which he does.
Hamlet banters with Polonius, calling him a "fishmonger," talking about Polonius's daughter, and playing on words with Polonius, which convinces Polonius that Hamlet is mad—not in the "antic disposition" way, but mad with love for Ophelia.
In the same scene, Hamlet talks with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who are of lower status, and he speaks to them in prose. Even though what Hamlet says to them seems a little bizarre at times, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern think that Hamlet is simply being evasive, not acting crazy.
In act 3, scene 4, when Hamlet goes to his mother after the play-within-a-play—which would be a perfect opportunity for him to "put an antic disposition on" and perhaps speak to her in prose—Hamlet speaks to her in verse. He lapses into prose when the ghost of his father appears to him, but this seems reasonable. Hamlet is taken aback by the ghost's sudden appearance, and he feels guilty for not yet avenging his father's murder.
Gertrude looks at Hamlet like he's insane, and given the circumstances (i.e., Hamlet sees dead people), it's a perfectly normal reaction. The audience knows, however, that Hamlet is upset by the ghost's appearance in the scene, not acting insane, and soon Hamlet returns to speaking verse with his mother.
Hamlet speaks in prose for much of the play—before and after he says he's going to "put an antic disposition on"—because for much of the play he speaks to characters who are of lower status than his own.
An exception to Hamlet's usual use of verse and prose occurs in act 4, scene 3. Claudius has Hamlet brought to him so that Claudius can find out where Hamlet put Polonius's body, and also so he can take charge of Hamlet so he can send Hamlet to England.
In this short scene together, Hamlet plays words with Claudius, speaking to him in prose. Hamlet might be speaking in prose to demonstrate his "antic disposition," but he also might be speaking in prose to insult Claudius, because Hamlet believes that Claudius is beneath him for having murdered his father. Hamlet also calls Claudius his mother, which is probably no less insulting to Claudius than speaking to him in prose.
Even if Hamlet is doing his "antic disposition" act for Claudius, Claudius doesn't believe it for a minute, and he hasn't believed it since Polonius tried to convince him that Hamlet was mad with love for Ophelia.
What Hamlet actually says might represent his attempt to appear emotionally or mentally unstable or even insane, but whether he says it in verse or prose isn't necessarily part of his "antic disposition."
In this scene, Hamlet begins to truly understand how hard Claudius is working against him. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive, claiming to have just shown up for a friendly visit with their old friend. Hamlet tells them that he can see in their faces that they have been sent for, and they reluctantly admit this is the truth. Hamlet looks around and sees a small army of people laying in wait to trap Hamlet in various ways: Claudius, Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern—and possibly even his mother.
Hamlet no longer has time for poetic musings when he's navigating such tumultuous territory. Words matter, and he tries to lay a trap of his own to catch Claudius. This is the scene where Hamlet asks the actors to modify their original play and insert a play-within-the-play to determine the possible guilt of Claudius.
Therefore, Hamlet becomes a master of puns and riddles, twisting and playing with language to intentionally confuse his growing number of adversaries. In this scene, Polonius comments on Hamlet's language:
Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t.
Yet Hamlet doesn't abandon his talents for poetic musings completely; instead, he primarily reserves those moments for private reflections and when he's with his trusted friend Horatio. Near the end of this scene, we find Hamlet alone and again waxing more poetic:
‘Swounds, I should take it, for it cannot be
But I am pigeon-livered and lack gall
To make oppression bitter, or ere this
I should have fatted all the region kites
With this slave’s offal. Bloody, bawdy villain!
Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!
O vengeance!
Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave,
That I, the son of a dear father murdered,
Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,
Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words
And fall a-cursing like a very drab,
A stallion! Fie upon’t, foh!
Hamlet's talents for structure and imagery are back in this soliloquy, and Hamlet's true emotions present themselves more clearly when he is again alone. However, when he is being carefully monitored, Hamlet proves capable of adjusting his speech to align with his ultimate purpose.
This is a turning point for Hamlet in this play--he decides to play the madman, hoping that he'll discover something about his father's murderer. Shakespeare changes Hamlet's language to show that he's now changed--he won't appear to others to be "himself" or at least the self he used to be. Hopefully, by not being himself, others will treat him differently, perhaps being less cautious about what they say or how they treat the madman. Remember that in Shakespeare's time, "madmen" were assumed to have no sense at all.
What is the significance of Polonius's line "Though this be madness, yet there is method in it" in Hamlet Act 2, Scene 2?
1 Educator Answer
Quick answer:
In Act 2, Scene 2 of Hamlet, Polonius's line "Though this be madness, yet there is method in it" signifies his belief that Hamlet's madness is feigned, not real. He suggests that Hamlet's strange behavior is purposeful, hinting at a hidden plan or strategy. This aligns with the reality: Hamlet is indeed pretending to be mad to deceive his mother and uncle.
The key to understanding the meaning of this line is the word "method." In this case, it should be taken to mean "purpose" or "artfulness." Read this way, what Polonius is saying is more like "although this is madness, there's a purpose (or a plan, or artfulness) in it. So what he's suggesting is that Hamlet really isn't crazy but is only pretending.
As it turns out, we know he is right. Hamlet is not truly crazy but is only acting like he is crazy so as to fool his mother and uncle.
How do Hamlet's rhetorical strategies in Act 2, Scene 2, lines 534-592 develop his character?
1 Educator Answer
Hamlet's rhetorical questions about the ability of the actor to pretend to be angry and sad about the death of Queen Hecuba lead him to question his own motives and analyse his own actions. His father has been murdered - he has far more cause for grief and anger than the actor. Yet he says he 'can do nothing'. He uses disparaging comparisons to criticize himself - he is 'a dull and muddy-mettled rascal'. He asks whether he is a coward, but rejects this analysis. His tormented mental state is shown throughout the soliloquy by his constant change of topic. He berates Claudius - 'kindless villain. and then mocks himself fot the very soliloquy he is delivering - he must 'unpack my heart with words' rather than take actionn against his step-father. This reference to acting reminds him that 'guilty creatures' sitting at a play often reveal their guilt. And from that thought he conceives the plan to watch Claudius' reactions while 'The Mousetrap' is performed. I'm not sure his character IS develpoed in this speech, but it is analysed and he ends up with a clear plan of action.
In Act 2, Scene 2, lines 204-209 of Hamlet, what does Polonius say about madness and sanity?
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Quick answer:
In Act 2, Scene 2, lines 204-209 of Hamlet, Polonius says that madness can bring about a happiness that rationality and sanity cannot achieve. He notes that Hamlet's seemingly mad replies are often profound, highlighting the fine line between sanity and madness. Polonius believes Hamlet's madness is due to lovesickness for Ophelia, echoing Shakespeare's exploration of love and madness in other works.
Polonius indicates that there's a "method" or rationale to madness and, in these specific lines, notes that it achieves a happiness or joyfulness that sane, reasonable people often can't attain. (Polonius has no idea that Hamlet is playing with him or that Hamlet finds him a tiresome old fool.)
On a deeper level, Polonius's musings unconsciously interrogate the sharp distinction we make between the states of sanity and insanity. By noting the happiness Hamlet exhibits
A happiness that often madness hits on, which reason and sanity could not so prosperously be delivered of
Polonius calls into question the way we denigrate madness and automatically assume it is a less desirable state than sanity.
Polonius thinks Hamlet's madness may be a form of lovesickness for his daughter Ophelia. This brings to mind, too, the connection between love and madness that Shakespeare explores more thoroughly in A Midsummer's Night Dream. Hamlet, in a darker way, implicitly raises the question of whether being "mad" or behaving seemingly irrationally is worse than conforming to a cold rationality.
Evidently you are asking about the conversation between Polonius and Hamlet in Act 2, Scene 2. This is a comical scene because Hamlet is only pretending to be mad, and doing such a good job of it that he has Polonius completely fooled. Polonius, in an aside, tells himself, quite correctly, "How pregnant sometimes his replies are! A happiness that often madness hits on, which reason and sanity could not so prosperously be delivered of." This is an astute observation. Insane people often say things that not only seem perfectly rational but seem strikingly profound and original. Hamlet apparently knows this and is deliberately replying to Polonius's questions with answers that are not to the point but are not totally inappropriate either. In this, Hamlet is using the same kind of literalness that is being employed by the gravedigger in Act 5, Scene 1. For example:
Hamlet What man dost thou dig it for?
Clown For no man, sir.
Hamlet What woman, then?
Clown For none, neither.
Hamlet Who is to be buried in't?
Clown One that was a woman, sir. But rest her soul, she's dead.
Unlike Polonius, Hamlet knows the gravedigger is only playing mind-games with him. Polonius is a complex character. He is both wise and foolish. He is old and no longer mentally agile or adaptable.
Because the lines referred to in Act II, Scene 2, are said as an aside, they are private revelations of the thoughts of Polonius. Here in Shakespeare's "Hamlet," Polonius, the corrupt sycophant of the Danish court, attempts to convince Claudius and Gertrude that Hamlet is mad. When he talks with Hamlet their conversation has many non-sequiturs in it, such as the lines in which Polonius asks Hamlet what he reads and Hamlet replies, "Words, words, words" (II,ii,190) and punned insults in which Hamlet says that Polonius might grow old as Hamlet is if "like a crab, you could go backward." So, when the conversation continues between Hamlet and Polonius and the courtier asks, "Will you walk out of the air, my lord?"(II,ii,202), and Hamlet queries, "Into my grave?" (II,ii,203), then Polonius says in an aside, "How pregnant...."
Polonius remarks are much like those of Emily Dickinson's in her poem "Much Madness is divinest Sense." That is, the mind that loses its focus on reality is sometimes better able to discern other matters--perhaps, in much the way intuition works, by a sixth sense. For, Hamlet, perhaps, intuitively senses that Polonius, too, wishes to do Hamlet ill, just as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern do. "How pregnant," how full of meaning, Hamlet's remarks are, like the 'divinest sense" (divine as in to guess) of which Miss Dickinson writes.
I'm not really sure which lines you're talking about because different versions seem to have different line numbers. I am assuming that you are thinking of these lines that Polonius says
How pregnant (220)
sometimes his replies are! a happiness that often madness
hits on, which reason and sanity could not so prosperously
be delivered of.
The basic idea here is that Polonius is saying that only a crazy person would be able to speak as well as Hamlet is speaking in this scene -- only a crazy person would be able to use words so well.
I think that what he means here is that sane people are too confined by what people expect and can't come up with really creative ways of expressing themselves the way a crazy person can.
Why does Hamlet tell Polonius in Act 2, Scene 2, "You cannot, sir, take from me anything that I more willingly part withal—except my life, except my life, except my life"?
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Quick answer:
In Act 2, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Hamlet's statement to Polonius, "You cannot, sir, take from me anything that I more willingly part withal—except my life, except my life, except my life", is a sarcastic response to Polonius's polite request to leave. Hamlet, while feigning madness and suspicious of Polonius's loyalty to the new King, uses this opportunity to insult Polonius and express his deep unhappiness and desire for death. His statement reveals that he would willingly give away anything, even his life, due to his despair over his father's murder and his mother's hasty remarriage.
In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Polonius is trying to better understand what Hamlet is thinking. He is certain that the young man is insane, and he is also sure that he knows the reason for it: Hamlet loves Ophelia; his love for Ophelia has drove him "mad."
Polonius asks Hamlet:
Will you walk out of the air, my lord? (217)
This can be translated to mean, "Will you come in out of the air?" Polonius may be asking him to come in where it is warmer. It is a polite inquiry with regard to Hamlet's comfort.
Hamlet, suspicious of Polonius (because he is loyal to the new King), and delivering double entendres under the guise of madness, sarcastically asks:
Into my grave? (218)
Polonius misses the "joke." Polonius ponders the astute reply Hamlet has delivered and is amazed how like sanity madness often seems.
Polonius, sure he has discovered something meaningful about Hamlet's madness, excuses himself:
My lord, I will most humbly take my leave of you. (224-225)
Hamlet is being sarcastic here again. And while Polonius may think he is speaking out of madness, Hamlet insults him playing with the word "leave", but is in deadly earnest when he speaks of giving away his life, as easily as giving permission for Polonius to depart:
HAMLET:
You cannot, sir, take from me anything that I will
more willingly part withal—except my life, except my life,
except my life. (226-228)
Hamlet's response is telling Polonius (who he lumps together in line 230 with "tedious old fools") that he will happily give his permission for the old man to leave. (Remember, this is a Prince speaking to the King's adviser. They are not on equal social footing; it is proper for Polonius to ask permission to leave—as Laertes earlier asked the King for his permission to leave court.) He is not only happy to grant Polonius permission to go—there is nothing he would rather do than let the "fool" leave...except for the last segment of this quotation, in which Hamlet is now deadly serious—all sarcasm aside. Hamlet's father is dead—murdered. His mother has remarried the murderer—and with scandalous haste (one month after her husband's death).
Hamlet is fine with the idea of dying.
Before Hamlet even knew his father had been murdered, he wanted to die. In Act One, scene two, he stated...
HAMLET:
O, that this too too sullied flesh would melt,
Thaw and resolve itself into a dew,
Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd
His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! (I.ii.132-135)
Hamlet wished he could just disappear: melt. Or that God had not made it a mortal sin to commit suicide. His father's death and the horror of his "new" life have robbed him of his will to live. Hamlet speaks of his death again in Act Three (in his "To be or not to be" speech).
In Act Two, scene two—in his discussion with Polonius—Hamlet sardonically says he could wish for nothing more than Polonius' departure. But in all seriousness, the only thing he would give as easily would be his life.
In act 2, scene 2, what use does Hamlet plan for the players?
1 Educator Answer
Quick answer:
In act 2, scene 2, Hamlet plans to have the players act out a scene very similar to the way in which his father supposedly died. Hamlet will observe his uncle, Claudius, while his uncle watches the play, and he believes that Claudius's behavior will reveal whether or not he has a guilty conscience. Hamlet's father's ghost has accused Claudius of the murder, so Hamlet plans to use the actors to test whether or not his uncle really is guilty.
In a soliloquy, Hamlet explains his plan:
I'll have these players
Play something like the murder of my father
Before mine uncle. I'll observe his looks.
I'll tent him to the quick. If he do blench,
I know my course.
(act 2, scene 2, lines 623–627)
In other words, he is tasking the acting troupe with performing a play that enacts a scene very similar to his own father's murder. A ghost resembling Hamlet's dead father, old King Hamlet, has accused his own brother, the current king, Claudius, of murdering the king while he slept in the orchard. The ghost of old King Hamlet claims that Claudius murdered him by pouring poison into his ear. Hamlet plans to observe his uncle, Claudius, as the play is being performed, as he believes that his uncle's behavior will reveal whether or not he is truly guilty of this heinous act of betrayal. Ultimately, in the lines above, Hamlet declares that he will know what to do if his uncle shows signs of guilt.
Hamlet is aware that it might not be his own father's ghost at all but, rather, a "devil" who has assumed a "pleasing shape" in order to trick him and get him to kill the king. For this reason, he says, he wants to be really sure that Claudius is guilty. He finishes his soliloquy with the following famous lines:
The play's the thing
Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King.
(act 2, scene 2, lines 633–634)
He believes that watching his uncle's response to the play will reveal whether or not Claudius feels the weight of a guilty conscience.
Why is act 2, scene 2 in Hamlet more important than the other acts?
1 Educator Answer
A much longer, slower, and detailed scene than those short ones of the first act, Scene 2 of the second act in Hamlet is intrinsic to the drama because it significantly initiates and develops subplots, provides insights into key characters, introduces motifs, and includes an important monologue and soliloquy of Hamlet that characterizes him and moves the plot forward.
Subplots
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern report to King Claudius, and he enlists them in spying upon Hamlet. When Hamlet speaks to them, they admit to him what their intent is in having discourse with him, which serves to further the action..
- The guilt of Claudius for the death of King Hamlet is suggested by his having his schoolmates spy upon him. Hamlet hopes to prove Claudius's culpability with the play, The Murder of Gonzago.
Motifs
- The motif of youth vs. age is evinced in the conversation about adult acting companies as opposed to the theme of the play as youth replacing their elders. This conversation parallels the action of the real drama.
- The motif of illusion vs. reality which is pervasive throughout the play is reinforced with the company of players as there are several allusions to young boys' playing the parts of women.
- The motif of women's being weaker than men is (“frailty, thy name is woman—”) is reinforced with the boys playing the parts of women.
Insights into characters
- Hamlet's depression is suggested in his soliloquy and his monologue:
What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving, how express and admirable in action, how like an angel...how like a god...And yet to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me, nor woman neither....(2.2.288-293)
- Hamlet baits both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and Polonius, indicating that he not only perceives their duplicity, but that he is calculating. He also perceives the hypocrisy of people as he remarks about how quickly people change their allegiances, alluding to Claudius who is now king, who people now praise whereas before when Hamlet was king, they mocked him:
...my uncle is King of Denmark, and those that would make mouths at him while my father lived give twenty, forty, fifty, a hundred ducats apiece for his picture in little. 'Sblood, there is something in this more than natural, if philosophy could find out. (2.1.336-340)
- Hamlet also reveals much of his opinion of himself in his soliloquy. He feels that he is a coward--"O what rogue and peasant slave am I!" (2.1.506)--because he has not yet taken action against the man who has murdered his father. He attempts to work himself into a passion so that he can carry out the revenge the ghost of his family has requested. But, then, he wonders if the ghost were, instead, "a devil" to tempt him to regicide and then damnation for such a crime. As he reasons, Hamlet decides that he will watch Claudius during the performance: "the play's the thing/Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king" (2.1.561-562)
- Polonius displays his duplicity in this scene, as well as his willingness to sacrifice Ophelia for his political gain. Polonius, who exemplifies well what is "rotten in Denmark" will later suffer the consequences of this duplicity. He is also provides some comic relief, especially when he gives his redundant and confusing instructions to his servant Reynaldo.
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are also duplicitous, although they admit their complicity with King Claudius. They, too, suffer consequences for their betrayal of Hamlet.
What does Hamlet mean in Act 2, Scene 2, when he says "Then I would you were so honest a man"?
1 Educator Answer
Quick answer:
When Hamlet tells Polonius, "Then I would you were so honest a man," he is mocking Polonius by implying that he wishes Polonius were as honest as a fishmonger, someone who sells fish. This is a subtle insult, as Hamlet is suggesting that Polonius, who is trying to gather information for Claudius, is dishonest. Hamlet uses this line to highlight Polonius's deceitful nature, alluding to the idea that something is "fishy" about his intentions.
Polonius has just spoken with Claudius and Gertrude. They have decided to eavesdrop on a conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia in order to determine if Hamlet's melancholy/mad behavior is a result of love sickness. Prior to this, Polonius speaks with Hamlet alone. Polonius believes he is a cunning man, and uses his wit to get information from Hamlet. However, this scene reveals that he has no idea what Hamlet's madness is really all about. Polonius asks Hamlet if he knows who he is. Hamlet toys with him, saying that he knows Polonius as a fishmonger.
Hamlet actually does know who he is but calls him a fishmonger (one who sells fish). Perhaps, Hamlet is insinuating (to himself, since Polonius does not get the joke) that Polonius is "fishing" for information. Or, Hamlet could be suggesting that something smells "fishy" with Polonius. Hamlet suspects that Polonius (and later, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern) have been coached by Claudius to spy on him. So, when Polonius replies that he is not a fishmonger, Hamlet responds with the line "Then I would you were so honest a man." In other words, Hamlet says that he wishes Polonius was as honest as an actual fishmonger. He is basically calling Polonius a liar (or dishonest) to his face, without Polonius understanding exactly what this means.
The meaning, significance, theme, and revelatory aspects of Hamlet's soliloquy in Act 2, Scene 2
6 Educator Answers
Summary:
Hamlet's soliloquy in Act 2, Scene 2 reveals his deep self-criticism and frustration over his inaction. He compares himself unfavorably to an actor who can display intense emotion for fiction, while he, with real motives, fails to act. This soliloquy underscores themes of indecision, self-doubt, and the struggle between thought and action, highlighting Hamlet's internal conflict and the broader existential questions in the play.
What is the significance of Hamlet's soliloquy in act 2, scene 2 of Hamlet?
Hamlet's soliloquy is important for a number of reasons.
Firstly, he made a pledge to his father's ghost to act swiftly to avenge his father's murder. In the soliloquy, Hamlet expresses anger at himself for not having yet done anything. He compares himself to one of the visiting actors who, in acting out a scene, expresses emotion in a profound way, causing the audience to feel what he feels even though he has no real reason to do so. In contrast, Hamlet cannot do the same—even though he has all the reasons in the world to do so. The contrast makes it clear that Hamlet believes himself a coward. He asks a number of rhetorical questions in this instance:
Am I a coward? Who calls me villain? breaks my pate across? Plucks off my beard, and blows it in my face? Tweaks me by the nose? gives me the lie i' the throat, As deep as to the lungs? who does me this?
Hamlet states that if anyone should do these things to mock or humiliate him for his intransigence and his weakness, he should not feel offended, for the only reason they would do so is because he has less courage than a harmless pigeon.
Secondly, the soliloquy clearly displays Hamlet's self-knowledge and self-loathing. This introspection makes him realize some bitter truths about himself, such as that he does not have the gall to proceed in his revenge. He metaphorically compares himself to an ass, a fool. He uses sarcasm by mentioning that it is indeed “brave” of him; when driven by heaven and hell to commit his vengeance, he is only able to act by expressing his emotions through words and not deeds. He uses similes by comparing himself to a whore and a worthless, swearing kitchen maid in this regard.
Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words, And fall a-cursing, like a very drab, A scullion!
Thirdly, Hamlet in this monologue clearly shows his utter contempt and disdain for his uncle, Claudius. He cries out passionately:
I should have fatted all the region kitesWith this slave's offal: bloody, bawdy villain!Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain….
Hamlet uses powerful metaphors and adjectives to express his intense disgust. Claudius is the same as the entrails of a slave, a man without morals, remorse, or kindness. He now truly realizes just how much he abhors Claudius.
Fourth, it is during this speech that Hamlet finally decides to actually do something to honor the pledge he made to his father's ghost. He now decides that he will use a play to determine Claudius's guilt in his father's murder. He will have the actors enact a scene similar to his father's foul murder. He will then carefully watch Claudius's reaction. If Claudius should act in a guilty manner, Hamlet will then know exactly what to do. It is interesting that Hamlet uses such a careful, indirect method to determine Claudius's guilt; moments earlier, he expressed reckless determination to punish Claudius.
Finally, Hamlet's monologue reveals that he does not entirely trust the ghost. He declares:
The spirit that I have seen May be the devil: and the devil hath power To assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhaps Out of my weakness and my melancholy, As he is very potent with such spirits, Abuses me to damn me….
Hamlet believes that the ghost might just be a devil who has taken on the guise of his father in an attempt to use his emotional condition and his frailty to do evil, leading him on a path to damnation. Hamlet believes that he needs better grounds to take action. He declares that in this regard, the play will be a better guarantee in proving Claudius's guilt.
...the play's the thing Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.
What is the significance of Hamlet's soliloquy in act 2, scene 2 of Hamlet?
The soliloquy in act two, scene two, of William Shakespeare's Hamlet is Hamlet's second soliloquy. In this speech, Hamlet defines his inner conflict. Although he wants to revenge his father's death, Hamlet cannot find it in himself to do so. It is against Hamlet's character to murder, even if in revenge. Over the course of the soliloquy, Hamlet becomes more and more frustrated about the situation he faces. After convincing himself to commit the premeditated murder of Claudius, he talks himself out of it again. Still unsure, he decides to find more evidence against Claudius before enacting his revenge.
As for any literary devices, a simile is found in line 579. Here, Hamlet compares himself to a whore (shown with the use of "like a"). In line 586, alliteration is found. (Alliteration is the repetition of a consonant sound within a line of poetry.) The “s” sound in “been struck so to the soul that presently.” Lastly, a metaphor extends throughout the soliloquy when Hamlet compares his lack of ability to enact revenge to bad actors.
What does Hamlet's soliloquy in act 2, scene 2 of Hamlet reveal and how does it spur him to action?
In his soliloquy of Act II, Scene 2, Hamlet chastises himself for his weakness and inaction in avenging the murder of his father, and he considers a method to confirm the guilt of Claudius.
Steeped in melancholy over the death of his father and what he views as his mother's incestuous act of marriage to Claudius, Hamlet finds himself in a quagmire of thoughts and emotions that immobilize him. In his soliloquy of Act II, Scene 2, Hamlet muses upon the emotion that an actor of the visiting troupe brings forth in his speech about the Trojan queen Hecuba, the prototype for bereft and mourning women. He wonders what this man would do if he "[H]ad the motive and cue for passion" (Act II, Scene 2, line 517) that he has in his current situation.
Upon further introspection, Hamlet berates himself for his lack of passion and courage:
But I am pigeon-livered and lack gall
To make oppression bitter, or ere this
I should'a fatted all the region kites
With this slave's offal. Bloody, bawdy villain (Act II, Scene 2, lines 534-537)!
Further, Hamlet calls himself "an ass" for his inaction. He then remembers that sometimes people who watch a play whose plot resembles circumstances of their own lives are "struck so to the soul" (Act II, Scene 2, line 548) that they are driven to confess the crimes they have committed.
Resolved to act, Hamlet decides to have the actors perform a play whose plot involves situations similar to those which have recently occurred in reality. Then, as Claudius watches this play, Hamlet can "catch the conscience of the king" (Act II, Scene 2, line 562).
As with Hamlet's other soliloquies, his third soliloquy moves him toward action and provides more insights into his soul.
What does Hamlet's soliloquy in act 2, scene 2 of Hamlet reveal and how does it spur him to action?
Hamlet is intrigued by the fact that this actor, reciting a speech given to him by some playwright, or perhaps a speech he composed himself, is moved to weep upon the recitation. How can he be so moved by what is only an act? He pretends to weep for Hecuba and he's certainly never met her or been given any reason to feel emotion for her. Yet he can move himself to tears over her.
He compares this to himself, unable to take action despite a very real offense, the suspected murder of his father. Why is it that this actor can be moved so easily and he remains still?
His frustration leads him to the realization that perhaps he can use this power of the actors to his benefit, that he can use the play to show the king's guilt, that Claudius, if he sees his brother's murder reenacted will give some sign to show he did in fact do it.
What is the theme of Hamlet's soliloquy in Act 2, Scene 2?
As the pivotal pillars of the drama, Hamlet's soliloquies are what direct the action of the play. For, in them the Prince of Denmark deliberates greatly on his own feelings and what course he should take after the ghost of his father entreats him to avenge his murder.
In his third soliloquy in Act II, after Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have departed, Hamlet chides himself for his procrastination--"O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!"--when he should be acting on his father's request. Contrasting himself with the player who sheds tears as he recites the tragic lines about Hecuba's grief over the death of her husband from a play about the fall of Troy, Hamlet asks himself why he cannot rise to action with the motives and passion he has that should easily give him cause for vengeance. "But I am pigeon-liver'd and lack gall," he reviles himself. Finally, he turns his anger against Claudius, calling him a "bloody, bawdy villain"; furthermore, he decides to test Claudius by having the players act out something like the murder of King Hamlet and watch his uncle's reactions. This, Hamlet hopes, will convince him to act as he will have proof of the guilt of Claudius: "The play's the thing."
Thus, the theme, of this soliloquy is Hamlet's emotion vs. his rationality. For, while his melancholic soul prevents him from acting, after observing the player who is able to summon emotion from the lines of a mere ficitional work, Hamlet's mind reasons that he must shake himself " Out of my weakness and my melancholy" and seek retribution for his father's murder by first verifying that Claudius is, indeed, guilty.
What is the dramatic significance of Hamlet's soliloquy in act 2, scene 2?
I believe the most important lines in this soliloquy are the following:
I'll have grounds
More relative than this: the play 's the thing
Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.
It is clear that Hamlet has finally become determined enough to prove Claudius' culpability in his father's murder and intends using a play to show him up. Hamlet is convinced that he can use the play, in which he would depict a murder much like that of his father, to expose his uncle. He believes that Claudius will react to the events he intends to depict in the play, thus displaying his scheming and his reprehensible act. Hamlet says earlier in his monologue:
I have heard
That guilty creatures sitting at a play
Have by the very cunning of the scene
Been struck so to the soul that presently
They have proclaim'd their malefactions;
For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak
With most miraculous organ.
Once, he believes, he has the ultimate proof of his uncle's guilt, he would have no recourse but to kill him in revenge. Up to now, Hamlet has not been entirely certain about what to do. He has tarried and is, in this soliloquy, overwhelmed by his failure to act decisively. He contrasts his actions to those of an actor who, he believes, is more capable of evoking a reaction than he has been able to, up to now. Hamlet is profoundly critical of himself here, calling himself 'an ass' who has not made a move though he has had much reason to do so.
Hamlet doubts his courage, asking whether he is a coward who cannot even act against the abuse he suffers at the hands of Claudius, who is a:
bloody, bawdy villain!
Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!
He feels that Claudius has taken advantage of his weakness (his indecision) and his sadness (for his father's demise) and has mistreated him. However, Hamlet now feels more confident and is desperate to finally end his strife and take his uncle's life - a dramatic turning-point in the play.
Comparisons between Pyrrhus, Hamlet, and Claudius in Act 2, Scene 2 of Hamlet
3 Educator Answers
Summary:
In Act 2, Scene 2 of Hamlet, Pyrrhus is compared to Hamlet and Claudius to highlight themes of revenge and justice. Pyrrhus, like Hamlet, seeks to avenge his father's death, but does so with brutal force, contrasting Hamlet's hesitation. Claudius, the target of Hamlet's revenge, mirrors King Priam, the victim of Pyrrhus's vengeance, emphasizing the cyclical nature of violence.
In Act 2, Scene 2 of Hamlet, what comparisons can be made between Hamlet and Pyrrhus?
Pyrrhus is Achilles’ son—this isn’t from the Iliad, but the sort of “apocrypha” surrounding the Iliad, if you will. He avenges his father’s death in battle by killing Priam, King of Troy.
In this play, Hamlet’s father has died, and Hamlet wants to kill the man responsible. This is one connection between Hamlet and Pyrrhus.
Another might be that in the story of Pyrrhus, Pyrrhus is in the Trojan Horse, so he will get access to Priam and deal him “justice” by stealth. Hamlet pretends to be insane as a deliberate means of concealment, so that nobody will take him seriously and he can confirm that his uncle did, in fact, murder his father. After this, Hamlet plans to then murder his uncle in revenge.
There is another further connection: Pyrrhus is “remorseless” about killing Priam because it’s eye-for-an-eye justice, and Hamlet clearly feels that, if he can summon the courage to kill his uncle, it would be totally justified. The difference is that Hamlet wrestles with his conscience for the duration of the play, whereas Pyrrhus does not have any particular backstory, and his remorselessness is borne out in the fact that, as a character, his entire existence is justified by the fact that he kills Priam.
There are some issues with these connections, however. Hamlet’s father was murdered by his own brother. Pyrrhus’s father died in a war—and was in fact killed by Paris, the son of Priam, who is no relation to Achilles whatsoever. (Actually, Achilles and Priam share a very sad and touching scene when Priam comes to him, in disguise, to beg for Hector’s body back, and they both cry together over how much they’ve lost in this stupid war. So Achilles would not want revenge on Priam, as he would not blame Priam for his death.)
In Act 2, Scene 2 of Hamlet, what comparisons can be made between Hamlet and Pyrrhus?
Yes, Pyrrhus is yet one more example in the play of active sons, loyal sons who seek and take immediate revenge for the murders of their fathers. As the other commenter mentions, the real comparison is between Hamlet and Pyrrhus because Pyrrhus quickly and violently avenges his father's death, but Hamlet overthinks every move and even, once, talks himself out of killing Claudius, his uncle, step-father, and the murderer of his father, because Claudius appears to be at prayer and Hamlet doesn't want to kill him only to send him to heaven.
In addition to Pyrrhus, Fortinbras is yet another good example of a loyal and quick-acting son, as is Laertes. When Hamlet kills his father, Polonius, and the royal family buries him quickly and without ceremony (a move that provokes suspicion about the nature of his death), Laertes returns immediately from France to confront the king and seek his revenge on his father's killer. It is, in fact, this attempt to exact his revenge on Hamlet that leads to the deaths of Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, and himself in the final scene of the play. Thus, Shakespeare gives his audience three examples of loyal sons, sons with whom Hamlet can compare himself and find his own actions wanting, and Pyrrhus is one of these.
How is Pyrrhus in Act 2, Scene 2 similar to Hamlet and Claudius?
In order to really answer your question, I must tell you the background story of Pyrrhus. Pyrrhus is the son of Achilles who was killed by Paris during the Trojan war. Pyrrhus wants vengeance for Achilles' death. Since Paris is already dead, he seeks out Paris's family, including Paris's father Priam.
Pyrrhus is a foil to Hamlet: He is a son seeking vengeance for his father's death. A foil is a character whose qualities are opposite of a principal character and who brings into the foreground the qualities of that character.
Let's look toward Hamlet's speech for further understanding of the comparison:
HAMLET. The rugged Pyrrhus, like th' Hyrcanian beast,--
it is not so:-- it begins with Pyrrhus:--
The rugged Pyrrhus,--he whose sable arms,
Black as his purpose,did the night resemble
When he lay couched in the ominous horse,--
Hath now this dread and black complexion smear'd
With heraldry more dismal; head to foot
Now is be total gules; horridly trick'd
With blood of fathers, mothers, daughters, sons,
Bak'd and impasted with the parching streets,
That lend a tyrannous and a damned light
To their vile murders: roasted in wrath and fire,
And thus o'ersized with coagulate gore,
With eyes like carbuncles, the hellish Pyrrhus
Old grandsire Priam seeks.
So, proceed you. (Hamlet, II.ii)
This initial description of Pyrrhus is less than favorable than Hamlet's characterization. Pyrrhus is like a madman, covered from head to foot with the dried blood of his enemies, and not just of his father's killer, but of everyone--children, women--everyone related to Paris. He is in a crazed blood frenzy over his need for vengeance. Hamlet is the opposite: He seeks proof. He acts in measured ways. He believes he is punished by and when he slays an innocent man in the murder of Old Hamlet. He must be driven to act. He attempts to target only one man.
PLAYER. Anon he finds him,
Striking too short at Greeks: his antique sword,
Rebellious to his arm, lies where it falls,
Repugnant to command: unequal match'd,
Pyrrhus at Priam drives; in rage strikes wide;
But with the whiff and wind of his fell sword
The unnerved father falls. Then senseless Ilium,
Seeming to feel this blow, with flaming top
Stoops to his base; and with a hideous crash
Takes prisoner Pyrrhus' ear: for lo! his sword,
Which was declining on the milky head
Of reverend Priam, seem'd i' the air to stick:
So, as a painted tyrant, Pyrrhus stood;
And, like a neutral to his will and matter,
Did nothing.
This is interesting: Pyrrhus has his sword poised to kill Priam (whom, coincidentally, his own father, Achilles, had once spared) when, for some reason, he hesitates; he is frozen for a moment. This hesitation could be a symbol of Hamlet's own hesitation in killing Claudius and seeking the Ghost's revenge for the murder of Hamlet's father, Old Hamlet.
PLAYER. But as we often see, against some storm,
A silence in the heavens, the rack stand still,
The bold winds speechless, and the orb below
As hush as death, anon the dreadful thunder
Doth rend the region; so, after Pyrrhus' pause,
A roused vengeance sets him new a-work;
And never did the Cyclops' hammers fall
On Mars's armour, forg'd for proof eterne,
With less remorse than Pyrrhus' bleeding sword
Now falls on Priam.--
Eventually Pyrrhus acts on his desire for vengeance. His excess shows that Pyrrhus is a vicious sort. He is far less noble than Achilles who could show mercy, and far less noble than Hamlet; Hamlet is quintessentially noble and merciful, though he is driven outside himself by the Ghost's demands (V.ii). In these scenes, Pyrrhus reminds the reader more of Claudius who shows no mercy: He kills his own brother for the crown and queen; he plots Hamlet's death when Hamlet seems a threat to him.
This mercilessness and the gore-covered Pyrrhus could also be foreshadowing of the ultimate carnage that will result from Hamlet's efforts at attaining vengeance.
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