Source(s): https://shrink.im/a9TWx. And then, when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern can get no answers out on him, Hamlet is taken before Claudius: Hamlet. You are your husband’s brother’s wife. You are the Queen, your husband’s brother’s wife, Is their any reason why Hamlet killed Polonius? At a point in the play where the line between Hamlet's performative madness and an actual madness that may be brewing beneath the surface is becoming increasingly blurred, Hamlet kills Polonius by complete accident. Why didn't Hamlet kill Claudius when he had the chance at the end of act 3, scene 3? Laertes is the son of Polonius and the brother of Ophelia. could be ‘refusing”? He avoids the question. What just happened? Are you a teacher? a rat? Hamlet. Hamlet Kills Polonius. He stabs blindly through the arras: Hamlet. Overwhelmed with emotions, he killed Polonius, who was hiding behind the curtain. It is the story of a prince named Hamlet, who lost his father. "Brutus killed me." He has an opportunity there to kill him, but chooses not to take it. To purposely “defile” it (for whatever reason, sane or not) as you put it in your concluding sentence–or to buy some time to figure out what to do next? So why stow it away? Claudius is … Hamlet, as Brutus, will kill Polonius as Julius. Isn’t the King the one who arranges for a hasty burial, limiting what’s “proper”? Short Summary: The king is talking to his entourage, saying that Hamlet should be punished for what he did to Polonius. Two, he decides to hide it–WHY? 3 Answers. Why Did Hamlet Kill Polonius ? Rio. A bloody deed- almost as bad, good mother, Gertrude, believing that Hamlet is going to harm her, calls out for help, causing Polonius to give himself away. Retribution will call up against him a son, at whose hands he What happens next is not. Even more importantly, Polonius is now a murdered father, and his son, who has vanished from the action after Act I scene iii, returns as an avenger, to be set beside Hamlet in the audience's awareness of the problem of r… It’s also likely that in the heat of the moment Hamlet simply never thought of this. He was still hanging around the castle, it’s not like he tried to flee. Is this part of his crazy act? However Polonius is portrayed on the stage, he is thoroughly nasty. No, by the rood, not so! Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. Dead for a ducat, dead!” 30 [Lifts up the arras and discovers POLONIUS] Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell! Yes, Hamlet appears to think that it was the king hiding behind the curtain. Log in here. Hamlet’s mood at this point is pretty obvious. Leave wringing of your hands: peace! Right now the audience is thinking the same thing that Gertrude is. First, his corpse leads Hamlet to discuss in detail with Claudius the mortality and bodily (and spiritual) corruption of all mankind: ‘A certain convocation of politic worms are e'en at him.' So to answer your question, he does it because he thinks it's his uncle, the king, hoping to finally get revenge on his uncle for killing his father. 5) Why doesn’t Hamlet kill Claudius right away? As kill a king, and marry with his brother. Act 4 scenes 2 and 3 are actually devoted entirely to the search for Polonius’ body: Rosencrantz. When Hamlet sees his mistake, he falls into wild frustration, blaming his mother for not seeing Claudius for what he is. Help, help, ho! Because Gertrude is the object of Hamlet’s desire, and she has now died, Hamlet’s desire for his mother has also died. Hamlet Why did Hamlet kill Polonius? However, it is important to consider that regicide, in Elizabethan times, would certainly lead to Hamlet’s death. Your email address will not be published. Where you may see the inmost part of you. In Act 5, Scene 3, Hamlet does kill Claudius. Hamlet’s a thinker and a talker, not a doer. Yorrick- Dies of (presumably) old age, years before the play. Check out the scene where Hamlet's directing the players (actors). Polonius is a character in William Shakespeare's Hamlet.He is chief counsellor of the play's villain, Claudius, and the father of Laertes and Ophelia.Generally regarded as wrong in every judgment he makes over the course of the play, Polonius is described by William Hazlitt as a "sincere" father, but also "a busy-body, [who] is accordingly officious, garrulous, and impertinent". Both ‘rat’ and ‘ducat’ can also be said about a person, which makes Polonius’ death somehow necessary. New questions in English. I did not intend to imply that he hides the body expressly to prevent Polonius’ proper burial. Who? Hamlet killing Polonius gives Claudius a perfect opportunity to banish the ‘crazed’ nephew he had grown so tired of. Hamlet actually kills Polonius by mistake. Polonius’ death is justified in Hamlet’s mind because he was meddling in matters in which he shouldn’t. At first, he doesn’t want to kill Claudius because he doesn’t feel as angry or determined to act as he thinks he should, referring to himself as “unpregnant of my cause” (II.ii). I actually like the word-play in this scene: “How now? Polonius was hiding there spying, so it falls onto him, really. In heaven. He surely didn’t think he’d hide the body to get away with it–like they’d never find it. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. 4 years ago. In the previous scene, on his way to his mother’s bedchamber, Hamlet had already passed Claudius at prayer. help, help, help! Or at this point does he truly care so little about such things that he doesn’t think twice about defiling a corpse? Asked by Erin B #424480 on 2/19/2015 3:28 PM Last updated by jill d #170087 on 2/19/2015 3:33 PM Answers 1 Add Yours. But he could not: he was very excited – even on the brink of insanity … When he hears the noise and movement coming from behind the curtain, he thinks it is his uncle, the king. UPDATE: Contest over! Answered by jill d #170087 on 2/19/2015 3:33 PM Polonious is killed because Hamlet mistakenly identifies him as the King. Winners will …. In many ways, he becomes more significant: 1. It was an accident. Hamlet storms into the room and asks his mother why she has sent for him. 4. Hamlet’s delay in killing Claudius represents another of Hamlet’s great mysteries. If that happens to dovetail with his ‘antics’ so much the better. Hamlet stabs the carpet with his sword and Polonius dies. See answer rettdangeorgirl is waiting for your help. ©2021 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. in the play Hamlet by william shakespeare? Face Masks, Stickers, Tote Bags, and other Accessories, Giveaway! Hamlet is finally able to kill Claudius because Gertrude has now died. The story so far: Hamlet has sprung his mouse trap, playing out Claudius’ crime in front of him with the help of the actors. Relevance. Part of this rash action could be attributed to Hamlet sparing Claudius earlier. Gertrude is not prepared for Hamlet to put his hands on her. Fortinbras Sr. - Before the play begins, King Hamlet kills him. So, Polonius’ death was an accident. He KNOWS it. He goes through great trouble to find about Hamlet… What makes Hamlet finally kill Claudius after so long? His mother saw what he did. This is heavily foreshadowing Polonius' death because Hamlet is like Brutus to Polonius. If Hamlet were to deliberately kill Polonius it would be murder but Hamlet is not a murderer. Hamlet, in exultation at having proven Claudius’ guilt, comes to his mother’s bedchamber and intends to tell her off: Gertrude. Answer Save. Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended. Claudius is … Shakespeare's Hamlet. Death — the thinking being who cannot act from thought must perish. none other than Hamlet himself. Hamlet hides Polonius body, refusing to let him have a proper burial. His subsequent disrespectful banter “fits right in” as a reason for buying some time with such an unfortunately disrespectful act. there, seek him i’ th’ other place yourself. No time to check the blog regularly? I think he just decided to keep up his antic disposition (or, perhaps, it had no overtaken him for real), and needed to put forward the idea that Polonius’ death meant absolutely nothing to him. Polonius is hilarious. Send thither to see. NatixStar. Come, come, and sit you down. 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The commandment `` Thou shalt not kill. he lives by his Christian faith, including commandment., when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern can get no answers out on him, Hamlet hid the body expressly prevent. Long-Winded, and History Polonious is killed because Hamlet mistakenly identifies him as king! Did n't Hamlet kill Polonius foreshadowing Polonius ' death because Hamlet is not prepared Hamlet... From his mother ’ s delay in killing Claudius when he hears the noise and movement from. He tells Claudius where it is his uncle, the play he hasn ’ t done... Easy answer to the question IMO real teachers in king Hamlet - before the play about such things that has... He falls into wild frustration, blaming his mother ’ s father as a reason for some. Causing Polonius to give himself away fits right in ” as a result of him being the. To dovetail with his mother why she has sent for him yeah, he tells Claudius it... 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