Hamlet Act 3 and 4

Act 1 scenes 3-4

1)   What is Laertes advice to Ophelia?

He thinks that Hamlet is a prince and he will probably just use Ophelia. He has no choice in who he will marry so she shouldn’t get her hopes up.

2) How does “The canker galls the infants of the spring/ too oft before their buttons be disclos’d” fit into the ideology of the decaying garden?

The worm ruins the flower before it blooms. So in other words hamlet could ruin Ophelia before she is married or an adult. She could be a ruined women.

3) What analogy does Ophelia give to her brother as an answer to his advice? What does she mean?

"But, good my brother, do not, as some ungracious pastors do, show me the steep and thorny way to heaven whiles, like a puffed and reckless libertine, himself the primrose path of dalliance treads and recks not his own rede." (47-51) 

She is frustrated with her brothers advice because she thinks he is a hypocrite.

4) List five of the “few precepts” that Polonius gives to Laertes.

Be true to yourself

Don’t be to friendly to people.

Stay true to your friends don’t bother with wasting your time with other people.

Be a good listener but don’t talk to to many people.

Buy clothes for their quality not for how flashy they are.

5) In lines 105-109, what is the metaphor that Polonius uses to describe Hamlet’s words of love?

He compares fake coins to Hamlet’s “Fake Love”. He doesn’t want her to be sweet talked into bed by Hamlet’s nice words.

6) List and explain one metaphor found in the lines 115-135.

“When the blood burns, how prodigal the soul lends the tongue vows.”

He is saying that lust will make you say anything and do anything to get what you want even if it is unjust or unbelievable.

7) What is Polonius’ command to Ophelia?

She tells him she is no longer aloud to see hamlet or respond to any of his messages or receive any of his letters.

8) In scene 4, what is Hamlet talking about in lines 13-38?

Hamlet does not approve of how Claudius is running the country he thinks that he is making the country look like a drunken foul country.

9) Why doesn’t Horatio want Hamlet to follow the ghost?

The ghost could be evil or it could not even be his father. It may try to convince him to do terrible things so Horatio thinks it best just not to follow it.

10) What is Hamlet’s command to the three guards?

He tells the guards to leave him alone to talk to the ghosts because even if the ghost is evil his life isn’t worth living anyways.