1. “A mote it is to trouble the mind’seye.
…………………………………………………………………..
Did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets.”
Exp. In this passage Horatio comments upon the appearance of the ghost of Hamlet’s father, which was seen by Marcellus and Bernardo at night. By nature a little sceptical, Horatio minimises the importance of the report. He says that the ghost is no more noticeable than the particle of dust in man’s eye. Compared to the portents and supernatural elements that where seen in Rome before the assassination of Julius Caesar, it is nothing. We have it on the testimony of legend and history that the graves opened and yielded the dead from the tombstones. The corpses wandered about and frightened the people. Horatio is afraid that just as all these portents appeared before Julius Caesar’s murder, which spelt disaster for the country, so also the ghost of Hamlet’s father will be an ill augury and prove to be a prelude to the calamities of the country.
2. “But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son-
…………………………………………………………………..
Hamlet-Not so, my lord; I am too much I’ the sun.”
Exp. This passage is a conversation between the King and Hamlet. The King has readily acceded to the request of Laertes to go back to Paris. After that he turns to Hamlet and calls him his ‘cousin’ and ‘son’ at the same time. Hamlet’s reply is a little mystifying. He says that he is more than a cousin or kinsman, since Claudius has married his mother. But he refuses to be addressed – as a ‘son’, because he does not recognise their adulterous and incestuous marriage. The audience has, of course, heard this aside, but the King is not sup- posed to have heard it.
The Shakespearian plays, as Dr. Johnson points out, are full of puns or play upon words, which are the fatal Cleopatra for which Shakespeare lost his empire and was content to lose it. The King addresses Hamlet as the Son, and asks him why he is so sad and melancholy, with his face overcast with clouds. Hamlet replies that he is too much is the ‘Sun’. There is obviously a play upon the words ‘Son’ and ‘Sun’. Dr. Johnson suggests that Hamlet may be quoting the proverbial expression-“out of God’s blessing into a warm sun”. i.e. he has been thrown out of home and “outlawed and disinherited”, and thus, exposed to the pitiless sun.
3. “Seems, madam! Nay, it is; I know not ‘seems’.
…………………………………………………………………..
These but the trappings and the suits of woe.”
Exp. In this passage Hamlet gives a sharp reply to his mother’s philosophical remark that death is inevitable, and therefore, there is no reason why he should ‘seem’ to mourn the death of his father for such a long time. His mother cannot appreciate the depth and extent of his grief. He is not an actor, playing the part of a grief-stricken man. He knows no ‘seem’. The conventional marks of mourning like wearing black clothes, heaving deep sighs, shedding bitter tears, and dejected looks do not give one the heinous crime of murder with insincere aids like affected amiability and sweet reasonableness. A courtesan conceals her ugliness with his paintings, and the King has concealed the horror and ugliness of his crime with hypocrisy. A courtesan has recourse to paintings to out her existence, while the King is a downright hypocrite with a rotten mind and a spiritually deadened soul. This speech shows beyond doubt that Claudius’ moral sensibility is not yet deadened.
4. “To die,-to sleep; –
…………………………………………………………………..
That makes calamity of so long life.”
Exp. This passage is part of the most celebrated soliloquy of Hamlet, beginning with “To be or not to be”. In a fit unbearable mental depression, Hamlet is meditating on suicide. But he wonders if death will put an end to all earthly troubles and turmoil’s. Even if he dies, he cannot escape the future life, which will be much worse than the present one. It is this consideration that prevents him from putting an end to his life. The present life is bad, the future one distinctly worse.
Hamlet is frequently shifting his ground. In his first soliloquy he said that he could not commit suicide, only because that would be in defiance of God’s in- junction. But here he speaks of the sufferings in store for him in his future life.
5. “For who would bear the whips and scorns of time.
…………………………………………………………………..
With a bare bodkin.”
Exp. In this famous soliloquy beginning with “To be or not to be’ Hamlet says that he can get rid of all the sufferings of life if he can commit suicide Life is a series of ills. Man is always at the mercy of the arrows and slings of an outrageous fortune. The strong and the rich are exploiting the weak and the poor. The proud people, dressed in a little brief authority, are misbehaving with the lowly and the lost. Love, instead of being a source of joy, brings pain. Law is the tool of the rich for the misery of the poor. The meritorious people are ill-placed, and have to put up with the insolence and sneers of the unworthy. These are some of the bitter experiences that life has to offer. A man can easily get rid of these trials and tribulations of life by committing suicide. But the fear of a future life, which is darker and more painful than the present one, prevents a man from courting death.
6. “Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
…………………………………………………………………..
And lose the name of action.”
Exp. In his famous soliloquy beginning with ‘to be or not to be’, Hamlet is offering arguments in favour of and against suicide. Life is a series of interminable ills, which men can get rid of only be committing suicide. But the arguments against suicide are much stronger. Hamlet is conscious that the present life may be bad, but the future life, yet unknown, is distinctly worse. We often neglect many urgent duties by thinking about the consequences. Our action is often hindered by excessive reflection. Reflection should not be carried too far, for it dulls the resolution and retards the action. As a river is often lost in the sandy desert and cannot flow into the sea, so also the subtle and over- refined reflection.
7. A mote it is………… climatures and countrymen.
Exp. When Bernardo says that the appearance of the ghost of the King of Denmark may have to do something with the coming of war between Norway and Denmark, Horatio says that the ghost is like a mote or particle of dust in the sunbeams, because it is as shadowy as the ghost but then, it is a trouble- some thing just like a particle of dust when it gets into the eye. Horatio then quotes the occasion of the time just before the murder of Julius Caesar when many unnatural events or incidents took place, for example the tombs opened wide and the dead bodies came out of them and began to walk and chatter in the open streets of Rome, meteors shot through the sky, the sky rained drops of blood. There were explosions in the Sun, the moon which controls the tides in the ocean seemed to be completely darkened as if the world had reached the day of its extinction, and many other such incidents which serve as the warning of some great calamity to the earth as well as to the sky. Similarly, the ghost may also be one of such evil signs which indicates some great calamity or disturbance in the State of Denmark.
Note: Horatio is supposed to have felt the urge to speak so first, on account of his pity for the wandering ghost and secondly, his anxiety about his country.
8. But to persevere……….. take to heart.
Exp. Claudius says to Hamlet that to mourn for one’s father for sometime may be a good thing but to brood over his death constantly is not a mark of manliness; it is rather a mark of one’s obstinacy; it is further a sign of the heart that does not submit to the Will of God; it is the mark of a person who always grudges and grumbles, and is not content with the dispensation of God be- cause death is a misfortune which is beyond human control and which is the decree of God; and as such, it must be endured, therefore any person showing any unusual grief on account of the death of any near and dear must be a creature who has no experience of the world, who has not been disciplined and who as such must be foolish to complain against Fate which is inevitable, unchargeable and irrevocable. Claudius further tells Hamlet that when every- thing in this universe is perishable, that is when everything, great or small, is bound to die some day or other, why should one grieve for the loss of one’s father?
Critical Comments: Claudius wants to gain favour of the Prince so he shows special warmth towards him, dwelling on what is now their double relationship. Claudius is diplomatic in his approach to Hamlet particularly when he speaks philosophically about life.
9. The chariest maid………… though none else near.
Exp. Laertes tells Ophelia that the modesty of a young woman has to be protected very carefully; it can be sullied or tainted even if it is exposed to the moon because even the moon that looks so cool and beautiful has also got its dark spots which may stain a woman’s modesty. Laertes further says that even the most virtuous person may earn a bad name just as in the bud of a flower there may be canker or insect which eats into its vitals and ruins it completely. Similarly, in early youth when the heart is pure, one may catch an evil infection. Therefore, one should be very cautious and particularly when one is ex- posed to the company of another youth. Last of all. Laertes says that even when a young woman remains all alone she runs the risk of being tempted by evil thoughts, while in the company of a young man she is likely to be tempted far more. Youth rebels to itself when it indulges in self-abuse as many of the young men and women without finding any outlet of their love or passion indulge in all sorts of self-abuse.
Critical Comments : Before going back to Paris, Laertes at the time of farewell, cautions Ophelia against the advances of Hamlet towards her. Laertes, who it seems, has a sober and sceptical view of life, distrusts Hamlet’s advances to her sister as mere youthful sports of a prince. He explains to her that Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark so “his will is not his own”,
10. What my young lady and mistress……………. A Chopine. Pray God,
your voice, like a piece of incurrent gold, be not cracked within the ring.”
Exp. Usually depressed and melancholy, Hamlet feeds a little relieved to learn from Rosencrantz that the wandering actors are at Elsinore to stage a play for Hamlet’s entertainment. The actors are brought in his presence, and he speaks to them wittily. He greets a boy-actor, to whom female roles were usually assigned. That is why he calls him. “my young lady and mistress”. The boy has grown considerably taller, and hence Hamlet saw him last, he had to look tall by wearing high-soled shoes. Height is welcome, but if along with height, the voice becomes cracked, gawky or treble, which is natural during adolescence, the boy can no more play the part of a woman. Hamlet, therefore, prays that his voice may remain soft and pleasant. Here Hamlet who is normally depressed and melancholy, appears to be bright and witty. He has completely put off his antic disposition.
11. “God’s bodykins, man, much better:
use…. more merit is in your bounty.”
Exp. As Polonius says, that he will treat the wandering actors according to their merits, Hamlet flares up and replies that if the actors are used according to their deserts, they cannot escape whipping. Hamlet, therefore, suggests that Polonius should not worry about the rank, position, and worth of the ac tors. He should, on the other hand, treat them in a way, consistent with his own honour and dignity. And if so, his honour will be heightened because of his. Generosity and bountifulness.
12. “Yet I,
A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak,
…………………………………………………………………..
And can say nothing.”
Exp. In this soliloquy Hamlet reproaches himself for his inability to take revenge. He has watched a player playing the part of Hecuba, the Queen of Troy, displaying her grief at the death of her husband, Priam and her sons. The player has nothing to do with Hecuba, who is but a legendary figure, and yet he has rendered an excellent account of himself. He has deeply stirred the souls of the onlookers. If he had such strong motives as those of Hamlet, he could have drowned the stage with tears and strike terror in the mind of the guilty person. Contrasted with him, Hamlet an do nothing. His has remained an irresolute dreamer, brooding and sulking, biding his time. He has a strong motive for action, but it is great pity that he cannot translate his plan into reality. His father has been murdered, and his mother stained. He has been deprived of his rightful inheritance. And yet he cannot be roused to action. He indulges in self-denunciation for his lamentable inability to avenge the death of his father.
13. Give thy thoughts no tongue……. Be false to any man.
Exp. Polonius on the eve of his son’s departure to Paris gives some pieces of advice for guarding his person and character and also honour against all possible risks. He warns Laertes not to express his opinion very freely or to act thoughtlessly. He advises his son to mix with people but not to make himself cheap. He advises his son further that he should first of all test the sincerity and honesty of persons before he makes friends with them, and when he has found them true, he should stick to them faithfully. He must not entertain any and every one of his chance acquaintances and waste his money. He must avoid picking quarrels with anybody but if he is involved in a quarrel, in which he thinks he is justified, he must defend his honour and let his enemy or opponent feel his superiority so that he should not trouble him any further. Laertes should listen to everybody but not to speak to everybody to accept criticism from everybody but not risk his own criticism of anybody, because such criticism creates enmity with people unnecessarily. He should put on decent and respectable dress which may lend dignity and status to his personality. But he should not wear costly, showy or fashionable dress because it gives the impression of ill-breeding and also it is waste of money which is foolish. France is the home of fashions and manners and, therefore, one should be very judicious in imitating the correct ones. Next, he advises Laertes neither to borrow nor to lend money because this practice ruins good relationship. Last of all Polonius tells Laertes to be truthful, honest and sincere to himself, and it is only hen, he can not be false to anybody, or in other words, if one is honest in one’s own thought and action, he would naturally be equally honest in his dealings with others.
Critical Comments: The words of advice given by Polonius to Laertes are probably the best in the world, and therefore, have great practical value. They are an all time advice from an experienced man to the young, who should try to practice these rules of conduct in their own life.
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14. Out, out thou strumpet. … as low as to the friends.
Exp. These words are spoken by the player who describes how Pyrrhus killed Priam. The player or the dramatist speaks out in fits of sorrow when Priam is killed. He says that Fortune is just like a public prostitute whose choice of her lovers or visitors is most fickle and frivolous just as we find how Priam who was fortunate became most unfortunate being cruelly killed by Pyrrhus; and therefore, the player wishes that the wheel of fortune which is known as the wheel of human destiny should be hurled down into hell so that Fortune in future may not be able to play with the fate of any person.
15. To be or not to be… calamity of so long life.
Exp. Hamlet is so much embittered at heart and disgusted with life that he is now thinking within himself it is really worthwhile to continue one’s existence on earth or to put an end to it with one’s own hands. He thinks within himself whether it is better to fight with adversity and all sorts of unfavourable circumstances and then try to conquer them or to fly away from them by put- ting an end to one’s life which leads to eternal sleep or peace. On the one hand. He thinks that probably with death all the sorrows, all disappointments, all failures, all miseries come to an end, and therefore, death should be desired as early as possible. But on the other hand, he thinks also that death may produce a kind of sleep which may be disturbed by hideous dreams of the other world far worse than the actual sorrows and miseries of earthly life. These dreams may be the horrors of punishment of the sins and crimes which one may have committed on earth or they may represent some kind of unknown fears of which men on earth can not conceive till they go to the other world which make people on earth suffer and bear all kinds of shocks and misfortunes. So, Hamlet is between two horns of dilemma-whether he should continue to live or put as end to his life with his own hands.
Critical Comments: This soliloquy, though no very important for the advancement of the plot, is extremely significant, for it lays bare the tormented mind of Hamlet. Hamlet has been labouring hard between thoughts of life and death. It accords remarkably well with the general psychological attitude of the Prince; for every word betrays the deepest melancholy, the oppression that weighs down those that are weary and find the burdens they must bear too great for their strength. What oppresses the soul of Hamlet is injustice, disdainful treatment, lack of appreciation, unhappiness in love and so on; all that wounds is his dignity. It is a very proud, though wounded soul that speaks here.
16. For who would bear the whips…………..
lose the name of action.
Exp. Hamlet says that if men were not afraid of horrors of the life in the other world after death, they would have certainly preferred to put in end to their life with a dagger, and they would not have suffered so much insults at the hands of the tyrants or injury at the hands of the exploiters, or the con- tempt of the proud people or the disappointments of love or the failures of success or the contempt of the insolent and impertinent persons or the injustice and unfairness at the hands of the merited people. It is these fears of the other world which make a coward of every man and does not permit him to commit suicide even when his conscience tells him to do so. It is fears which make one slow in taking action of any kind and thus makes him forget his resolution, his aim, his determination. The same factor drives a person from his resolved purpose and turns him away from the fulfilment of that purpose or aim. It is these fears that slow down his action as they have done in the case of Hamlet too, otherwise he would have probably taken his revenge upon the murderer of his father.
Critical Comments: This soliloquy is significant because it brings out the inner philosophic or speculative nature of Hamlet for which he is some times very slow in action and sometimes misses the opportunity of fulfilling his aim, namely to punish the wrong doer. Claudius who has treacherously murdered Hamlet’s father and then married his mother and at the same time usurped the throne of Denmark.
17. 0, What a noble mind,……….. blasted with ecstasy.
Exp. Ophelia, after having listened to the random words of Hamlet and also after having watched his strange behaviour, is convinced that he has gone mad. She feels the greatest shock on his account because she thinks that Hamlet was a courtier, soldier and scholar, and also the idol of fashion and good manners. She pities herself also because formerly Hamlet used to make love to her; and on that account she used to feel proud of it but now that Hamlet has gone off his head, all her sweet dreams have melted into the air. She believes that Hamlet was an ideal youth with the best physique and voice and temper but now his voice, temper and bodily form have melted just like the bells attached to some instrument which goes out of time. She believes that the sole causes of Hamlet’s madness is his love for her. But here she is wrong like her father because she is not aware how much he is embittered against the whole race of woman because of his mother’s infidelity and how much he has been disgusted with life itself because of his own uncle’s treachery. Then again, even if Hamlet had been moved considerably in his mind and heart by the various shocks yet we can certify that Hamlet is not altogether off his head but that there is some method in his madness which means that his madness is pretended.
18. Purpose is but the slave to memory
……….. when thy first lord is dead.
Exp. In this plot within the plot the player King says to the player Queen that it is the nature of human beings to break their promises, to go back upon their words and to change their decisions which they have already made. He says that the decisions of man are just like fruits. So long the decisions are fresh and new they are likely to be acted upon just as green fruits stick to the tree, while the ripe fruits drop on the ground, just so old decisions are either forgotten or unobserved by men. The player King further says that we mostly forget to fulfil our obligations to others; but so long the blood is young, the desires are also strong and keen, and naturally, the promises are not broken; but when one grows old and when the passion in man dies with the advance of years the promises particularly of love are not honoured. So, the fulfilment of promise or acting upon decisions would depend first of all upon one’s youth. And then upon how long the decisions or promises are old, and it is only then, they can be expected to be honoured or fulfilled. The player King further says that our joys and sorrows are also like our promises and decisions. When one rejoices, one is sure to grieve and vice-versa it is true because sorrows and joys go by turns in human life.
Then again, the player King says that this world is most changeable, and nothing in it lasts for ever; and therefore, even love also changes with the change of fortune. It is a fast that people love others only when others are prosperous, otherwise nobody cares to love the fallen and the decayed in for- tune. But it is difficult to say whether fortune follows love or love follows fortune. But then, it is found in the world that when a man is fortunate of prosperous everybody loves him; but when he grows poor nobody cares to stare at him even. So, we should say that love follows fortune and not vice- versa. The player King, last of all, says that all our decisions and plans are completely upset or overthrown by Fate; what man proposes God or Fate dis- poses, and that is why we can say that men can propose plan, decide or promise many things but it lies with Fate whether such proposals, decisions or promises have the chance of fulfilment or not. So the player Queen may be saying now that she will not marry any more in her life but the moment her husband will die, she may change her mind, forget her promises and marry again. So long there is hey-day in the blood, so long there is the desire of the body man or woman remembers his or her promises of love but when they advance in years and when their blood loses the youthful vigour and the passionate desires they forget also their promises of love.
Critical Comments: Love is supposed to be not a hankering of the soul or a desire of the moth for the star and of the night for the morrow but out and out a desire of the flesh.
19. The single and peculiar life……. but with a general groans.
Exp. Claudius says that Hamlet’s presented or real madness is dangerous not only to Claudius but also the whole State of Denmark. Rosencrantz just to flatter Claudius says that the personal safety of a king is much more needed than the personal safety of a human individual, although it is the duty of every human individual also to protect himself from all possible dangers and from all causes of unhappiness. In the case of a king, the duty is more important and responsible because upon the health and peace of the king depend the welfare of all his subjects, because the king is just like a mighty wheel attached to some great mountain top while the subjects are just like so many spokes or other accessories of the wheel, and so when the wheel is dislodged from the mountain top, i.e., the state, it is not only the life of the king which is ruined but also the lives of so many other people who are his subjects. The king, there- fore, does not die alone or suffer alone but along with him all his subjects also suffer and die.
Critical Comments: This argument is not at all convincing because if the King of a state is a bad man as Claudius, nobody would suffer if the king is killed or ruined; rather everybody will be rid of a curse if the king is destroyed. Claudius’s speech reflects the social thinking of that time that the King was the representative of God on the earth, so people should obey him.
20. In the corrupted currents of his world
……….. to give in evidence.
Exp. Claudius talking within himself seems to be repentant at heart because to this crime of murder of his own brother whose wife he has married and whose son he has robbed of his accession to the throne. He says that in this corrupt world, even when a person is caught red handed, he can bribe the judge and escape from the penalty but before God in the other world, after death, no such means of escape from punishment is possible. There God’ will question everybody about his past deeds on earth and everybody will have to render a correct account of himself and he will be punished or rewarded according to his deeds. One can escape man’s laws but not Heaven’s laws.
Note: This belief in the other world and the dispensation of justice to everybody according to his good or bad deeds is a foolish notion because nobody can certify that there is really another world after death or that there is any God in this or in the other world or even that anybody is going to question anybody else after one’s death. In our view, everything comes to an end with the end of life. There is no life beyond the grave nor any life previous to this life.
21. Such an act that blurs the grace…………
thought sick at the moment.
Exp. Hamlet has been reproaching his own mother Gertrude for her immodesty to have married Claudius, the murderer of his own brother; and when Gertrude enquires why Hamlet should be reproaching her so unkindly, Hamlet explains that his mother’s action in marrying Claudius, whether knowing or not knowing his crime of murder is in itself the most shameful thing on earth, particularly when she is sufficiently aged and also when her husband had been such a good and loving husband that he did not deserve to be forgotten by his wife so quickly. Therefore, the action of Gertrude in the eyes of Hamlet is the most shameful act that converts all virtues of a woman-modesty, innocence, love, fidelity into a farce. Hamlet says that one who can do such an act can also turn all kinds of solemn pledges of social and domestic life, all views of religion and morality into nothing but false promises of the gamblers and drunkards and swindlers. Last of all, Hamlet says that the action of his mother had made the sacred pledge of human marriage into a beastly relation; and such it has sickened the very face of the swum, the moon, the stars and the earth by its unholy glow as if the whole universe has been sickened because of the approach of the Doom’s Day when the universe is supposed to come to its final extinction.
Critical Comments: Hamlet was already charged with insuppressibly rancour and indignation and therefore, a little provocation was needed to ignite his furry. The Queen provided him this opportunity and he began to rail at. Her. Hamlet’s words shake her morally and let her feel her guilt. He behaves like a judge and upbraids her like an indignant preacher calling a hardened sinner to repentance. He castigates her unmercifully and humiliates her by holding up her actions to shame showing her how despicable are those instincts that govern her. Hamlet’s outburst has a dramatic significance. This way the audience as well as Hamlet himself get relief from the strain of what next, both had been undergoing..
22. The monster custom……….. with wondrous potency.
Exp. Hamlet advises his mother not to lie in the same bed with Claudius any more. If she resists the temptation of lying once and then if she resists the temptation for the second and the third time she will in the long run be able to control her desire to lie with him altogether. This is how a good can be formed and a bad habit can be changed. Hamlet describes a bad habit as a monster in the sense that unless it is changed and finally given up, it degrades a person and eats into the person’s vitality and ruins him or her completely. In the beginning, it may be slightly difficult to shake off a bad habit but slowly and gradually it can be altogether conquered. That is the real mystery of all habits or customs.
Critical Comments: It is noteworthy that habit is the repetition of the same action in the case of an individual while a custom is the repetition of the same action in the case of many individuals but Shakespeare uses ‘custom’ in the sense of ‘habit’.
23. What is a man……….. means to do it.
Exp. After having seen before his very eyes Fortinbras marching against Poland and winning victory over a small worthless piece of land, Hamlet be- gins to reflect within himself. He says that there would be no difference be- tween men and brutes if man were merely to eat and sleep all day long without exerting themselves to action. He argues, at the same time, that man has been endowed by Nature or God with his power of reason which he will have to exercise, while taking any action in any matter. But, when man goes to think over any matter or when he goes to take any action, he find that he mostly forgets his determination or that he grows onward in taking action. In his own case too. Hamlet finds that although he has got sufficient cause, reason, strength, and also resources for taking revenge upon the murder of his father yet he is sitting idle and taking no action. So, inwardly, Hamlet is feeling the pinches of his conscience that he is not doing his duty as the son of his father, and is not , obey the advice given by his father’s ghost to take revenge upon Claudius.
Critical Comments: The speech contributes little towards any increase in the general dramatic tension and obviously, from the point of view of action, the speech is not needed at all. But the speech certainly brings to light Hamlet’s innermost weakness of character. It seems as if he were swayed by the instinct for such physical necessities as food and sleep, or he is deluding himself into mistaking for caution what is, in reality, cowardice.
24. To my sick soul……… fearing to be split.
Exp. Gertrude seems to be conscious of her guilt and repentant at heart, and that is why she says that to her unhappy and guilty soul every little thing appears to be suspicious and produces fear about some calamity approaching near. She further says that guilty minds are always afraid of exposing their crimes or sins, and while they try to conceal them they all the more betray their crimes and sins by their gestures and movements or words.
Critical Comments: This is psychologically very true, because a thief or any criminal fears that behind every bush or wall some policeman is concealed in order to arrest him.
25. When sorrows come……….. in battalions.
Exp. These words of Shakespeare have become famous. Claudius here feels that he is surrounded by misfortunes or calamities, which may finally lead to his ruin. For example, Polonius has been killed by Hamlet which may create the suspicion in the people that Polonius has been killed by Claudius.
Then, Ophelia has gone mad because of her grief on account of the death of her father. Next, Laertes has come back from France and he is very likely to be misled by the rumours and be instigated to take revenge upon Claudius and not upon Hamlet, the real killer of Polonius. That is why Claudius rightly says that when misfortunes come to a man they come in a crowd or in a quick succession, and not one by one, slowly and gradually, and that is how such misfortunes completely overwhelm a man.
26. But that I know love……….. that hurts by easing.
Exp. When Laertes wants to know why Claudius is enquiring about his love for his dead father. Claudius explains how love in the human breast slowly dies away with the lapse of time, because Claudius believes that there is some- thing in human love that takes away the fire and the flame from it. Claudius further says that love, like every good thing, dies because of excessive indulgence in it. Probably Claudius is talking here of sensual or sexual love, which actually dies with too much indulgence in it, but then, the sexual desire does not die till the body perishes. Any how, Claudius says again that we propose to do many things in our life just as Laertes is proposing to kill Hamlet out of his honest anger and revenge, but then, even this honest desire would weaken if he delays action. Therefore, we should accomplish a deed as soon as we conceive or think of it; because otherwise our determination to act will change and grow weaker because of the various obstacles in the form of men’s opinions, action and accidents. And then, all our speculation and planning end in our regret or in our failure to perform an act. This kind of regret may give us some idle consolation, but it will certainly pinch our conscience.
Critical Comments: Claudius acts like a villain. His actions characterize the saying “once a sinner, always a sinner”. In order to hide his first crime. He is going to do another. He pricks the feelings of Laertes and fires him with burning itch for revenge. Thus he wants to kill two birds with one stone.
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