DRJ #3

Initial Personal Reaction: I felt like this act was when things really started to get interesting, and that Hamlet's plot is starting to be put into action. Claudius finally admits to killing Hamlet Sr., and Gertrude admits to “falling for” Claudius and displays her guilty conscious. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (R&G) become more aggressive in their attempt to please the King and try to kind out what is driving Hamlet “mad.” Act III was the first time that I began to question Hamlet's sanity, specifically when Hamlet and Gertrude are in her bedroom and she doesn't see the Ghost (3.4.130-135). I was also surprised by the brevity of Polonius' death; it wasn't described in great detail, and I didn't expect it to happen so soon into the play.

Character Analysis: The character of the Queen Player, the actor who plays the Queen in the play, is meant to represent Gertrude's character. The Queen Player is a very minor character, and her purpose is to reveal Gertrude's actions. The Queen Player vowed to never take another husband, and if she said she would have no peace (3.2.205-209). What a coincidence because Gertrude took another husband and she felt guilty and bogged down with guilt, which is the opposite of peace. The role of the Player Queen reflects what Gertrude did to Hamlet Sr. when she said, “In second husband let me be accursed! None wed the second but who killed the first” (3.2.165-166). In modern language, the Player Queen said that women only take a second husband when they kill the first, which is exactly what Gertrude did. While the role of the Player Queen is small, the purpose of her character is to reveal what Gertrude did and the Queen Player is sort of a side effect from Hamlet's plan to expose Claudius through the play.

Thematic Analysis: Shakespeare uses foreshadowing to reveal that liars cannot conceal their lies, dark deeds will come to light. Act III in particular backs up this theme because in the act both Claudius and Gertrude confess to their lies. Claudius confesses to God that he killed his brother (3.3.37-70), and Gertrude practically confesses to Hamlet for sleeping with Claudius when she tells Hamlet he has broken her heart and then asks him for advice (3.4.158) (3.4.184). Shakespeare uses foreshadowing when Hamlet says that the actors in the play shall reveal what the play is about. The line, “the players cannot keep counsel. They'll tell all,” foreshadows that the actors, or liars, cannot keep their deeds a secret.