Hamlet: Act 4, Scene 1 – Analysis
Scene Profile – At a Glance
- Location: A room in Elsinore Castle.
- Key Characters: King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern.
- The Core Conflict: Following the murder of Polonius, Gertrude must navigate her divided loyalties, while Claudius scrambles to spin a massive public relations disaster to protect his own life and throne.
- Famous Quote:
"Mad as the sea and wind, when both contend
Which is the mightier: in his lawless fit,
Behind the arras hearing something stir,
Whips out his rapier, cries, 'A rat, a rat!'"
(Act 4, Scene 1)
Scene Summary
Immediately following the harrowing confrontation in her closet, a deeply shaken Gertrude goes to King Claudius. He notices her profound distress and asks what is wrong. Gertrude dismisses Rosencrantz & Guildenstern so she can speak to her husband in private. She recounts the horrific events of the previous scene, telling Claudius that Hamlet, in a fit of violent madness, murdered Polonius who was hiding behind the tapestry.
Claudius's reaction is instantaneous and entirely self-serving; he realises that if he had been behind the arras, he would be dead. He declares that Hamlet's "liberty is full of threats to all" and that the Prince must be shipped away to England immediately. Claudius summons Rosencrantz and Guildenstern back, ordering them to find Hamlet, speak to him gently, and bring Polonius's body to the chapel. Left alone with his wife, Claudius explains that they must use all their royal majesty to spin this murder to the public, fearing that the blame for the bloody deed will ultimately fall on them for not restraining the "mad" Prince sooner.
Gertrude's Divided Loyalty
This scene poses a brilliant psychological question for the audience: is Gertrude betraying Hamlet, or is she protecting him? In the previous scene, Hamlet begged his mother to keep his secret—that he is not truly mad, but "mad in craft."
Original
To draw apart the body he hath kill'd:
O'er whom his very madness, like some ore
Among a mineral of metals base,
Shows itself pure; he weeps for what is done.
Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse)
Disposing of the body he has killed,
Rising above his madness, like pure gold
Embedded in a seam of solid rock,
To show he’s good; he cries for what he’s done.
When speaking to Claudius, Gertrude heavily emphasises Hamlet's lunacy. She even fabricates a lie, claiming that Hamlet is currently weeping over Polonius's corpse, when the audience knows Hamlet actually callously dragged the body away while mocking it. By leaning into the narrative of insanity and presenting Hamlet as remorseful, Gertrude successfully protects her son from being viewed as a calculated, treasonous assassin, proving her ultimate loyalty lies with him rather than her new husband.
The Narcissism of the King
Claudius's reaction to the death of his Lord Chamberlain and closest advisor is incredibly revealing. He offers absolutely no grief or mourning for Polonius. His mind instantly calculates the political and physical threat to himself.
Original
It had been so with us, had we been there:
His liberty is full of threats to all;
To you yourself, to us, to every one.
Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse)
He could have murdered me, had I been there.
His freedom risks the safety of us all;
To you, to me, to everybody here.
This exposes the absolute narcissism at the core of Claudius's character. He views the entire tragedy solely through the lens of his own survival. His immediate pivot to damage control demonstrates his mastery of deception; he knows that managing public perception is just as vital to maintaining his stolen crown as the physical removal of Hamlet.
Language and Technique
- The Royal "We": Throughout this scene, Claudius relies heavily on the royal "we" and "us" ("It had been so with us"). He uses this formal, authoritative pronoun as a psychological shield to project stability and control, masking his very real, deeply personal panic.
- Disease Imagery: Claudius compares Hamlet's murderous act to a "foul disease" that the King foolishly kept hidden. This continues the play's pervasive motif of sickness and corruption, ironically highlighting that the true disease is Claudius himself, who has infected the entire body politic of Denmark.
- Breathless Pacing: Act 4 begins with a jarring structural shift. Shakespeare abandons the long, philosophical scenes of the previous acts in favour of short, rapid-fire vignettes. This structural acceleration perfectly mirrors the sudden chaos and frantic scramble for control triggered by the shedding of royal blood.
Key Quotes from Act 4, Scene 1
Quote 1
Mad as the sea and wind, when both contend
Which is the mightier: in his lawless fit,
Behind the arras hearing something stir,
Whips out his rapier, cries, 'A rat, a rat!'
Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse)
Mad as the sea and wind that fight each other
To prove who’s stronger; in his fit of rage,
He heard a quiet noise behind the curtain,
Then drew his sword declaring ‘there’s a rat!’
Quote Analysis: Gertrude paints a vivid, terrifying picture of Hamlet's state of mind, comparing his rage to the uncontrollable forces of nature. By framing the murder as a "lawless fit" and a spontaneous reaction to a noise, she deliberately downplays any suggestion of premeditated, political assassination.
Quote 2
But, like the owner of a foul disease,
To keep it from divulging, let it feed
Even on the pith of life.
Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse)
But, like someone infected with disease,
To stop it being public knowledge, let it
Unnaturally explode unchecked.
Quote Analysis: Claudius attempts to shift the blame for the tragedy. He argues that by trying to keep Hamlet's madness a private family matter (like hiding a shameful disease), he has allowed the sickness to destroy them from the inside. It is a masterful, manipulative excuse to justify his upcoming, draconian actions.
Quote 3
Come, Gertrude, we'll call up our wisest friends;
And let them know, both what we mean to do,
And what's untimely done...
Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse)
Let’s go, Gertrude, and seek our smartest friends
And share with them what we’re planning to do
About this tragedy.
Quote Analysis: Claudius ends the scene in full crisis-management mode. He knows the murder of a high-ranking official cannot be kept secret. His priority is to control the narrative by calling his political allies immediately, ensuring that he and Gertrude steer the story before rumours and rebellion can take root.
Study Questions and Analysis
Does Gertrude betray Hamlet in this scene? +
No. She explicitly follows his instructions from the previous scene to pretend that he is genuinely mad. By lying to Claudius and claiming that Hamlet wept over the body, she attempts to soften the King's anger and protect her son from being executed for treason.
What is Claudius's primary concern upon hearing the news? +
Claudius is entirely consumed by self-preservation. He does not ask about the details of Polonius's suffering or comfort his wife; his immediate reaction is the chilling realisation that the blade was meant for him ("It had been so with us, had we been there").
Why does Claudius blame himself for Polonius's death? +
Claudius claims that his "providence" (foresight) failed because his love for Hamlet blinded him to the danger. This is a brilliant political lie. He is laying the groundwork to publicly justify exiling the beloved Prince, framing it as a tragic necessity rather than an act of tyranny.
Why does Claudius send Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find Hamlet? +
Claudius knows Hamlet is armed, unpredictable, and highly dangerous. He sends Hamlet's former school friends to "speak fair" (gently) to him, using their past relationship as a tool to pacify the Prince and secure the body without provoking further violence in the castle.
What does this scene reveal about the political state of Denmark? +
It reveals a state built on fragile public perception. Claudius's panic over "whisper" and "slander" shows that his grip on power is tenuous. A single scandal could topple his reign, proving that Elsinore is governed by the fear of the mob just as much as it is governed by the King.
How does the imagery of poison continue in this scene? +
In the final lines, Claudius hopes that by managing the crisis, slander's "poison'd shot" might miss his name. This metaphorical poison recalls the literal poison Claudius poured into his brother's ear, showing how his original sin continues to infect every aspect of his life and language.
What is the dramatic effect of opening Act 4 with this scene? +
It creates immediate, breathless momentum. There is no pause or reset after the climax of Act 3; the fallout from Polonius's murder crashes directly into Act 4. This relentlessly drives the plot forward, shifting the narrative from Hamlet's internal hesitation to Claudius's external, political retaliation.
