# Scene I explained — Hamlet

> Chapter companion for Hamlet by William Shakespeare.

## What happens

Hamlet delivers his 'To be or not to be' soliloquy, then confronts Ophelia, cruelly rejecting her and advising her to go to a nunnery. After he leaves, Ophelia laments his decline. King Claudius and Polonius, who have been spying, conclude that Hamlet's madness is not caused by love and decide to send him to England. Polonius suggests that Gertrude should speak with Hamlet after the play.

## Themes in this chapter

### Appearance vs. Reality

Claudius and Polonius spy on Hamlet, hiding behind a show of devotion; Hamlet feigns madness; Ophelia's beauty is contrasted with her perceived deceit.

### Madness and Melancholy

Hamlet's erratic behavior and cruel treatment of Ophelia are interpreted as madness; Ophelia laments his 'noble mind o'erthrown'.

### Mortality and the Afterlife

Hamlet's soliloquy explores the fear of death and the 'undiscover'd country' beyond, questioning whether to endure life's hardships or seek escape.

## Character check-ins

### Hamlet

Delivers the 'To be or not to be' soliloquy; confronts Ophelia with harsh, misogynistic language; feigns madness and rejects her.

### Ophelia

Returns Hamlet's remembrances; is cruelly rebuked by Hamlet; laments his fall from grace.

### King Claudius

Spies on Hamlet with Polonius; decides to send Hamlet to England; reveals guilt in an aside about his 'painted word'.

### Polonius

Arranges the spying on Hamlet; suggests Gertrude speak with Hamlet after the play; believes Hamlet's grief stems from neglected love.

### Queen Gertrude

Briefly appears; agrees to leave Hamlet and Ophelia alone; hopes Ophelia's beauty will cure Hamlet's madness.

### Rosencrantz

Reports to the King and Queen that Hamlet is distracted but will not reveal the cause; mentions the players' arrival.

### Guildenstern

Echoes Rosencrantz's report; notes Hamlet's crafty madness and reluctance to be sounded.

## Key lines

> To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them?

Hamlet questions whether it is better to endure life's hardships passively or to actively fight against them, even if that means dying.

_Opening of the famous soliloquy, contemplating existence and action._

> Get thee to a nunnery: why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?

Hamlet tells Ophelia to go to a convent, implying that marriage and childbearing only produce sinful people.

_Hamlet's harsh rejection of Ophelia, reflecting his disillusionment with women and marriage._

> O, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown! The courtier's, soldier's, scholar's, eye, tongue, sword; The expectancy and rose of the fair state, The glass of fashion and the mould of form, The observed of all observers, quite, quite down!

Ophelia mourns the complete collapse of Hamlet's once-great intellect and character.

_Ophelia's lament after Hamlet's tirade, highlighting his fall from grace._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/hamlet_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-i
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/hamlet_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/hamlet_se/chapters