Given the nature of the history between R & G and Hamlet, could/would/do you consider their involvement w/ the royal family a betrayal? Remember that dramatic irony may play a role in our view of these characters.
*Please find Polonius as funny as I do in the scene. 1/2 of what he says is that he has something to say and that he is going to say it succinctly. I think he likes to talk more than I do!
*Does Polonius' view of his daughter have an effect on your view of him? Conversely, what do you think of his volunteering her as a patsy for spying on Hamlet?
*Is there any evidence in this scene to judge the complicity of Gertrude?
*One of the greatest things about this play is the wordplay of Hamlet. Take note of the duel meanings of all of Hamlet's interactions w/ Polonius, R&G, Claudius, Ophelia, and his mom (I guess that's everyone other than his real friend Horatio).
*Acting/action are major elements in this play.
*Note that much of what Hamlet says here (and throughout the play) is in prose. Shakespeare reserves poetic verse for his nobility. Hamlet is noble is he not? Why would he have Hamlet speak like this? Is there a consistency to when he speaks in prose? How about with whom he is speaking?
*Is there any significance to the topic of the actor's speech (ala the tapestry in Dimsdale's room)?
*Hamlet's soliloquy at the end of the scene is filled with passion. What/who is he so angry at and why? Refer back to major note from Iv.
*The final 1/3 of the speech deals w/ Hamlet's specific plan to catch the king. What is this plan, and is Hamlet just stalling or is he being prudent?
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