The scene that I chose to analyze is Act 4 Scene 1. This scene takes place after Gertrude’s confrontation with Hamlet. In this scene, she tells Claudius about what just occurred. She tells him that Hamlet is crazy and that he killed Polonius. Claudius is stunned to hear this. He decides that they have to send Hamlet away to face punishment for his actions. He tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that Hamlet killed Polonius and instructs them to go and find him.
After viewing the scene, I saw that it mostly agreed with my interpretation. When I was reading the scene, I was unable to detect any other emotion besides Claudius being shocked. After watching the scene, I saw how frantic both Claudius and Gertrude were. Claudius was also filled with anger; shouting as he paced back and forth between rooms. In the staging that I watched they used an actual palace set and, in the room, where Hamlet killed Polonius, there was a pool of blood on the floor where the murder occurred.
After watching this scene, I see Hamlet as a bit of a psychopath. Most people wouldn’t go as far as to murder an individual if they suspected them of killing their father. At the same time, I see Hamlet as a loving son who is trying to get justice for his father, but in the wrong way. I feel that murder is never alright with the exception of protecting oneself. I chose this scene because I found it very interesting how Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, seems to take Claudius’ side over her own son. She even goes as far as to basically call him crazy.
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