In last week's look at Act 3 we saw Hamlet confirm Claudius as the killer of his father, but decide not to kill him yet, preferring to do so when he is in the act of committing a sin or crime. Later, in a conversation with his mother Hamlet stabs Polonius, thinking it was the king.
In the first two days of this week we watched Act 4. Hamlet is sent off to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, along with a sealed letter in which Claudius asks for him to be killed. Along the way he comes across the armies of Fortinbras, leading to the soliloquy in scene 4:
We then raised questions about Ophelia - what is the nature of her madness and the reasons for her death? Was it a suicide? Why is it reported to us by Gertrude?
Also, why might it be that Hamlet does not appear in these scenes - what is the effect of Shakespeare shifting the focus to other characters: Ophelia, Laertes, Claudius, and Gertrude?
