 
ClassicNote on Hamlet
Analysis
Hamlet's famous soliloquy is actually an internalized conflict between the old world and the new one. Hamlet is struggling to figure out whether he should use his mind (and consequently words) to overcome Claudius, or whether he should resort to vengeful violence.
"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."
Ophelia ends up in a very compromising situation in this act. Through her obedience of Polonius, she has lost her lover and is therefore reliant on her father. Hamlet, understanding what has happened, is cruel to her and orders her to, "Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?" (3.1.122). However, the nunnery is also an Elizabethan slang for a whorehouse. Either way, this is not a viable alternative for her, she must either marry and leave her father or suffer. With the loss of her father at the end of the act, Ophelia is left without anyone to protect her and eventually goes insane as a result.
Ophelia, while talking with Hamlet, mentions the fact that Hamlet has failed to live up to expectations, especially now that he is mad. "O what a noble mind is here o'erthrown! / The courtier's, soldier's, scholar's eye, tongue, sword, / Th'expectancy and rose of the fair state" (3.1.149-151). She is addressing the fact that Hamlet cannot hope to become king since he has "overthrown" his own self. Through his madness he has disqualified himself from being elected to the kingship, forcing him to either exact revenge on Claudius or flee the state of Denmark.
Acting takes on several important roles in this scene. It is foremost a form of action, since Hamlet is unable to act against Claudius until he pretend acts via the scene he has written for the actors. Through The Mousetrap, Hamlet tries to become sure whether the ghost is telling the truth. To do this, he will use a fiction, namely the play, to help discover the fact. It is only after Hamlet is convinced that Claudius is guilty that he is able to start taking action, evidenced by his failed attempt to kill Claudius immediately thereafter.
It is worth noting that there are two directors vying for supremacy throughout this act. Hamlet is staging a play which is sandwiched between two of Polonius' plays. It soon, however, becomes obvious that Hamlet a better director than Polonius. What Polonius fails to realize is the danger involved in staging a play, something Hamlet is acutely aware of. Polonius casts Hamlet in two plays, 3.1 and 3.4, first with Ophelia then with Gertrude. These plays frame The Mousetrap and the subsequent confession of Claudius. In both scenes where Hamlet is "acting" he fails to be drawn out of his shell. In fact, he kills the director Polonius in the final scene. Hamlet himself is more successful as a director, note the fact that he does get Claudius to confess. However, being aware of the danger facing him, he also realizes that he will have to leave for England as a result of his actions.
The Mousetrap is the story of Gonzago, a modern thriller, an Italian play that was current when Shakespeare wrote it into Hamlet. Italy traditionally has a reputation of intrigue and scandal, based on the Machiavellian plotting associated with the city-states. This is therefore a modern play, and it sends a signal to Claudius that Hamlet is ready to take action. Claudius deals with the new situation immediately by ordering Hamlet to be sent to England and out of Denmark.
There is a subtle shift in the description of light throughout these acts. Hamlet in the first act says, "I am too much in the sun", implying either that he receives too much attention from Claudius or that he himself is the rightful son and heir to the throne. This contrasts with the dark Denmark that Claudius rules over by the end of Act Three. After watching The Mousetrap, Claudius says, "Give me some light. Away" (3.2.247). This indicates that Denmark has become darker and bleaker throughout these acts. It will continue to get worse when Ophelia dies and the entire court will start to wear black clothing. In fact, the play goes from Gertrude in her presumably white wedding dress to black funeral robes, whereas Hamlet has the opposite progression, from black clothes to a white fencing uniform.
It is only after The Mousetrap that Hamlet is able to accept the word of the ghost. He says, "O good Horatio, I'll take the Ghost's word for a thousand pound" (3.2.263-264). Horatio agrees with this sentiment, allowing Hamlet to start to take action against Claudius.
The final scene where Polonius is killed is surrealistic in nature. After the murder, both Hamlet and Gertrude ignore the body on the floor and continue their dialogue. Hamlet indicates that he will be "cruel, not unnatural. / I will speak daggers to her, but use none" (3.2.365-366), which is exactly what he does. While avoiding physical harm, he still plays mindgames and accuses her of murder. Gertrude becomes very confused by this but possibly would have believed Hamlet if the ghost had not appeared. In fact, that ghost lends to the surrealism because it can only be seen by Hamlet. This contrasts the first act where everyone can see the ghost. For the first time we the audience question whether Hamlet is merely hallucinating. Indeed, Gertrude is forced to lie to Hamlet to get him to leave her alone.
The use of mirrors is always a powerful yet dangerous tool in Shakespearian plays. In Julius Caesar it is used by Cassius to turn Brutus into a traitor. Here, Hamlet promises to hold up a mirror to Gertrude's face so that she can see what she has become. "You go not till I set you up a glass / Where you may see the inmost part of you" (3.4.19-20). However, even though Hamlet tries to represent a true mirror, Gertrude is convinced of his madness and therefore views the image she sees as false.
The political world represented by Claudius is again contrasted with the old world of Old Hamlet. Hamlet holds two miniatures of the men in his hand and compares them to Gertrude. We already know what he thinks of Claudius, "O that this too too solid flesh would melt" (1.2.129), he compares Claudius to a fat man. Claudius is fleshy, not spiritual, and contrast strongly with the spirit of revenge that Old Hamlet represents. When Hamlet compares the two brothers directly, he notes that his own father has "Hyperion's curls, the front of Jove himself" (3.4.55), a mythological reference rather than a contemporary one. What Hamlet has failed to realize is that it will be difficult to return to old world, in fact it may not be possible anymore.
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