Hamlet Act 3, Scene 4 Summary

Summary

Queen Gertrude waits in a private room with Polonius, who hides behind an arras to overhear Hamlet's promised confrontation. Polonius urges the Queen to be firm and to reprimand Hamlet for his behavior. Hamlet enters and immediately accuses his mother of offending his father; their exchange grows increasingly bitter and accusatory. When Gertrude cries for help, Hamlet, believing a spy is behind the tapestry, stabs through the arras and kills Polonius.

Gertrude is shocked and distraught at the sudden murder; Hamlet expresses no clear remorse and berates his mother for marrying Claudius, comparing her new husband unfavorably to her late husband. As Hamlet continues to reproach her, the Ghost appears unseen by Gertrude and urges Hamlet not to forget his purpose and to spare the Queen from further harm. Hamlet alternates between fierce rhetoric and pleading for his mother to repent, warning her not to return to Claudius' bed. He reveals his plan to send Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to England with letters, and resolves to expose their plots. He drags Polonius's body away, telling his mother that he must be "cruel only to be kind," and leaves her shaken and guilt-stricken.

Key events

1. Gertrude waits with Polonius hiding behind the arras to confront Hamlet.
2. Hamlet confronts his mother about her marriage to Claudius.
3. Hamlet, hearing movement behind the arras, stabs and kills Polonius.
4. Gertrude reacts in horror; Hamlet displays contempt for Claudius and the marriage.
5. The Ghost appears to Hamlet, seen only by him, urging restraint toward Gertrude.
6. Hamlet implores his mother to confess and avoid Claudius's bed, then drags Polonius's body away.

Analysis

This scene intensifies personal and moral conflict by bringing Hamlet's private mission into the intimate space of his mother’s chamber, collapsing public revenge and private family shame. Structurally it marks a turning point: Hamlet's impulsive killing of Polonius escalates the action from verbal confrontation to irreversible violence, forcing consequences for multiple characters. Thematically, the scene sharpens motifs of appearance versus reality (Polonius hides to observe, the Ghost is visible only to Hamlet, Gertrude cannot see the spirit), and of corruption and moral decay (Hamlet’s language repeatedly evokes rot, mildew, and disease around Gertrude’s remarriage). Hamlet's rhetoric alternates between prophetic denunciation and manipulative performance, calling into question how much of his anger is sincere grief versus theatrical strategy.

Symbolically, the arras functions as a literal and figurative veil between truth and perception: it conceals Polonius and leads to his death, while also separating Gertrude’s sight from the Ghost’s admonitions. The Ghost's private appearance to Hamlet isolates Hamlet’s burden of knowledge and intensifies his obligation and alienation; Gertrude's inability to see the Ghost underscores her moral blindness. Shakespeare uses rapid shifts in tone—rage, mockery, tenderness, and threat—to reveal character complexity: Hamlet is capable of both moral urgency and theatrical cruelty, and Gertrude’s reactions mix denial, guilt, and maternal fear. The scene advances the play’s conflict and sets in motion the tragic consequences of Hamlet’s actions.

Important quotes

“How now? A rat? [Draws.] Dead for a ducat, dead! [Makes a pass through the arras.]”

HamletHamlet hears movement behind the arras, believes an eavesdropper is a rat, and kills Polonius, thinking he may be a spy or the king.

“I must be cruel, only to be kind: Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind.”

HamletAfter killing Polonius, Hamlet explains to his mother that painful actions may be necessary to achieve a greater good and warns of worse consequences to come.

Characters in Act 3, Scene 4

• Gertrude
• Polonius
• Hamlet
• The Ghost
• Claudius