Hamlet Notes- Act 2.2

Polonius starts questioning Hamlet as a way to spy on him.

Hamlet calls Polonius a fishmonger which is a metaphor for pimp.

Hamlet says, "To be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten thousand." This relates to the theme of humanity and corruption, because it's pathetic that there are very few who are actually honest. Such as Hamlet and Horatio.

Hamlet says, "if the sun breeding maggots in a dead dog and being a good kissing carrion." He is talking about how the sun can bring about good and bad things, and how Ophelia is like the dead dog, allowing the maggots, or the men who control her such as Hamlet, Polonius, and Laertes, to feed off of her.

Hamlet makes fun of Polonius in lines 195-222.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are of middle class.

Fortune is a prostitute, you can't rely on it.

Rosencrantz says, "but the world's grown honest." This reinforces the idea of lying, because the world isn't a very honest place.

In lines 245-247 Hamlet talks about how anything that happens is neutral, but it's how you think about it, is what it appears to be. This is important for the book because it makes you think about anything that happens and look at both sides instead of siding with the side that is told.

We learn that Hamlet is having bad dreams about his dad's ghost. The idea of dreaming.

In lines 259-261 Hamlet talks about how heroes wouldn't be who they are if it weren't for the lesser people, such as beggers, who worship, or praise them. More specifically how the shadows of common people make the king.. This could suggest that Hamlet is going to do something to Claudius because he is supposed to "look up to him", but he doesn't, so he is going to bring him down. Without his support, Claudius will fall. Just like a hero would without believers. He wouldn't exist. (in later lines, 268, Hamlet refers to himself as a beggar)

In Hamlet's monolog, He talks about how he has stopped having fun and everything feels dull in his life. There is a metaphor when he points to the canopy and says it sends him bad feelings, but he is referring to when he saw his father and he informed him about his uncle. The theme of Humanity also shows up in his monolog when he says how human are perfect, how they are brilliant thinkers, swift in action, and how thy are able to understand so much, but he doesn't think they even come close. He compares them to dust. Which could mean that men are all dead in spirit and actions, because dust is made up of dead skin.