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What happens in Act 3, Scene 1 of Hamlet?
Claudius and Polonius hide and watch Hamlet as he debates suicide with himself. After Hamlet berates Ophelia, Claudius decides Hamlet may be dangerous and plans to send Hamlet to England.
Read our Summary & Analysis of Act 3, Scene 1. (3-minute read)
What is the most famous quote in Hamlet?
In a play that is filled with memorable and important quotes, the best-known one is probably Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” soliloquy in Act 3, Scene 1 in which he considers the pros and cons of committing suicide.
Read an in-depth explanation for Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” soliloquy. (2-minute read)
Is there anything about Hamlet on SparkNotes specifically for theater students?
Yes, the SparkNotes Scene Study feature helps prepare students to perform key scenes for theater class or auditions. We offer helpful performance notes for Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” monologue in Act 3, Scene 1 as well as the dialogue between Hamlet and Ophelia later in the scene. (Details about these scenes in the feature should benefit non-theater students studying Hamlet as well.)
Read the “Scene Study” performance notes for Hamlet’s Act 3, Scene 1 soliloquy.
Read the “Scene Study” performance notes for Hamlet and Ophelia’s Act 3, Scene 1 dialogue.
Are any key motifs in Hamlet evident in Act 3, Scene 1?
Hamlet’s misogyny—in particular his obsession with what he perceives to be a connection between female sexuality and moral corruption—is a significant aspect of his character and motif within the play. We saw this very early in the play when he declares to his mother Gertrude, “Frailty, thy name is Woman!” (Act 1, Scene 2) and it shows up again significantly here in his sexist tirade against the other main target of his misogyny, Ophelia, in Act 3, Scene 1. In the next scene, we’ll see it flare up once more against his mother.
Read about Hamlet’s misogyny as an important motif of the play. (1-minute read)
Why is Hamlet so cruel to Ophelia?
While the emergence of Hamlet’s misogyny (discussed above) seems mostly to have been triggered by his mother marrying hastily marrying his uncle, Ophelia is just as much on the receiving end of his sexist verbal abuse as his mother is, as we see in Act 3, Scene 1. The question of why he targets Ophelia, and not just his mother, is addressed in our Q&A entry that is linked below.
Read a discussion of why Ophelia becomes a target for Hamlet’s cruelty. (1-minute read)
