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Shahrukh Shaikh

AP English Literature

Mrs. Pamela Bradley

3 March 2017

Climax in Hamlet

One of Shakespeares most notable works is that of Hamlet. In every literary work, a plot

structure is followed that defines the work for its merits. One of these is the climax, the point at

which the highest point of action and tension is shown. This climax is the crux of the plot and

can be interpreted in many ways in Hamlet. Immediately after this scene, Hamlet begins to tie up

loose ends and prepare for the resolution of the work. In act three, scene four, the climax can best

be observed as the moment in which Hamlet confronts the Queen and slays Polonius, as Hamlet

has finally committed a deed that cannot be reserved, leaving him to face the repercussions.

In Hamlet, the climax can best be seen as the moment in which Hamlet kills Polonius

through the blinds with the Queen. Through his lengthy soliloquy and intensity of dialogue, this

scene shows a very climactic point of view. Leading up to this scene, the Queen and Polonius

wait in the Queen Gertrudes chamber, with Polonius purpose to eavesdrop on the conversation

between the Queen and Hamlet. To prime this conversation, Polonius prepares Queen Gertrude

by saying that she should speak to Hamlet in a harsh manner and malign him for his deeds.

Polonius expands on this with by ensuring that the Queen by tell[ing] him that his pranks have

been too broad to bear with (III, iv, Line 2). This provides the Queen with a motive with

maligning Hamlet, the purpose of this confrontation.

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The conversation that takes place once Hamlet is in the room is ferocious. Both parties

seem to chastise each other with caustic remarks, mainly with Queen Gertrude calling Hamlet

out for insulting his fathers honor. However, Hamlet flips this argument on to Queen Gertrude

and says that, in fact, she is the one who has caused offense to his father. In spite of this, Hamlet

realizes that someone is hiding behind the tapestry in the chamber, leading Hamlet to stab

through the tapestry, killing Polonius. However, this was not the true intention. When Hamlet

heard a sound before the tapestry, he asked if it [was] the King? (III, iv, Line 26). Due to

Polonius reaction of What, ho, Hamlet triggers a response which leads to his death. In many

play adaptations, Hamlets voice is quite powerful when this line is recited, mainly to heighten

the intensity of the situation.

It is debated, and unclear to the reader, of what exactly the intentions behind this

confrontation were for Hamlet. Ultimately, it revolves around whether the fact is Queen Gertrude

holistically was involved in King Claudius crime, or just a mere part of it. In scenes prior to this,

Hamlet simply speaks his mind about the conflict with King Claudius, and refuses to take any

sort of action. However, this scene finally puts words into action, as Hamlet goes for the kill. The

killing of Polonius shows Hamlets mental progression. Hamlet galvanizes his words -- leading

to a death and a climactic scene. After this death, Hamlet finally begins his confrontation. After

the Queen is taken aback by the death of Polonius, Hamlet draws a parallel to killing a king and

marry with his brother (III, iv, Line 30). With this, Gertrude is finally confronted and has to

comment on her acts, although she denies them holistically.

Throughout this play, the main conflict can be seen as Hamlets intense desire to avenge

the death of his father. Truly, patricide is a grave deal and cannot be taken lightly, and Hamlet
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does not whatsoever. However, this case of patricide only seems relevant to Hamlet, as the

supernatural connection (the ghost) is only prevalent to him, while others scoff at the idea. Since

the climax of any literary work is usually related to the main climax, it makes sense that an event

relating to a murder because of a patricide is the climax.

In addition to this, Hamlet finally has done something he cannot undo. Once someone is

dead, they are physically erased from the world, leaving everyone else to suffer or enjoy from the

repercussions. Being that this death was on accident, Hamlet has to live the rest of his life

knowing that the actions he had committed will affect everyone from now on. Because of these

slight details, the climax is clearly seen as the moment in which Hamlet kills Polonius.

After this scene, things begin to become more apparent to the reader, allowing for the

resolution to slowly creep in. The Queen has been drawn to believe that Hamlet is speaking

farfetched details. Unfortunately, the Ghost is the only one to back up Hamlet, leaving this scene

open ended and Hamlets goal unsatiated.