Sunday, November 3, 2013

In Shakespeare's Hamlet Act III Scene IV, what things does Hamlet not want his mother to do?

Hamlet sums up his requests of his mother in the following
lines:



Confess
yourself to heaven;


Repent what's past; avoid what is to
come;


And do not spread compost on the
weeds


To make them
ranker.




What he
wants of his mother is for her to admit that marrying Claudius was a sinful and awful
decision.  It was an insult to King Hamlet's memory and needs to be atoned for.  He next
wants her to repent for that bad behavior -- through prayers and actions.  He lastly
wants her avoid spending any more time and effort on Claudius.  He gives her specific
advice about avoiding her sleeping with him, saying that each abstinence will make the
next easier. 


A final request is that she not reveal the
truth that Hamlet is only acting mad, which he reveals at the end of the
scene.

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