Question

select the correct answer from the drop-down menu.

read the excerpt from act 4, scene 3 of hamlet.

(70) .... do it, england;
for like the hectic in my blood he rages,
and thou must cure me: till i know tis done,
howeer my haps, my joys were neer begun.

what does this excerpt reveal about king claudius?

by asking england to \cure\ him, king claudius reveals that choose an answer

options:
he is seriously ill and needs help
he is feeling overwhelmed by guilt
he lacks the courage to kill hamlet
he will be happy when hamlet is dead

Explanation:

Analyze the excerpt and figurative language

The excerpt shows King Claudius demanding that England execute Hamlet:
"For like the hectic in my blood he rages,
And thou must cure me: till I know 'tis done,
Howe'er my haps, my joys were ne'er begun."
Here, Hamlet is compared to a fever ("hectic") in Claudius's blood, and England's execution of Hamlet is the "cure" that will bring Claudius peace and joy.

Evaluate the drop-down options

• "he is seriously ill and needs help": Incorrect; the illness is a metaphor for Hamlet's threat to his position.
• "he is feeling overwhelmed by guilt": Incorrect; he is seeking Hamlet's death to secure his own safety, not expressing remorse here.
• "he lacks the courage to kill Hamlet": Incorrect; while he delegates the task to England to avoid public backlash, the primary revelation of the "cure" metaphor is his inability to find happiness or peace until Hamlet is dead.
• "he will be happy when Hamlet is dead": Correct; "till I know 'tis done, / Howe'er my haps, my joys were ne'er begun" directly states that his happiness/joys cannot begin until he knows Hamlet has been killed.

Answer:

• he is seriously ill and needs help
• he is feeling overwhelmed by guilt
• he lacks the courage to kill Hamlet
• he will be happy when Hamlet is dead (Correct answer)