Read the excerpt from Act IV of Hamlet . Danes: [ Within .] Let her come in. Laertes: How now! what noise is that? Re-enter OPHELIA. O heat, dry up my brains! tears seven times salt, Burn out the sense and virtue of mine eye! By heaven, thy madness shall be paid by weight, Till our scale turn the beam. O rose of May! Dear maid, kind sister, sweet Ophelia! O heavens! is 't possible a young maid's wits Should be as mortal as an old man’s life? Nature is fine in love, and where 'tis fine It sends some precious instance of itself After the thing it loves. Which statement best describes how this plot event shapes Laertes?
Answer
A
Laertes’s shock at his sister’s condition fuels his anger.
B
Laertes’s sadness about his sister’s state weakens his resolve.
C
Laertes’s sorrow about Ophelia renders him melancholy.
D
Laertes’s disappointment in Ophelia makes him judgmental.
Explanation
Laertes is shocked and grieved to see Ophelia mad, calling her a “dear maid” and “sweet Ophelia.” But his grief quickly turns toward anger and revenge when he declares that her madness “shall be paid by weight.” This shows that the sight of his sister’s condition fuels his anger.
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