Chapter 14
The Sponge Speech
SCENE II. Another room in the Castle. Enter Hamlet. HAMLET. Safely stowed. ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN. [Within.] Hamlet! Lord Hamlet! HAMLET. What noise? Who calls on Hamlet? O, here they come. Enter Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. ROSENCRANTZ. What have you done, my lord, with the dead body? HAMLET. Compounded it with dust, whereto ’tis kin. ROSENCRANTZ. Tell us where ’tis, that we may take it thence, And bear it to the chapel. HAMLET. Do not believe it. ROSENCRANTZ. Believe what? HAMLET. That I can keep your counsel, and not mine own. Besides, to be demanded of a sponge—what replication should be made…
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Critical Thinking Exercise
Spot the Sponge Pattern
Think of a situation from your life, workplace, or community where someone gained favour with a person in power by doing their dirty work or betraying others. Map out what the 'sponge' person thought they were getting versus what actually happened to them in the end. Then identify the warning signs that were probably visible from the beginning.
Consider:
- •What rewards or promises kept the person loyal to the power figure?
- •What did they have to give up or betray to maintain that favour?
- •How did the power figure eventually dispose of them when they were no longer useful?
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you felt pressure to choose between loyalty to a friend or principle and gaining favour with someone in authority. What helped you decide, and what would you do differently knowing what you know now?
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