Read the excerpt from Act IV of Hamlet.Claudius: Where are my Switzers? Let them guard the door. What is the matter?Gentleman: Save yourself, my lord; The ocean, overpeering of his list, Eats not the flats with more impetuous haste Than young Laertes, in a riotous head, O'erbears your officers. The rabble call him lord; And, as the world were now but to begin, Antiquity forgot, custom not known, The ratifiers and props of every word, They cry, 'Choose we; Laertes shall be king!' Caps, hands, and tongues, applaud it to the clouds, 'Laertes shall be king, Laertes king!'
Answer
A
Laertes’s arrival renders Claudius remorseful and contrite.
B
Laertes’s popular support increases Claudius’s insecurities.
C
Laertes’s chaotic entrance makes Claudius become violent.
D
Laertes’s demands prompt Claudius to change his politics.
Explanation
The gentleman reports that Laertes has overwhelmed the king’s officers and that the crowd is calling for him to be king. This shows that Laertes has strong popular support, which threatens Claudius’s authority and heightens his insecurity. The excerpt does not show Claudius becoming remorseful, violent, or changing his politics.
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