Hamlet

by William Shakespeare Questions for discussion. You are not required to write C-S-E/A for each answer but you must use MLA citations in your answers. MLA for Shakespeare plays = Act, Scene, Line. Ex (1.3.54) Act I note: Shakespeare opens his play amid cold and doom and an atmosphere of evil and foreboding. In scene 1, he sets the tone of the play through: - the appearance of a ghost in the form of the late King Hamlet - the preparations for war with young Fortinbras - the suggestion that perhaps there is a link between the two (the ghost bodes come strange eruption to our state.) Ghosts were common devices on the Elizabethan state to inspire fear, to warn of some future event, and to relay information from beyond the grave. scene 1 1. How do you know that the sentries on guard are nervous or suspicious? 2. Why has Horatio, a student of the University of Wittenberg, been brought to the castle walls? 3. When Horatio speaks of some strange eruption to our state, Marcellus asks why such a strict watch is in force and why certain preparations for war are underway. What is Horatios explanation of the situation? 4. When Bernardo then connects the war preparations with the ghosts appearance, what historical parallel does Horatio make? 5. When the ghost re-enters, what questions does Horatio bravely pose to discover the ghosts purpose? 6. What is the ghosts response to these questions? 7. Review the natural and supernatural events that contribute to the development of the mood in this scene. scene 2-3 note: Closely examine the Kings opening speech as well as Polonius speech to his son Laertes. By their speeches and the facades they hid behind, both men reveal key character traits. 8. Discuss Hamlets relationship with his mother. 9. Discuss the theme of submissiveness to authority with Ophelia and her father. scene 4-5 note: these scenes complete the exposition of the play. The leading characters have all been introduced and the situation explained. Scene 5 sets the action of the play in motion with the ghosts command Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. 10. What is the effect of having Hamlet comment upon the drinking habits of Denmark? 11. How does Hamlet philosophize from this specific custom to the general account of mankind? 12. What is Hamlets first reaction to the ghost? How does he address it and why?

13. When the ghost beckons Hamlet, why does Horatio warn him against going? What is Hamlets response? 14. What specific warning does the ghost give to Hamlet regarding this mother? 15. What warning does the ghost offer regarding the way Hamlet should carry out his revenge? 16. Why does Hamlet make the men swear to secrecy? How does the ghost emphasize this request? 17. What does the line the time is out of joint mean? note: Once the ghost commands revenge, Hamlet (if he is to remain honorable) must publicly prove that the accusation is true. Otherwise, he has only the ghosts word and only he has heard the ghost. In addition, the ghost might be a demon in the guise of the late king. Hamlet must become a detective to prove the ghosts story. Act II scene 1 note: Polonius reveals his suspicious nature by directing Reynaldo to spy on Laertes. Polonius will also be engaged in other spying activities during the play. 1. Discuss Polonius orders to Reynaldo and explain what he is asked to do. 2. What do these actions reflect about Polonius character? scene 2 note: The king becomes involved through Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in his own spying plot. Its doubtful that the king really believes that Hamlet is truly mad. 3. Why does Hamlet engage in this pretended madness in the first place? 4. How do the king and queen react to Hamlets actions? 5. Why does Polonius say Though this be madness, yet there is method in t.? 6. Why doesnt Hamlet play this madness game with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? note: Hamlets language indicates a triple play within the play. His conversation with Polonius indicates madness, a play he is putting on for his own purpose. When he talks to the actors, he is playing the Prince Royal, who is assigning them a task. When he is alone, he dramatizes his own inner turmoil in a dialogue with himself. Finally, he sets up the Mouse-Trap play within the play to catch the conscience of the king. In most Shakespearean plays, lower class characters speak in prose, upper class in poetry. In this scene, however, Hamlet adjusts his use of language to fit the occasion. 7. Why is the Players description of the action of Pyrrhus appropriate to Hamlets plan? 8. What is the significance of Pyrrhus pause before killing Priam? 9. What is the description of Hecubas grief important? 10. Why does Hamlet ask the players to learn a speech that he himself will write into the play? note: The questions below are about the soliloquy that ends the scene. Reread it carefully before answering the questions. 11. How does Hamlet regard himself in the first line? What a rogue that he should weep for her. 12. What comparison does he make between the actor and himself? 13. What does Hamlet say the player would do had he Hamlets reason for grief? What would he do defeat was made.

14. How does Hamlet reprove himself? 15. Why does Hamlet seem to be drowning in self-abuse? Am I a coward? A scullion! 16. How does Hamlet plan his strategy? 17. What doubts does Hamlet voice? Act III scene 1 note: Claudius and Polonius continue to try to find the cause of Hamlets madness. When questioned, R&G, the kings spies, can offer no explanation so Ophelia is pressed into service. Just as Hamlet discovered the true mission of his friends, he now discovers that Ophelia is being used by Claudius, too. 1. What do R&G report to the king about their mission? 2. What plan is next devised by Claudius and Polonius? 3. What do Polonius lines (46-49) We are oft to blame mean? 4. What effect do these lines have on the king? scene 2 note: Hamlet controls the state throughout this entire scene. He primes the players on their acting method; he primes Horatio as his chief witness to observe the Kings reaction. He is Chorus to the action for Ophelia and Gertrude, double talks the King and Polonius and coarsely teases Ophelia. Hamlet, the detective, has now followed all his clues and gathered the convicting evidence. The detective story is complete but the revenge theme is gathering momentum. 5. What positive and negative rules for acting does Hamlet set forth? 6. What do you learn about Horatio as a person? 7. How does Hamlet regard him? 8. What does Hamlet ask him to do during the play? 9. How does Hamlet play on words in his remarks to the King? 10. Why does Hamlet refuse to sit by the Queen and choose to lie at Ophelias feet? 11. List several parallels between the Mouse-Trap and Claudius crime. scene 3 12. What is the irony of the prayer scene? note: The prayer scene is the turning point of the play because after this time, Hamlet has no other opportunity to kill the King until it is too late for Hamlet to save his own life. scene 4 note: This scene shows the emotional intensity of the play and the reversal of the natural order in the rebuke of mother by son. Though Hamlet is sure of Claudius guilt concerning the murder of his father, he is not sure about Gertrudes role until he confronts her. Having brushed off R&G, as well as Polonius, he goes to the Queen with only his sharp tongue as a weapon. 13. Why is the first line of Gertrude to her son, thou hast they father much offended the wrong thing for her to say to Hamlet? 14. Why does the queen begin to call for help? 15. When Hamlet stabs through the curtain, does he know who is behind it?

16. Of what does Hamlet accuse his mother? 17. What words, uttered by Gertrude, suggest that she was not involved in the murder? 18. Why does the ghost intervene? Why does Gertrude not see him? 19. What appeal does Hamlet make to his mother to reform? What additional plea does he make? 20. What does Hamlet say of his journey to England and of his school friends? How is he planning to thwart the kings plot? 21. What is the importance of Polonius death? Why does Shakespeare cause Hamlet to kill Polonius at this time? Act IV note: Claudius is aware now that Hamlet knows his secret crime. Because Hamlet is loved by the Danes, Claudius dares not have him murdered secretly or even brought to trial. In the meantime, he must cope with public reaction to the death of Polonius, but first he must find the body. As usual, he turns to R&G for info. scene 1-2 1. Claudius murdered King Hamlet, the Princes father. Hamlet, although in mistaken identity, has murdered Ophelias father. What does this do to the relationship of Hamlet and Ophelia? 2. Are the Kings fears of danger to the royal family because of the death of Polonius realistic? Why? 3. Is the Queens defense of Hamlet entirely true? Why? 4. Why does the King decline to put Hamlet on trial? 5. In scene 2, how much truth does Hamlet utter under the guise of a madmans prattle? scene 3 6. Do you think the King finally believes that Hamlet is mad? scene 4 note: Hamlet realizes that he now shares the guilt of murder in having killed Polonius, even though by mistake. Hamlet knows he must answer for it and he also suspects that the Kings secret letters bode no good for him. Foils in drama are actors, or characters, who set off or mark the qualities of another. Typically, the character foils are similar in some way while at the same time strongly differentiated in some personality trait. Shakespeare often uses character foils to contrast characters. examples -- Hamlet looks: - more bedeviled when contrasted with Horatio - more procrastinating when contrasted with Fortinbras and Laertes - more noble when contrasted with R&G scene 5 note: Ophelia, having gone mad, appears singing bits of songs about seduced girls. Claudius also mollifies Laertes who is shocked and angered not only by his fathers death but also by his sisters mental state. scene 6 note: Hamlets fortunes have again changed. 7. What are the content of the letter to Horatio from Hamlet?

8. What is the dramatic purpose of the scene? Why not show the action? scene 7 note: Hamlet sends a second letter, this time to Claudius, which prompts the king into swift action. He joins forces with Laertes whose one desire is to revenge his fathers death. 9.What plan does the King suggest to Laertes for securing revenge? 10. What additional suggestion does Laertes make? 11. What third point does Claudius add as a backup plan should the other parts fail? 12. What is the purpose of Claudius mentioning Lamond the Norman to Laertes? 13. What is the Kings purpose in asking Laertes was your father dear to you? 14. What shows how far Claudius and Laertes will go to kill Hamlet? 15. What has happened to Ophelia? Act V scene 1 note: This is the famous graveyard scene, the only humorous scene in the play. Shakespeare uses comic relief to help the audience release their emotional tensions. Puns involve wordplay, using a word in two different meanings to produce a comic effect. During this scene, Hamlet speculates upon mans mortality, reiterates his love for the dead Ophelia, and grapples with Laertes on Ophelias grave. 1. Why do the gravediggers argue about whether Ophelia should be buried in the church graveyard? 2. Who is Yorick? note: Hamlet appears obsessed with the physicality of death. Though many of his thoughts about death concern the spiritual consequences of dyingfor instance, torment in the afterlifehe is nearly as fascinated by the physical decomposition of the body. This is nowhere more evident than in his preoccupation with Yoricks skull, when he envisions physical features such as lips and skin that have decomposed from the bone. Hamlet previously commented to Claudius that Poloniuss body was at supper, because it was being eaten by worms (IV.iii). He is also fascinated by the equalizing effect of death and decomposition: great men and beggars both end as dust. In this scene, he imagines dust from the decomposed corpse of Julius Caesar being used to patch a wall; earlier, in Act IV, he noted, A man may fish with the worm that have eat of a king, and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm, a metaphor by which he illustrates how a king may go a progress through the guts of a beggar (IV.iii.2631). scene 2 3. What description does Hamlet give of the voyage, of the Kings plot, and of the means he took to foil the scheme of Claudius? 4. What is the fate of R&G? Is Hamlet justified? 5. How does Hamlet describe Osric and what does his treatment of Osrick imply? 6. What does the hot-cold-sultry conversation tell you about Osric? Does this conversation remind you of a previous one between Hamlet and Polonius? 7. With the exit of Osric and the repeated invitation from a second courtier, the mood changes. Hamlet expresses a feeling of foreboding. Horatio tells him to follow his feeling and postpone the match, but Hamlet refuses. Why? 8. Describe the deaths of Gertrude, Laertes, and the King.

9. Why should Hamlet die since he was trying to rid Denmark of its corrupting poison? 10. Why do you think Fortinbras may make a good King?