1. In what way do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern serve as barometers for the development of Hamlet’s character as the play continues? | They are treated as annoyances while Hamlet contemplates revenge, but the more he engages in orchestrating hid plan for revenge, the more he regards them with anger and distrust. |
2. What negative quality of Horatio’s is revealed in his response to Hamlet’s story about the intercepted letter? | He is far too deferential to his friend and lacks the courage to cry foul when something is amiss |
3. Which of the following statements best captures Hamlet’s state of mind at the beginning of Act IV? | Although Hamlet feigns madness with Claudius and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, his murder of Polonius demonstrates that his judgment is not completely sound. |
4. After Claudius’s confessional soliloquy in which he reveals his guilt for the murder of his brother, he decides on which course of action? | He opts to forego confession, because although he regrets his crime, it seems senseless to sacrifice all gains that resulted from the murder of his brother |
5. Madness is a prevalent motif throughout Hamlet. Which of the following statements about madness can be supported by events in the story? | Madness is a state of disorientation brought about by external factors that traumatize the sufferer and compromise his/her ability to think or behave clearly |
6. Horatio is uniquely impassive throughout the story, and although Hamlet admires him and praises him for this dignity, he fails to follow his example. Why is Horatio unable to reign Hamlet in and protect him from his misguided impulses? | Because Hamlet is convinced that he must pursue is courage of revenge, and although he admires Horatio, he views his own circumstances as unique and sees Horatio’s qualities as inapplicable to his own situation. |
7. Before his match with Laertes, Hamlet says: “there’s a specialprovidence in the fall of the sparrow. If it be now,’tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will benow; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all…”What does this statement reveal about Hamlet’s state of mind? | vociferous, unswerving quest for revenge |
8. In what ways is Laertes a foil to Hamlet? | He tells Horatio that pirates attacked his ship and made their sole prisoner and that Rosencrantz and Guildenestern are continuing the voyage to England |
9. What specific plan does the ghost propose for Hamlet to avenge his death? | The ghost articulates no plan,simply imploring Hamlet to avenge his death without providing any specific guidelines for undertaking |
10. As with most Shakespeare plays, characters often misinterpret one another’s actions, and throughout Hamlet, this misconstrual happens to tragic effect. Who among the following characters does not misconstrue the actions of others in the story? | Claudius |
11. After Ophelia relates Hamlet’s strange visit to Polonius, he responds that: This is the very ecstasy of love, Whose violent property fordoes itself And leads the will to desperate undertakings As oft as any passion under heaven That does afflict our natures.What does the word “ecstasy” mean in this context? | Lunacy |
12. Although the ghost of Hamlet’s father gives Hamlet a straightforward task in I,v “to exact revenge upon Claudius (the serpent that did sting his father’s life)” Hamlet does not avenge his father’s murder until the end of the play. Why is this? | Because Hamlet is a complex and thoughtful person who seeks corroboration of the ghost’s story before seeking revenge |
13. Of the following characters, who does NOT serve as a relevant foil to Hamlet? (A foil is a character whose qualities provide a contrast to another character, thereby emphasizing the qualities of each character) | Polonius |
14. Hamlet is a play about revenge. However, revenge is not achieved in a clean, satisfying way for Hamlet, and proves to be more complex than he anticipated. What message does Shakespeare communicate about revenge in Hamlet? | The revenge is misguided and destructive pursuit. It leads to unforeseen suffering and desolation |
15. When Claudius asks Hamlet, “How is it that the clouds still hang on you?” Hamlet responds sarcastically, “Not so, my lord; I am too much i’ the sun.” Which of the following is NOT an implied meaning present in Hamlet’s response? | Hamlet resents being forced to spend time in the sun as an attempt to cheer him up |
16. What does Shakespeare imply about Polonius by having him ask Reynaldo to dig up information on Laertes’s activities in Paris? | The Polonius is prying and meddlesome and doesn’t trust his own son |
17. How does Hamlet regard Horatio? | He thinks he’s as fine as a man as ever known and respects him greatly |
18. At the end of IV,v, as a means of calming Laertes’s rage, Claudius assures him that “where the offence is let the great axe fall.” Which action is Claudius least likely foreshadowing with these words? | Claudius confessing to the murder of Hamlet |
19. For what does Hamlet seems truly remorseful about his death? | The suffering and death of Laertes |
20. The last words in the play are spoken by Fortinbras, Hamlet’s rival, who will take possession of the kingdom. What is the thematic significance of Fortinbras speaking the play’s final words? | He illustrates that despite the suffering of individuals who are lost in their own drama, the world will keep moving and life will go own |
21. How does Horatio respond to Hamlet’s impending death? | He tries to drink poison to kill himself |
22. Which of the following themes is not conveyed by Shakespeare through the character Polonius? | Parents who distrust their children are wise parents because they have more experience than their children and know better how the world works |
23. Poison is a powerful motif throughout Hamlet. Which of the following statements does not express a metaphorical significance of poison? | The use of poison signifies the inevitable failure of relationships, because no relationships can withstand the challenges of time. This makes all human relationships fundamentally problematic. |
24. Hamlet’s first appearance in the play, in Act I,ii, is an aside in which he responds to Claudius’s greeting of him as both “my cousin” and “my son” by characterizing Claudius as “A little more than kin, and less than kind.” What does this aside reveal about Hamlet’s feeling toward Claudius? | He dislikes him |
25. Which statement best captures the meaning of Hamlet’s parenthetical remark, “Frailty, thy name is woman!”? | Women are emotionally fickle and inconstant. |
26. Why does Hamlet require corroboration of the ghost’s tale before avenging his father’s death? | He suspects that the devil has toyed with him in his vulnerable state by sending a spirit who appears to be his dead father |
27. What does Shakespeare communicate about death (in the context of his “to be or not to be” soliloquy) through Hamlet’s use of the metaphorical statement that death is:”The undiscover’d country from whose bournNo traveler returns” ? | … |
28. Why does Claudius panic and alter his and Laertes’s plan early in the match? | Because Hamlet wins the first point |
29. Which of the following thematic statements is most relevant to Laertes? | It is important for a young man to regulate his emotions, as extreme rage and grief can lead him to commit regrettable acts of violence |
30. Gertrude says to Hamlet, referring to his father’s recent death, “Thou know’st ’tis common; all that lives must die.” What does the word “common” mean in the context of this statement? | Universal |
31. Why is it ironic that Claudius encourages Hamlet’s participation with the players? | Because the performance Hamlet has staged is designed to elicit a guilty response from Polonius |
32. There are only two female characters in Hamlet, Ophelia and Gertrude. Both of them suffer considerably from the actions of the men in their lives. Which statement most accurately conveys the thematic meaning Shakespeare expresses through their experiences? | He expresses the need for women to be regarded with respect and afforded independence and autonomy |
33. Which of the following statements most relevantly captures the tragic nature of Hamlet’s character at the end of the play? | He has not apprehended the folly of pursing revenge and hasn’t taken full responsibility for his role in the downfall of other characters in the story. He’s misguided until the end. |
34. Is Hamlet mad? | No and Yes… |
35. What is the significance of Hamlet’s contemplation of Yorick, a court jester he knew well in his youth? | He was stunned that someone who was once alive could so permanently cease to exist. This realization forces Hamlet’s consciousness of his on morality |
36. What character traits of Claudius’s are reinforced through his interaction with Laertes in IV,vii? | He’s calculative, manipulative and self-serving |
37. What does Gertrude’s accidental death reveal about Claudius? | He is committed to seeing is plan through despite the suffering it may cause his beloved |
38. What idea does Laertes express about mental illness upon observing Ophelia’s sad condition in IV,v? | That it’s astonishing how fragile ones psychological state can be under trying circumstances |
39. What does Hamlet ask Gertrude to do after his meeting with her? | Abstain from sexual relations with Claudius and let on that Hamlet has descended into madness |
40. What is Hamlet’s state of mind at the end of III,ii right before he goes to visit his mother? | Murderous |
41. What indication is there of Hamlet’s goodwill toward Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? | He mocks Polonius in their presence and discloses that he’s only sporadically crazy |
42. What state of mind does Hamlet reveal in his first soliloquy, spoken after the departure of Claudius and Gertrude in Act I,ii? | He is suicidal and wished he would die |
43. Characters spy on one another in various ways throughout Hamlet. Which statement conveys the most relevant message expressed by Shakespeare through the motif of spying? | That spying is a worthless enterprise, because information gleaned dishonesty is often misapprehended and may create unintended consequences |
44. Of the following phenomena, which does NOT apply to Ophelia? | She is simple and lacks intellectual gifts |
45. As a tragic hero, Hamlet has certain characteristics, or flaws, that bring about his downfall in the story. Which of the following is not a tragic flaw for Hamlet? | Pensiveness |
46. Gertrude is a perplexing character for many reasons. Which of the following statements about Gertrude can be proven with textual evidence? | She loves her son and cares about his happiness |
47. Which of the following is not a characterization of Claudius by Shakespeare? | To portray Claudius as a king who wishes to seem generous and inferential |
48. What thematic significance does Fortinbras serve in Hamlet? | He illustrates the principal while one may get distracted by one’s own suffering, there will away she opportunists willing to step in and take over, one man’s tragedy is another’s opportunity |
49. Which character does not die as a result of his or her own treachery? | Horatio |
50. Why is it ironic that Polonius declares “brevity…the soul of wit”? | Because Polonius is an exceptionally verbose individual |
51. What meaning does Hamlet convey to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern through his object lesson with the recorder in III,ii? | That they cannot expect to press him for information and have him openly reveal his most deeply held feelings |
52. What tone does Hamlet take with his mother in III,iv? | He is sassy. Disrespectful |
53. What words best describe Ophelia’s state of mind in IV,v? | addled and nonsensical |
54. What significant theme does Shakespeare convey through the death of Ophelia? | Innocent people unwittingly get hurt in the misguided pursuit of revenge |
55. Why does the priest deny Ophelia full rites for her funeral? | because Ophelia’s death was suspicious and the priest has determined it’s a suicide |
56. How might Hamlet’s apology to Laertes best be characterized? | As a sincere but somewhat disingenuous expression of regret |
57. Which of the following is not a possible implication of Gertrude’s report to Claudius that Hamlet is “Mad as the sea and wind, when both contend which is the mightier…” | Gertrude truly believes Hamlet to be mad, disbelieved his allegation of Claudius’s guilt, and wants Claudius to send him away immediately |
58. In IV,v, Ophelia sings this song:To-morrow is Saint Valentine’s day,All in the morning betime,And I a maid at your window,To be your Valentine.Then up he rose, and donn’d his clothes,And dupp’d the chamber-door;Let in the maid, that out a maidNever departed more…Quoth she, before you tumbled me,You promised me to wed.So would I ha’ done, by yonder sun,An thou hadst not come to my bed.What does this song suggest about her relationship with Hamlet, and her present feelings about that relationship? | That she and Hamlet had a sexual relationship and she fears her brother’s and father’s words of caution were accurate. |
59. What does Hamlet’s act of subterfuge against Claudius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern suggest about his development as a character? | He has become hard-edged and unfeeling and lacks the sensitivity he once possessed |
60. At the end of the funeral scene, Hamlet says:”Let Hercules himself do what he may,The cat will mew and dog will have his day.”Which of the following statements is not a reasonable interpretation of his words in light of recent events? | … |
AP Lit Hamlet final notes
August 3, 2019