Why is Reynaldo obligated to follow Polonius’s instructions? | Polonius is Reynaldo’s social superior. |
What does Polonius advise Reynaldo to do? | spread rumors about Laertes |
Polonius’s instructions to Reynaldo demonstrate his belief that __________. | one can use deception to uncover the truth |
Why are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern summoned to Elsinore? | Claudius and Gertrude want them to find out what is wrong with Hamlet. |
Both Hamlet’s letters to Ophelia and his behavior during their meeting convince Polonius that Hamlet’s madness is __________. | rooted in lovesickness |
The language that Hamlet uses when talking to Polonius is filled with __________. | double meanings |
Polonius’s idea for uncovering the truth about Hamlet’s apparent madness is to __________. | spy on him |
How does Hamlet feel about the player’s ability to summon real emotion while delivering a speech about a fictional character? | It impresses him and makes him upset with himself. |
Hamlet’s soliloquy at the end of Act 2 is filled with language that captures his feelings of __________. | self-loathing |
What is Hamlet’s plan as Act 2 draws to a close? | He will use the play to find out if Claudius is guilty of the murder. |
What is Hamlet debating in his famous “To be, or not to be” soliloquy? | whether or not to commit suicide |
Why does Hamlet repeatedly say to Ophelia, “Get thee to a nunnery”? | He views the world, people, and especially women as hopelessly corrupt. |
After secretly observing Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” soliloquy and his speech to Ophelia immediately after, Claudius comes to the conclusion that __________. | lovesickness is not making Hamlet mad |
In Hamlet’s speech to the players, he urges them to act in ways that are __________. | natural and realistic |
Which character does Hamlet ask to observe Claudius during the performance of The Murder of Gonzago? | Horatio |
How does Hamlet treat Ophelia during the performance of the play? | He flirts with her, using wordplay and puns. |
How does Claudius react to The Murder of Gonzago? | He storms out just after the player king is murdered. |
What reason does Hamlet give for his failure to act when he comes upon Claudius praying after the performance of The Murder of Gonzago? | He does not want to kill Claudius while he is praying, because then Claudius will go straight to heaven. |
Why does Hamlet go to Gertrude’s chamber in Act 3, Scene 4? | He is going to “speak daggers” to her and criticize her for what she has done. |
At the end of Act 3, Hamlet asks his mother not to tell Claudius that __________. | he is about to leave for England |
What does Gertrude tell Claudius in Act 4, Scene 1, after Hamlet has killed Polonius? | Hamlet is truly mad. |
When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern ask Hamlet to direct them to Polonius’s body, Hamlet responds with __________. | insults and wordplay |
Where does Claudius plan to send Hamlet? | England |
Secretly, Claudius’s plan is for Hamlet to be __________. | murdered upon reaching England |
What does Hamlet learn about the land over which Norway and Poland are set to fight from the captain in Fortinbras’ army? | The land is essentially worthless. |
What does Hamlet vow at the conclusion of his “How all occasions do inform against me” soliloquy? | He vows to recommit all of his thoughts and energies to revenge. |
As a result of her father’s murder, Ophelia __________. | goes insane |
When Laertes returns from France, the people of Denmark __________. | rally around him, proclaiming that they would like him to be their king |
Unlike Hamlet, Laertes is __________. | quick to act and eager to get his revenge |
At the end of Act 4, Claudius and Laertes __________. | are allied against Hamlet |
At the start of Act 5, the gravediggers are discussing the fact that __________. | Ophelia has apparently committed suicide |
In their conversations, the gravediggers often employ __________. | black humor |
When Hamlet beholds the skull of Yorick, what is the subject of his speech? | the destiny of all people’s bodies to rot and decay |
To which historical figures does Hamlet allude in Act 5, Scene 1? | both of the above (Alexander the Great, Julius Ceaser) |
Why does Laertes curse the priest at Ophelia’s funeral? | He is upset that his sister is not receiving a full and proper Christian burial. |
How does Laertes demonstrate the level of his grief over Ophelia’s death? | he jumps in the grave with her body |
At Ophelia’s funeral, Hamlet insists that __________. | his grief for Ophelia is forty thousand times that of Laertes’ grief |
How does Laertes die? | He is cut by his own poisoned blade. |
Who kills Claudius? | Hamlet |
At the conclusion of the play, who does Hamlet say he wants to be the next king of Denmark? | Fortinbras |
Hamlet
July 16, 2019