True or False | Act One |
Horatio must see the ghost to believe it exists | True |
Claudius and Gertrude married four months after King Hamlet’s death | False; marry six weeks after |
Ophelia is Horatio’s sister | False; she is Laertes sister and Prince Hamlet’s girlfriend |
The ghost of King Hamlet asks that Gertrude be left for God to judge and punish | True; don’t be motivated by vengeance |
Laertes would like to return to school in Wittenburg | False; return to France, where he lives- Hamlet goes to Wittenburg |
Claudius stabs his brother, the king, in the garden | False; he poisons him |
The Prince of Norway is seeking to recover lands lost by his father to Denmark | True; Prince Fortinbras |
Correct Interpretation of the Act | Act One |
The ghost of King Hamlet feels that he had misread his wife | True |
Polonius is considered a fool by the court | False; he is a chief spy |
The visit by his father’s ghost begins Hamlet’s depression | False; he was depressed before |
Claudius is not the valiant soldier his brother had been | True |
Ophelia believes that Hamlet loves her | False; she doesn’t know what she believes, and her dad says she doesn’t know anything but tells her what to think of Hamlet |
Polonius and Laertes are excited that Ophelia is dating the heir apparent | False; they want her to leave him and believe that once he becomes King he will make a fool of the family |
Theme | Act One |
One’s eyes can deceive her | True; nobody knows how the King dies |
The female sex cannot live without the support of the male | False; she will do anything to stay Queen |
One must take action to right the world’s wrongs | True; doesn’t have to be physical action though – ghost talks to Hamlet in the dark |
True or False | Act Two |
Polonius sends Reynaldo to Paris to spy on Laertes | True |
Polonius believes that the death of his father has made Hamlet mad | False; he believes that his daughter, Ophelia, breaking off with Hamlet has made Hamlet mad |
Fortinbras’ uncle supports his retrieval of lands lost to Denmark | False; he lets him go to Poland |
Hamlet’s letter to Ophelia tells her not to doubt his love | True |
Gertrude opposes Claudius’ plan to have Hamlet spied upon | False |
Horatio refuses to talk to Claudius about Hamlet’s behavior | False; no-one ever asks him |
Correct Interpretation of the Act | Act Two |
Polonius misreads Hamlet’s behavior toward his daughter | True |
Ophelia loves Hamlet more than she loves her father | False |
Fortinbras is not a man of action | False; he is the most active person |
Hamlet’s craziness is an act to stall for time before retaliating against his father’s murderer | True |
Claudius is frightened by Hamlet’s behavior | True; he wonders what he knows |
Hamlet is learned about the theatre | True; he knows a lot about the theatre |
Gertrude’s love for her son leads her to hate Ophelia, but she agrees to allow them to marry | False |
Theme | Act Two |
Theatre is a mirror for society | True |
One can tell what others are thinking and feeling by watching their actions closely | False |
One must act upon his feelings | False |
True or False | Act Three |
Hamlet contemplates suicide | True; “to be or not to be” |
Hamlet instructs the players to speak as loudly and as clearly as possible so that Claudius can hear | False; he tells them to speak naturally |
Sitting in the confessional, Hamlet does not kill Claudius because he thinks he is praying | True |
The ghost encourages Hamlet to kill Gertrude too | False; he never says that to Hamlet |
The death of Polonius is an accident | True |
Hamlet instructs his mother to reject Claudius’ romantic overtures | True |
Correct Interpretation of the Act | Act Three |
Hamlet thinks that fear prevents people from committing suicide | True |
Hamlet prefers that acting seem natural | True |
Horatio is a dear and loyal friend to Hamlet | True |
Ophelia no longer believes Hamlet loves her | False; we never know |
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern object to spying on their old friend, Hamlet | False; they don’t object and Horatio is never asked to spy on Hamlet |
Gertrude is not effected by Hamlet’s words because she knows he is crazy | False |
Theme | Act Three |
Demanding ocular proof can lead to one’s downfall | True; Hamlet and Polonius demand ocular proof which leads to both of their downfalls – Hamlet could’ve killed Claudius |
One must not decide hastily to take action | True; Hamlet killed Polonius thinking it was Claudius |
A person must be controlled, especially if he threatens an entire kingdom | False |
True or False | Act Four |
Claudius sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find the body of Polonius | True |
Claudius sends orders to England that Hamlet should be imprisoned | False; killed, not imprisoned |
Hamlets sneaks back into Denmark | False; he doesn’t sneak, but he does come back |
Laertes plots with Claudius to kill Hamlet in a duel | True |
Hamlet is very popular with the people of Denmark | True |
Laertes back-up murder plan involves poison | True |
Correct Interpretation of Act | Act Four |
Claudius figures out that Hamlet had meant to kill him instead of Polonius | True |
Hamlet’s recent problems have driven him to madness | False; he fakes it, but Ophelia has really lost her mind |
Hamlet believes that God wants man to use his powers of reason to figure out how to act in inappropriate ways | True; have to use your powers of reason |
Laertes is the chief creator of the plot to kill Hamlet | False; Claudius is |
Claudius must connive, or scheme, to get his plan to kill Hamlet off of the ground | True |
The words of Fortinbras are very inspiring for Hamlet | False; he doesn’t say much, it is how he looks and how he acts |
Theme | Act Four |
It is impossible for one to predict the effects his actions might have on those around him | True |
Avenging the death of a loved one is noble | False; they cannot be motivated by vengeance, but rather motivated by restoring the natural order of succession |
Sometimes one must tell less than the truth to accomplish her goals | False |
True or False | Act Five |
Hamlet forgets the king’s orders and has Rosencrantz and Guildenstern killed | True |
Claudius bets that Laertes will win the duel because he is the better fencer | False; bets that Hamlet will win the duel with a three hit handy cap |
Horatio believes Hamlet cannot win the duel | True |
Queen Gertrude is stabbed to death in the thrown room | False; she drinks the poison |
The king dies when he drinks his own poison | True |
Fortinbras says Hamlet would have made a great king | True |
Correct Interpretation of Act | Act Five |
Hamlet is willing to die for his love for Ophelia | False; he doesn’t do anything to prove his love for Ophelia |
Laertes and Polonius were wrong about the king and queen being thrilled to allow Hamlet to marry Ophelia | False; the queen says it’s too late and she is not thrilled |
Hamlet seems to be a new, older man in scene II | True; when is writing the script |
Hamlet is twenty-five years old | False; he is thirty years old |
Fortinbras is left to restore order in Denmark | True |
Theme | Entire Play |
All man can do in life is assert his definition of himself and embrace his own mortality | True; “If it be not…” -Hamlet |
One must take action in life, even if the decision to do so must be made quickly | False; thoughts have to lead to feelings, feelings have to lead to actions |
Elements of humor creep into even the most dire situations | False; not big enough |
A balance between contemplation and action must be achieved if a person is to live a healthy life and make sound decisions | False; you can be your own person and must be your own person |
What is the name of the castle and where is it located? | Helsignor is the castle located in Elsinore |
Who is the play Hamlet based off of and in what century did they reign? | Amleth; 11th Century |
What is the main theme of Hamlet? | Action: to do, to pretend, to perform |
What is Hamlet mostly about? | About bad dads and the unlucky sons who have to deal with them |
What is the difference between pretense and performance? | The collusion on the part of the audience (misleading) |
Where does the play take place? | Denmark; Feudalism has not yet fallen |
Fortinbras | Most active character; warrior in charge of the army |
Laertes | Second most active character; fighter and brother of Hamlet’s girlfriend- Ophelia |
Hamlet | Third most active character; tragic hero and scholar who is attractive and brilliant |
Horatio | Passive character (thinker); philosopher |
Where does Hamlet live? | In Germany, where he is a student with Horatio |
Hamlet is | The natural heir to the throne of Denmark |
The ghost of King Hamlet tries to | Encourage his son to deviate and be avengous |
Oedipus Complex | I don’t want to take on adult roles |
It appears that Denmark is at war, yet | There is no declaration for war |
In both Norway and Denmark, for both Fortinbras and Hamlet, | The kings are dead, uncles are in the throne, and they, being the sons, are in the wings |
When Hamlet begins his long and boring speeches, | The ghost enters |
Why does Laertes warn Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet? | Hamlet cannot marry her |
“A double blessing is a double grace” | – Laertes |
“This, above all, to thine own self be true” | – Polonius |
How did the Uncle kill King Hamlet? | By pouring “hebona” (made-up deathly oil) into his ear while he was sleeping the garden |
The uncle represents a | Serpent |
Everyone believes the King died from | A heart attack |
“Adieu, Adieu… Remember me” | – Hamlet |
Hamlet believes that death is like | Sleeping, where you can dream |
Why won’t Hamlet kill the king while he is confessing? | The king will go to Heaven |
The king never actually | goes to confession for murdering King Hamlet |
What characters have dead fathers in the play? | Hamlet, Fortinbras, Laertes, and Ophelia |
The king did not bury | Polonius, Ophelia’s father, properly |
What three foils take place in the play? | 1. No button foil 2. Poison on foil3. Poison in cup |
Who kills Ophelia? | Ophelia… then Hamlet… Polonius… Gertrude |
List the three branches of an act | To do, to act, and to perform |
Ophelia drowned herself | willingly, according to the gravedigger |
Who was Yorick? | The King’s Jester when Hamlet was 7 |
Who kills Hamlet and Laertes? | Hamlet kills Laertes, and Laertes kills Hamlet |
Hamlet tells Horatio he must stay alive to do what? | Tell Hamlet’s story |
The new King is now | Fortinbras |
What are Hamlet’s last words? | “The rest is silence” |
What is King Fortinbras’s first act as the King of Denmark? | A burial to his predecessor (Hamlet) |
Hamlet
July 24, 2019