Hamlet

Who is the first character to see the ghost? Marcellus
How is Claudius related to Hamlet before marrying Gertrude? He is the brother of Hamlet’s father, and therefore Hamlet’s uncle
What does Laertes warn Ophelia against? Falling in love with Hamlet
Who does the ghost beckon the second time he appears in the play? Hamlet
What does the ghost ask Hamlet to do in the next scene? Avenge his death by murdering Claudius
Who does Claudius ask to keep an eye on Hamlet? Who does Claudius ask to keep an eye on Hamlet?
What reason does Polonius offer for Hamlet’s madness? He loves Ophelia
Claudius is _________ when Hamlet decides he could kill him, but holds off. Praying
Who overhears the “To be or not to be” speech in Act III? Polonius and Claudius
Who killed Hamlet’s father? Claudius
Who kills Polonius? Hamlet
Where is Polonius when he is killed? Hiding behind a curtain
Why does Claudius send Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to England? To order Hamlet’s death
Who does Hamlet address in the graveyard, while holding the skull? Yorick
What causes Ophelia’s death? Drowning
“Brevity is the soul of wit.” Polonius
“Get thee to a nunnery!” Hamlet
“A little more than kin, and less than kind.” Hamlet
“Frailty, thy name is a woman!” Hamlet
“A countenance more in sorrow than anger.” Horatio
“Neither a borrower nor a lender be.” Polonius
“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” Marcellus
“O, woe is me/To have seen what I have seen, see what Isee!” Ophelia
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” Gertrude
“Though this be madness, yet there’s method in ‘t.” Polonius
Who becomes King of Denmark in the end of the play? Fortinbras
How did Hamlet’s father die? Poison was poured into his ear
Where do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern die? England
What does Hamlet call Polonius after finding him dead? “intruding fool”
How does Hamlet cause the death of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? switches the order for their death for the paper they carry ordering his
Whom does Polonius send to France to spy on Laertes? Reynaldo
Where does the ghost appear during the play? The castle ramparts and Gertrude’s bedchamber
How did Claudius murder King Hamlet? By pouring poison into his ear
Where is the university at which Horatio and Hamlet studied? Wittenberg
Whose skull does Hamlet discover in the churchyard? The former court jester’s
Which of the following characters cannot see the ghost? Gertrude
Who escorts Hamlet on the voyage to England? Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Where do Hamlet and Laertes fight during Ophelia’s funeral? Inside the grave itself
Which of the following characters survive the play? Fortinbras, Horatio, and Osric
What does Hamlet claim to be able to tell the difference between when the wind is from the south? A hawk and a handsaw
In whose history of Denmark did Shakespeare find background material for his play? Saxo Grammaticus
How does Ophelia die? She drowns in the river.
Whose story does Hamlet ask the players to tell upon their arrival to Elsinore? Priam and Hecuba’s
Who is the last character to die in the play? Hamlet
How many characters die during the course of the play? Eight
Who killed Fortinbras’s father? Hamlet’s father
Which character speaks the first line of the play? Bernardo
Which of Claudius and Laertes’ traps for Hamlet succeeds in killing him? The poisoned sword
Which character speaks from beneath the stage toward the end of Act I? The ghost
Who returns Hamlet to Denmark after his exile? A group of pirates