Hamlet Act 2

At the opening of this scene, to where is Polonius sending Reynaldo> Why does Polonius send him on this journey? Paris, France to spy on Laertes
By what trick is Reynaldo supposed to get information about Laertes? What does this reveal about Polonius’ character? By misdirection, accuse him of horrible things to people (friends) and see their reactions. Polonius is not very smart but is very nosy and controlling
How does Ophelia describe Hamlet’s appearance to her? Crazy, pale, clothes a mess, walking weird
What is Polonius’ conclusion about Hamlet? Crazy because he denied Hamlet access to Ophelia
At the beginning of scene 2, for whom has Claudius sent? Why has he sent for them? Rosencrantz and Guildenstern – be with Hamlet and report back to him
What news do Voltimand and Cornelius bring back from Norway? Old Norway stopped Young Fortinbras and arrested him and made him promise to leave Denmark
In lines 76-80, what request does Norway make of Claudius? Safe passage through Denmark to Poland
What is humorously ironic about Polonius saying, “Brevity is the soul of wit”? smart, intelligent people are brief but Polonius is super talkative
In lines 158-165, what plan is formed to test Polonius’ hypothesis that Hamlet is mad from rejected love? throw ophelia at him and wait and watch to see what happens
Hamlet calls Polonius a “fishmonger,” Why? poor peasant person; men who deal in women
In lines 210-215, what does Polonius say about the contrast between madness and sanity? honest but crazy; blunt but weird
Why does hamlet tell rosencrantz and guildenstern that “Denmark’s a prison” he is trapped there, the King won’t let him leave
In lines 303-330, what reason does Hamlet give to his friends for his current condition? lost all of his purpose
According to R and G, why are the players traveling? to entertain and cheer up Hamlet because he enjoys theatre
Hamlet realizes that R and G cannot be trusted, What does he let them know in lines 389-390? They are deceived (King and Queen); he is not crazy
What two questions does Hamlet ask the First Player? Can you play the murder of Gonzago? Could you study 16 liens I write for this play?
What causes Hamlet to exclaim, “O, what a rouge and peasant slave am I? He is tired of acting crazy
In the passage beginning with line 611, what plan does Hamlet devise? get Claudius to react to the actors’ play of his father’s death
Why does Hamlet feel he must have evidence of Claudius’ guilt? to ensure that the ghost is not evil or the devil seeking to trick him into sinning
Characters who spy on other characters? R and G on Hamlet; Reynaldo on Laertes
July 5, 2019