| what two tasks does Polonius ask Reynaldo to accomplish on his trip to Paris | -give him the money and letters -spy on Laertes |
| how does Polonius want to find out what Laertes is doing in France? | he wants Reynaldo to ask around about Laertes `indirectly |
| who says “your fate of falsehood, take this carp of truth” | Polonius says this to Laertes |
| what was Ophelia doing when Hamlet scared her? | she was sewing in her closet |
| what did Hamlet do that frightened Ophelia so badly? | he stormed into her closet, looking disheveled with pale skin. he tried to grab her face to speak to her. |
| what does Polonius think is the cause of Hamlet’s behavior? | Love is the cause of his madness because Ophelia is denying him love, he also believes that it is his fault because she obeyed what he told her |
| what does Polonius want to do about Hamlet’s madness? | he wants to seek the king and tell him |
| who says “by heaven, it is proper to our age to cast beyond ourselves in our opinions as it is common for the younger sort to lack discretion. Come, we go to the king” | Polonius says this before he goes to tell King Claudius that Hamlet is mad |
| why did King Claudius and Queen Gertrude summon Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to Denmark? | they want the men to find out what’s wrong with Hamlet and they want Hamlet to feel better |
| when Polonius enters scene 2, what does he announce? | he announces that the ambassadors whom Claudius sent to Norway have come back. |
| what does the Norwegian king now want to do? | he wants to attack Poland instead of Denmark which eliminates the threat of the ‘Dansks’ |
| what does Polonius read to the Queen and Claudius? | he reads Hamlet’s love letters to Ophelia |
| what does Polonius propose that they do? | he wants to spy on Hamlet because he often walks around the castle alone at night |
| what does Hamlet call Polonius when they talk alone? | Hamlet calls Polonius a ‘fishmonger’ and wishes that he was as truthful as a fish dealer because they have nothing to lie about |
| what does Polonius interpret of Hamlet’s conversation with him? | he thinks that Hamlet is just mad and doesn’t really mean anything he’ saying even though Hamlet is faking it and is being truthful and is poking fun at Polonius |
| what was said about Hamlet during his conversation with Polonius? | Polonius said that Hamlet is ‘pregnant’ with meaning. not knowing that Hamlet and Ophelia have already slept together and she really may be pregnant |
| how does Hamlet feel about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern entering? | he is pleased to see them but he immediately understands that they’re really spies for the Queen |
| what does Hamlet say about his father-uncle and his mother-aunt? | he says that they are deceived by his madness and he is really sane |
| what does Hamlet want to perform after the players? | The Murder of Gonzago |
| what does Hamlet want the players to do? | he wants them to add more lines |
| who says “good gentlemen, he hath much talk’d of you”? | Queen Gertrude |
| what does Hamlet proclaim at the end of scene 2? | he says that he wants to find out whether the ghost of his father is really him or of the devil sent up an apparition of some sort. he also really wants to find out whether or not Claudius killed his father |
Hamlet Act 2 Scenes 1-2
July 21, 2019