| What does Claudius admit to himself (and to the audience) about his crime | That he has guilt over something, but we are not sure what it is yet |
| List the personal grievances Hamlet expresses in his “To be or not to be” soliloquy and explain what specific events in Hamlets life they refer to | Hamlet is grieving over his father’s death. This soliloquy is specifically referring to the question that Hamlet is asking himself which is to exist or not to exist |
| What metaphor does Hamlet use in his “to be or not to be” speech to express his developing understanding of death? How does he further develope this metaphor | “To die to sleep, to sleep to dream.” |
| What information does Ophelia provide about Hamlet’s character before the beginning of the play | Hamlet was once a fantastic guy, but now he is just a shadow of his former self. |
| Explain the ambiguity of the nunnery scene | At one point he tells her to convert, but then he tells her that if she got married don’t have kids |
| What is the main thrust of Hamlet’s diatribe against Ophelia | Women are liars |
| Act 3 scene 2 | … |
| Why does Shakespeare begin this scene with Hamlet offering acting lessons to the players? How does this advance the plot, develop character, or help to establish a theme | Because he wants the actor to put on a realistic act, but we know this is really Shakespeare rather that Hamlet speaking |
| Why does Hamlet trust and admire Horatio | he is level-headed |
| What does Hamlet admit to Horatio and the audience just before the company arrives to view the play | That he told Horatio about what he said to the ghost |
| How does Hamlet’s speech pattern change when others enter the room to view the play? why? | Acts crazy/antic disposition to further his craziness that everyone believes he deals with |
| Why does Hamlet speak to Ophelia in such vulgar terms | 1)To openly display his craziness 2)they have had sex prior to this |
| What does Gertrude’s reaction to the play indicate | that she had nothing to do with the murder of the king |
| Explain the metaphor of the recorder | Guildenstern should be able to play upon the recorder the same way he is “playing” Hamlet. Hamlet is an instrument to be played by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern |
| Explain the allusion to Nero in Hamlet’s closing speech | Nero killed his mother, and he says that he will not do the same as Nero, so that means he will not kill his mother |
| Act 3 Scene 3 | … |
| How has the play-within-the-play changed Hamlet’s situation and influenced the action of the play? | The ghost is true, so Hamlet’s theory is correct and now Hamlet can go kill Claudius |
| How does Polonius’ spying on the scene between Hamlet and Gertrude indicate a change in Gertrude’s status | This indicates that Gertrude has now made Hamlet her enemy whereas before they were allies |
| In what paradox of salvation does Claudius feel trapped? | The things he took from Hamlet he cannot give back for example Gertrude |
| Why doesn’t Hamlet kill Claudius when he has the opportunity | because if he killed him in that moment he believes that Claudius would go to heaven and the fact that Hamlet is a coward |
| Act 3 Scene 4 | … |
| Explain the ambiguity and wordplay Hamlet and his mother exchange at the beginning of this scene | It focuses on how Hamlet and Gertrude ate talking about two different fathers |
| What is Hamlet’s reaction to the killing of Polonius | He feels guilty |
| What does this scene reveal about Gertrude’s guilt | Marital infidelity; feels bad the she was not loyal to the king, this proves that she was not at all involved with the killing of the king |
| What aspect of Gertrude and Claudius’ marriage still clearly bothers Hamlet the most | there sexual relationship |
| What is the significance of this second appearance of the ghost | Hamlet is the only one who sees it, so he could be experiencing an allusion |
Hamlet Act 3
August 16, 2019