| Who tells the king about polonius | The queen |
| What promise to hamlet does Gertrude keep in her second statement | She doesn’t tell the king that hamlet isn’t mad |
| What is Claudius’ first reaction to the news of polonius’s death | He says that hamlet is dangerous and must be sent to england |
| What excuse does Claudius offer for not controlling hamlet with a stronger hand | He loved him to much/ love blinded him |
| Explain Claudius’ comparison of this laxity and disease | He says that like the owner of a disease in order to keep it hidden he let it grow |
| What does the queen say hamlet is doing while she and the king are talking | Getting rid of the body while weeping |
| On what errand does the king send rosencrantz and guildenstern | To find hamlet and recover the body |
| What is “safely stow’d” | Polonius’s body |
| Why does hamlet call rosencrantz a sponge | He soaks up the kings favorable looks, rewards, and authorities |
| Hamlet also compares rosencrantz and guildenstern to | An apple |
| Why must the king be careful in his treatment of hamlet | Hamlet is loved by the unsettled multitude |
| Diseases desperate grown/by desperate appliance are relieved/ or not at all | Desperate times call for desperate measures |
| When Claudius asks hamlet where polonius is, what is hamlets answer | At supper Eaten by worms/ buried |
| Define progress and explain the progress that hamlet describes | Progress is a journey; even the greatest of things can be eaten by the lowliest of things |
| Where has hamlet stow’d the body? How might it eventually be found? | upstairs by the main hall |
| When hamlet says goodbye to Claudius, what does he call him and why | He calls him dear mother”Man and wife is one flesh” |
| For what reason is Claudius certain England will instantly obey his command | Denmark is more powerful and so england fears Denmark because Denmark has beaten england in the past |
| What command does Claudius send to england | To kill hamlet |
| Define Hectic and explain the comparison | Claudius says that hamlet is like a fever in his blood |
| For what purpose is fortinbras in Denmark | To march through |
| Where are fortinbras and his army going | To fight against Poland |
| What will they fight for in poland | a small patch of ground with no profit |
| What is the object of their fight worth | He would not pay 5 ducats to rent the land for farming |
| Sure he that has made us with such large discourse…. to fust in us unused | Discourse: power of thought that looks into the past and futureFust: become moldy |
| Why does hamlet say that fortinbras is risking his men and his own life “even for an eggshell” | He is going to battle for a piece of land that is worth very little |
| How does fortinbras serve as a spur to hamlets revenge | It motivates him because 20k men are going to their possible deaths for just fame while he has legitimate reasons for acting |
| Who is with Gertrude when Ophelia arrives | Horatio |
| Why does horatio urge Gertrude to see ophelia | Because she might give dangerous ideas to evil minds |
| What is the subject matter of Ophelia’s first song | Death |
| What is Gertrude afraid of | it looks like an omen of disaster to come |
| What does Claudius assume caused Ophelia’s madness | The grief of her fathers death & hamlets |
| What is the subject of Ophelia’s second song? | Betrayal |
| Who is sent to follow ophelia | Horatio |
| Why are the people of Denmark upset | Polonius was killed and Hamlet was taken away |
| What is a hugger-mugger | without a proper state funeral |
| What new info does Claudius reveal | Laertes has secretly returned from France |
| What are swissers | Swiss guards |
| The mob that is supporting laertes are crying for him to become | King |
| Gertrude calls Laertes’s followers | False danish dogs |
| According to Laertes, if he were calm, it would mean that he was a ___________, his father a ________________, and his mother a _________________. | bastard, cuckold, harlot |
| What will Laertes risk for revenge? | damnation/ his afterlife |
| Who enters and interrupts the encounter between Laertes and the King? | Ophelia |
| To whom does Ophelia give flowers in lines 173-178? | Laertes |
| What do the flowers, or herbs, given to Claudius and Gertrude signify? | Gertrude: symbolize adulteryClaudius: repentance and unhappy love |
| Why is Laertes disturbed about Polonius’s burial? | his funeral was secret with no funeral rites, military display, noble rites, or formal ceremony; it makes him suspicious of the way Polonius died |
| Why does Horatio suspect that the sailors come from Hamlet? | he doesn’t know anyone else who would send him a letter from abroad |
| We learn from Hamlet’s letter that the pirates took how many prisoners? | just Hamlet |
| Why do the sailors need to see the King? | to give him Hamlet’s letters |
| Why were the pirates good to Hamlet? | they wanted him to do them a favor |
| Where are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? | headed to england |
| In Claudius’s first speech he tell Laertes that Hamlet not only killed Polonius, but also tried to kill __________________. | him/ claudius |
| What reasons does Claudius give for not acting to prevent Hamlet’s violence? | 1) Gertrude loves Hamlet 2) The public loves Hamlet |
| How does Claudius feel about Gertrude? | he can’t live apart from her |
| What, according to Claudius, would have happened if Claudius had accused Hamlet to the people? | whatever Claudius says would end up hurting himself |
| In a single sentence, sum up Hamlet’s letter to Claudius. | tomorrow I’ll tell you how I came back to Denmark(excessive use of humble words ex/ “kingly eyes” “beg” |
| In lines 61-68, Claudius tells Laertes that Hamlet’s death will be arranged to look like an _____________, so that not even ______________ will suspect. | accident, mother |
| Who brought news of Laertes’s “art in defense”? | Lamond, a norman |
| How is Hamlet reported to feel about Laertes’s skill? | jealous; wanting to spar against Laertes |
| What is “a sword unbated”? | a sword with a sharpened point |
| What “added ingredient” does Laertes suggest to make the hit more deadly? | a poisonous oil |
| How powerful is this “added ingredient”? | if he is scratched by it, he will die |
| What back-up-measure does Claudius suggest? | he will offer hamlet a poisoned glass when he is thirsty if Laertes can’t poison him |
| The Queen comes in to announce that _________________________________. | Ophelia has drowned |
| What was Ophelia doing under the willow tree? | making garlands out of the leaves |
| How did she get into the stream? | climbing into the tree to hang the wreath |
| What first bore her up and then pulled her under? | her clothes |
| What does Hamlet say about Alexander and Caesar? | the remains of their bodies (dust) might be used to plug a hole or patch up a wall |
| What does the churlislh priest say about the obsequies of Ophelia? Why? | he has performed as many rites as he can; if it weren’t for the king giving orders to have her buried in the church graveyard, she would have been buried elsewhere. It would profane the other dead souls in the graveyard if he sang the same requiem for her that he did for them |
| If Hamlet was sincere and truthful in saying he loved Ophelia, why did he treat her as he did? | he was acting mad/crazy |
| How did Hamlet feel toward Laertes? | he was furious because of the showiness of his griefhe is confused why he is treating him like this “I loved you ever” |
| How old is Hamlet? | 30 |
| In what way is the “image” of Hamlet’s cause the “portraiture” of Laertes’ cause? | hamlet’s cause is to kill Claudius, his father’s killerLaertes’s cause is to kill Hamlet, his father’s killer |
| How and why do Hamlet and Horatio make fun of Osric? | hamlet plays dumb so Osric won’t use such fancy/flowery/flattering language |
| Despite Hamlet’s assurance in his skill, what sort of feeling does he have about the coming fencing match? | he has a bad premonition/feeling about it |
| What is Horatio’s response and why is this response illogical for a scholar? What does it indicate about Horatio? (V.ii.192) | Hamlet should listen to the bad feeling. Normally a scholar wouldn’t advise someone to listen to superstitions. Horatio believes in superstitions/ the supernatural |
| What attitude do the following lines from V.ii.194-8 suggest?1)”There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow.”2)”The readiness is all.”3)”Let be.” | Man is powerless to change fate |
| How does Laertes accept Hamlet’s apology? | he is no longer angry but his honor is still injured/ can’t forgive HamletHowever, he accepts his love |
| What request does Laertes make as he dies? | to forgive him for killing Hamlet |
| Explain the line, “I am more an antique Roman than a Dane.” | for ancient romans, suicide was an honorable choice when faced with defeat or great loss |
| To what does Fortinbras compare the sight of the four dead bodies? | havoc; a banquet of death |
| IV.iv.32 How all occasions do inform against me… | who said it: hamletto whom: himselfsituation: hamlet was just informed of Fortinbras’ march to fight the poles for a patch of useless groundmeaning: everything I see shows me how wrong I am and tells me to hurry with my revenge |
| IV.v.121 There’s such divinity doth hedge a king | who said it: Claudiusto whom: Gertrude situation: Claudius is telling Gertrude to let laertes go and not worry about him hurting Claudius. Laertes has just stormed in after learning of his fathers death, demanding an explanationmeaning: God protects the king |
| V.i.159 Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio | who said it: hamletto whom: horatiosituation: the gravedigger has just informed hamlet that a skull he found is yorick’s, the court jestermeaning: the skull he is holding is of someone he knew |
| V.i.183 Imperious Caesar, dead and turned to clay | who said it: hamletto whom: horatio situation: hamlet is standing among the graves and contemplating what happens to people’s bodies after they die. He talks about how the remains of even famed and great figures could be used to stop up holesmeaning: everyone is equal in death |
| V.i.213 Sweets to the sweet! | who said it: Gertrude to whom: Ophelia’s bodysituation: the queen is throwing flowers on Ophelia’s grave and wistfully thinking that she had hoped Ophelia would be hamlet’s wife meaning: sweet flowers for a sweet girl |
| V.ii.10 There’s a divinity that shapes our ends | who said it: hamletto whom: horatiosituation: hamlet is telling horatio about his journey on he way to England and how it is good to be rash and impulsive; hamlet grabbed and opened the document with the kings instructions and therefore was able to stop his own death meaning: there is a God guiding our actions |
| V.ii.194 …there’s a special providence in the fall of a sparrow | who said it: hamletto whom: horatiosituation: horatio is cautioning hamlet that if he feels something is wrong then to not duel Laertes but hamlet replies that he can’t escape fate meaning: god controls everything, even a sparrows death |
Hamlet Act 4 & 5
July 28, 2019