Hamlet, Act I, Scene 5

The ghost walks the earth at night, but he says he spends his days somewhere else. Where? The ghost says he spends his days in purgatory.
Why is the ghost in this place during the day? He must stay there until his sins have been purged away.
How does the ghost describe his home during the day? He says it is an awful place with “sulphorous and tormenting flames,” and that hearing how terrible it truly is would cause Hamlet’s blood to freeze, his eyes to pop out, and his hair to stand on end.
The ghost asks Hamlet to “Revenge his foul and most unnatural ___.” What word belongs in this blank? Murder
What did the public believe had been the cause of Hamlet’s death? They thought he had been stung by a serpent (snake) while he slept in his orchard (garden).
Who does the ghost name as being responsible for his death? The ghost blames Claudius for his murder.
What does the ghost say Claudius used to make Gertrude fall for him. The ghost says Claudius used lust to get Gertrude to marry him.
In Act 1, Scene 2, Hamlet compared his father to ____ and his uncle to a ____. The ghost makes essentially this same comparison when he says, “O Hamlet, what a falling off was there!From me, whose love was of that dignity. . . .. . .to declineUpon a wretch whose natural gifts were poorTo those of mine.”WHAT TWO WORDS BELONG IN THE BLANKS ABOVE? 1. Hyperion2. satyr
The ghost then describes how he was killed. Give as much detail as you can. As King Hamlet was sleeping in his orchard, Claudius sneaked in, and poured a poison, a liquid containing hebenon, in his ear. This poison coursed through the king’s blood like quicksilver and curdled his blood. A crust formed all over the kings body.
The ghost says Claudius took three things from him. What were they? Claudius took King Hamlet’s life, wife, and crown.
The ghost explains why he has to spend time in purgatory. Why? He died without seeking forgiveness for his sins (he was asleep in the orchard, for crying out loud), therefore, he still had sins on his soul when he died.
What does the ghost want Hamlet to do to revenge his murder? He wants Hamlet to kill Claudius.
What does the ghost want Hamlet to do to his mother, Gertrude? The ghost wants Hamlet to leave it up to God to decide what should happen to Gertrude.
What does Hamlet vow to do until he has gotten revenge for his father? He says he will remove all other thoughts from his mind.
Hamlet asks his friends for two favors. What are the He wants them to keep the ghost’s appearances a secret, and he doesn’t want them to give away that his “antic disposition” is only a pretense–he is just feigning it.
Who joins Hamlet in asking Horatio and Marcellus not to tell about the ghost and Hamlet’s antic disposition? the ghost
What is an “antic disposition”? It is essentially crazy behavior.
Why does Hamlet want to adopt an antic disposition? He wants to draw suspicion away from his true mission: to kill Claudius.
August 17, 2019