Hamlet Act III

What do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern report about Hamlet to the king and queen? Hamlet is distracted and won’t say why, and he is pleased about the arrival of the actors.
Why does Polonius tell Ophelia to pretend to be reading a book of devotions? So Hamlet won’t suspect she is waiting for him, so that her father can observe them.
What bitter advice does Hamlet give Ophelia? Why? Go to a nunnery; he is bitter about love having observed his mother.
After secretly observing Hamlet and Ophelia, does the King agree with Polonius-that Hamlet suffers from love madness? No, but he is sure that Hamlet is a threat to him.
Why does Claudius decide to send Hamlet to England? To get him out of the way so he will not overthrow him
What final plan does Polonius devise in order to reveal the source of Hamlet’s strange behavior? Polonius will listen ing n a conversation between Hamlet an his mother Gertrude to see if he will tell why he is acting strangely.
What instructions does Hamlet give Horatio prior to the staging of the play? Watch the King for signs of guilt.
What do the players pantomime? How is this different from the play that follows? King and Queen in love > Queen leaves and a man pours poison in the Kings ear > Queen returns and is upset, but is wooed by the murderer. Previously the Queen vowed never to remarry after her husband’s death.
What is the play-within-a-play’s title? How does the King react to the play? The Mouse trap; He cries out for light then leaves.
What message do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern deliver to Hamlet from the Queen? What is his response? She wants to speak with him; his excited reply confuses them.
What do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern think is the explanation for Hamlet’s odd behavior? personal ambition
What orders does the King give to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? Why do they agree to carry out these orders? To accompany Hamlet to England. They see it as their duty to King and country.
Why does Claudius identify himself with Cain? Does Claudius have a conscience? Like Cain, he killed his brother. He feels guilt but he isn’t willing to do anything about it.
Hamlet finds Claudius alone, trying to pray, and draws his sword. Why doesn’t he kill Claudius? He doesn’t want Claudius to go to heaven having just confessed his sins.
Why does Polonius hide behind the Queen’s curtain? Does she know that he is there? He thinks he can learn of Hamlet’s true feelings by listening in on his talk with Gertrude. She knows.
When Hamlet enters Gertrude’s chamber, she starts to scold her son. Why does she soon cry out for help? His angry reply frightens her.
Why does Hamlet kill Polonius? How does Hamlet react when he sees Polonius’s body? He hears the cry and thinks it is Claudius; He calls Polonius a fool.
Whose portraits does Hamlet show Gertrude? Why? King Hamlet and Claudius in order to contrast the goodness of the former with the evil of the latter.
When the Ghost appears in Gertrude’s room, how does she react? What does the Ghost tell Hamlet? She doesn’t see the ghost and assumes Hamlet is crazy; He tells Hamlet to speak gently to his mother.
What does Hamlet tell his mother about his upcoming trip to England? He is being sent to England with two classmates who are up to no good.
idyll/idyl either a short poem depicting a peaceful, idealized country scene, or a long poem that tells a story about heroic deeds or extraordinary events set in the distant past.
limerick a light, humorous poem of five usually anapestic lines with the rhyme scheme of abba
lyric a poem, such as a sonnet or an ode, that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poem. A lyric poem may resemble a song in form or style.
metaphor A figure of speech in which one word is substituted for another with which it is closely associated.
meter the arrangement of a line of poetry by the number of syllables and the rhythm of accented (or stressed) syllables
metonymy A figure of speech in which one word is substituted for another with which it is closely associated.
ode A lyric poem that is serious and thoughtful in tone and has a very precise, formal structure.
Onomatopoeia A figure of speech in which words are used to imitate sounds.
Pastoral A poem that depicts rural life in a peaceful, idealized way.
Personification A figure of speech in which things or abstract ideas are given human attributes
July 3, 2019