dramatic irony | a contrast between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true |
foreshadowing | an incident or description that suggests events to come later in a literary work |
twists | unexpected turns in a story |
Identify two examples of dramatic irony in Act III of Hamlet. | Claudius asks of the play, “Is there no offence in ‘t?”Hamlet stabs the person behind the arras. |
Which quotation is a key part of Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be” soliloquy? | “Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” |
What two questions are not definitely settled at the beginning of Act III? | Claudius’s guiltHamlet’s madness |
Read the excerpt below and answer the question.who would fardels bear, / To grunt and sweat under a weary life.Based on its context, the word fardels most likely refers to a(n) _____ | burden |
Order the incidents in Act III.1)2)3)4)5) | the play within the play (5)Ophelia rejected by hamlet (2)polonius killed (4)”to be or not to be” (1)claudius attempts prayer (3) |
Read the excerpt below and answer the question.O, woe is me, / to have seen what I have seen, see what I see!These lines are spoken by _____ about _____ | Ophelia, Hamlet’s madness |
Which speech reflects Shakespeare’s own life? | Hamlet’s advice to the Player |
What two actions taken by Hamlet and Claudius in Act III are similar? | plotting against the otherusing others as pawns |
When Gertrude hears the Player Queen say that she will not remarry if her husband dies, Gertrude says, “The lady protests too much, methinks.” Explain why this is an example of dramatic irony. Your answer should be at least one hundred words. | The Player Queen always ends up remarrying when her husbands pass away, so it would be very surprising if she didn’t remarry. |
Hamlet is often called a tragic hero who is torn between thought and action. Why does he not kill Claudius when he sees him in Act III, scene iii? Why does he kill Polonius in Act III, scene iv? How do these two actions affect your understanding of Hamlet as a man of thought or a man of action? Your answer should be at least 250 words. | I;d think that Hamlet probably doesn’t kill Claudius to be forgiving, have an epiphany, and teach everyone a lesson on forgiveness. The fact that he kills Polonius surprises me, I’m not sure why he’d kill Polonius instead of Claudius. |
**Note 1 | -detecting guilt ; hamlet throughout the play, becomes convinced that Claudius did indeed kill his father-(Reveal 2) The confession ; the play is circumstantial evidence. Claudius in act 3 scene 3, removes any lingering doubt with his confession. “My offending murder is a rank “, he says “a brother’s murder”-Reveal 3 ; Telling others. Gertrude, not understanding the trap and unaware of Claudius’s confession, finally learns the truth when Hamlet tells her what she knows |
**Note 2 | Hamlet and Claudius circle each other warily through Act III, rarely appearing on stage together. At the same time, they play a deadly game of chess, using other characters as pawns in their effort to master their opponent.Claudius, through Polonius, uses Ophelia to sound Hamlet out.Claudius enlists Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to learn more about Hamlet’s behavior.Hamlet, intent on knowing the king’s guilt, sends the players out on the stage.Polonius, loyal counselor, volunteers to overhear Hamlet’s conversation with his mother.Polonius is the first of these pawns to suffer the consequences |
Hamlet: Soliquoy – Act 3
July 14, 2019