| 1. Hamlet’s parents (including stepparents)(3 people) | King Hamlet, Queen Gertrude, King Claudius |
| 2. Councillor to Claudius | Polonius |
| 3. Children of Polonius (2) | Laertes and Ophelia |
| 4. Hamlet’s confidant | Horatio |
| 5. Hamlet’s childhood friends | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern |
| 6. Prince of Norway | Fortinbras |
| 7. The country the play takes place in | Denmark |
| 8. What do Horatio and the soldiers see on the wall? Be specific. | The ghost of Old Hamlet appears & startles the soldiers. |
| 9. Who does Horatio plan to tell about what he has seen? | Young Hamlet |
| 10. Claudius is trying to diplomatically head off an attack by who, and for what reason is he attacking? | Fortinbras; he wants to reclaim the lost property of his father |
| 11. What does Laertes ask Claudius for his permission to do? | To leave again & go back to France |
| 12. What issue does Claudius have with Hamlet? | His depression over his fathers death is still visible even after the months since his passing. He holds a bitter air. |
| 13. What issue does Hamlet have with Gertrude? | She remarried his fathers brother which is illegal |
| 14. How does Laertes feel about Hamlet and Ophelia? | That it wouldn’t work out & that she should just move on. |
| 15. Who gives Laertes advice on how to act in France | Polonius |
| 16. Who is the only person the ghost will speak to? | Hamlet |
| 17. How do Horatio and Marcellus feel about Hamlet following the ghost? | They think it’s a bad idea & that they shouldn’t be talking to the spector |
| 18. What does the ghost finally reveal? And what does he want done about it? | That Claudius is the one who murdered him.; He wants Claudius to be killed for his actions of marrying his ex wife & taking over his kingdom |
| 19. What does Hamlet make Horatio and Marcellus swear to do (or not do)? | Not to tell anyone about the ghost or the plan |
| 20. Polonius sends Reynaldo where to do what? | He sends him to France to spy on his son Laertes, to divert the attention from anything he does |
| 21. Ophelia reports that Hamlet came to her acting in what way? | That he was acting like a lunatic |
| 22. Why does Polonius think Hamlet is behaving this way? | Ophelia rejected his love. So he thinks hes gone mad from his heartbreak |
| 23. Who do Claudius and Gertrude ask to try and find out why hamlet is behaving strangely? | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern |
| 24. When Polonius tells his theory to the King, how does he say he will test it? | They will send Ophelia to him and watch to see how he acts towards her |
| 25. What do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern announce to Hamlet to distract him? | They bring up the actors that are coming into town that Hamlet loves. |
| 26. Explain Hamlet’s plan to test Claudius’s guilt/innocence. | He is going to put on a play that plays out exactly how Claudius killed his father and is going to watch how he reacts to it |
| 40. Does Hamlet reveal where the body is in THIS scene? | No |
| 27. Summarize the “to be or not to be” speech by Hamlet. | Hamlet questions wether he should live or die through his current situation. |
| 28. How does Hamlet respond to Ophelia’s pleas for him to continue with the sweet words he used to send her? | He tells her that he never loved her and never will. |
| 29. Claudius makes a plan to send Hamlet where after eavesdropping on his conversation with Ophelia? | To England |
| 30. Polonius wants one more shot to find out what is wrong with Hamlet by eavesdropping on another conversation, this time between Hamlet and who? | Queen Gertrude |
| 31. Who does Hamlet ask to watch Claudius to monitor his reaction to the scene he added to the play? | Horatio |
| 32. How does the King react? | He is disturbed by it and gets up and asks for the lights to be turned on so he can leave. |
| 33. What does that reaction do to hamlet’s suspicions? | It confirms his suspicion that Claudius killed his father. |
| 34. Claudius struggles with what that even keeps him from being able to pray? | The killing of his brother to become king. |
| 35. When presented with an easy opportunity to kill Claudius, why does Hamlet hesitate? | Because Claudius is praying and he doesn’t want Claudius to go to heaven. |
| 36. Explain how Hamlet “accidentally” kills Polonius. | He thinks he is Claudius hiding in the curtains and stabs him hoping he could finally kill him. |
| 37. What does Gertrude finally realize after Polonius’s death? | That she married the brother of her previous husband who was not near as great as his brother and married very quickly and has dishonored him. |
| 38. The ghost returns in this scene and urges Hamlet to do what? | Help his mother through what she has just heard and make sure she understands. |
| 39. Who does Claudius send to recover Polonius’s body? | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern |
| 41. Where has Hamlet hidden the body? | Under the stairs to the lobby |
| 42. What does Claudius have planned for Hamlet when he gets to England? | Death |
| 43. Who does Hamlet encounter that reminds him he needs to take action? | Fortinbras |
| 44. When Ophelia goes mad, what does she do constantly? | Sing |
| 45. Who breaks down the door demanding revenge for his father? | Laertes |
| 46. Horatio is brought a letter from Hamlet in this scene. Explain what the letter says. | That their ship was taken over by pirates and he surrendered himself to be prisoner |
| 47. What are the two reasons Claudius has not taken action against Hamlet? | – The people love Hamlet- He doesn’t want to hurt Gertrude |
| 48. Explain the plot Laertes and Claudius hatch for Hamlet when they find out he has come back to Denmark. | That they will make Hamlet fence Laertes but Laertes will play with an unsafe sword |
| 49. What happens to Ophelia and how? | She drowned because she wouldn’t stop singing |
| 50. Why does Laertes get angry with the priest? | He won’t give Ophelia a proper funeral |
| 51. Where do Hamlet and Laertes end up wrestling? | In Ophelia’s grave |
| 52. Hamlet tells Horatio he found a letter giving orders for his death, but that he wrote his own version giving orders for what? | execution of Guildenstern and Rosencrantz |
| 53. Why is Hamlet willing to fence with Laertes even though he knows it is probably a set up? | he has accepted that death is coming eventually |
| 54. Explain how each of the deaths happen in the final scene. | Queen accidentally drinks poison, Laertes gets cut by his own poisoned sword, King Claudius is stabbed and forced to drink poison, Hamlet was cut by poisoned blade |
Hamlet Study Guide
August 27, 2019