| aside | an offhanded comment directed towards the audience that other characters don’t hearEX. “A little more than kin, and less than kind.” -Hamlet pg.1136Meaning- This is too much; don’t be more than my uncle; this relationship is gross |
| soliloquy | a speech delivered while the character is alone on stage; revealing the characters feelingsEX. “To be or not to be, that is the question…” -Hamlet pg. 1172Meaning- Hamlet is contemplating his own suicide |
| antithesis | a rhetorical device placing two opposites together to achieve a contrasting effectEX. “To be or not to be, that is the question…” -Hamlet pg.1172Meaning- Hamlet is contemplating his own suicide |
| foil | usually a minor character who provides a striking contrast to a major characterEX.In scene 4, Fortinbras could certainly be a _____ for Hamlet since he will travel to Poland to fight and gain land for his father. He also motivated Hamlet to act.In scene 5, Laertes could also be considered a _____ to Hamlet as he immediately acts and has gathered troops who are able to storm the castle. He immediately left France and returned to Denmark when he learned of his father’s death. |
| theme | the abstract meaning (life lesson) upon which a work of literature is basedEX. A corrupt head of state corrupts the state itself***Claudius -death of Polonius and Ophelia -Hamlet is not caring about killing Polonius |
| imagery | references that trigger the mind to fuse together memories of sounds, sights, tastes, smells, and sensationsEX. Ophelia’s death is conveyed through imagery. For example, the reader sees Ophelia climbing and falling from the tree, hear her singing, and feel her muddy death. |
| comic relief | using humor through a character to relieve tensionEX. Act 5, Scene 1The clown/ gravedigger provides the comic relief as he uses puns and riddles. Shakespeare intentionally inserts this scene after the death of Ophelia and before the catastrophe to relieve tension. |
| setting | the whole environment of a work of literature including time and place as well as any political circumstanceTime: 1500sPlace: Most action occurs in Elsinore Castle in DenmarkPolitical: King Claudius is ruling because he killed the previous king, King Hamlet. |
| revenge play | form of tragedy where the focus is a father’s revenge for his son or a son’s revenge for his fatherEX. In Act 1, Scene 5 the ghost commands his son to revenge his “foul” and “unnatural murder.” Hamlet does not get to work right away. |
| tragic flaw | the error that causes the downfall of the protagonistEX. Hamlet’s tragic flaw is that he cannot act which is evident in Act 2 as two months have passed and Hamlet has used this time to act crazy rather than seeking revenge. |
| Death of King Hamlet | King Hamlet died when a serpent stung him; but really is was his brother Claudius who put poison in his ear while he was sleeping in his orchard. Using the element of surprise made it so King Hamlet could not repent his sin and therefore could not go to Heaven. (Act 1)Responsible: King Claudius |
| Death of King Fortinbras | King Hamlet killed King Fortinbras in battle; King Hamlet then took his land (Act 1)Responsible: King Hamlet |
| Death of Polonius | Hamlet kills Polonius as he is behind the arras in the Queen’s bedroom. Hamlet knew someone was hiding behind it and believed it to be King Hamlet.Responsible: Hamlet |
| Death of Ophelia | Ophelia climbed up a tree to decorate it with her flower creations; but the branch broke and she fell into water. Due to the fact that she was crazy, she started singing in the water, and her clothes got so wet and heavy she was pulled under and drowned. Her death is considered a suicide.Responsible:-Hamlet for causing Ophelia’s insanity-Herself |
| Death of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern | Hamlet found that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were taking letters to the King of England from King Claudius to kill Hamlet. Hamlet then has the King of England kill Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.Responsible: Hamlet and the King of England |
| Death of the Queen | The Queen was the first person of rank to die. She drank the poison drink that King Claudius had made to give to Hamlet.Responsible: Claudius; he poisoned the drink and allowed the Queen to drink it |
| Death of Claudius | Hamlet hits Claudius in the chest with the poison sword after he finds out that Claudius is the one who poisoned the drink. Hamlet then makes Claudius drink the rest of the poison drink, as well.Responsible: Hamlet |
| Death of Laertes | Laertes and Hamlet forgive one another, and Laertes explains the poisoning. Hamlet was the one who cut Laertes with the poison sword during the match. Laertes is the person who poisoned the sword.Responsible:-Hamlet; cutting Laertes-Laertes; poisoning the sword |
| Death of Hamlet | Hamlet dies from when Laertes cut him the the poison sword. When he was dying, he told Horatio to give the kingdom to Fortinbras.Responsible: Laertes |
| Setting of Elsinore Castle | Elsinore Castle is in Denmark and is where King Claudius is now ruling. On the platform in front of Elsinore Castle is where Horatio and two guards noticed the ghost and where Hamlet first communicated with the ghost. In a room in the castle, the Queen points out that Hamlet dresses dark and notices he is sad. (Act 1) |
| Setting of Polonius’ House | Here is where Laertes decides to depart for Paris. He says goodbye to Ophelia and warns her about Hamlet. Ophelia tells him not to be hypocritical and Laertes departs. Polonius then comes to speak with Ophelia and he too warns her about Laertes. (Act 1) |
| Setting of Queen’s Closet | In the Queen’s closet, the Queen and Hamlet talk about Hamlet’s insanity. Hamlet starts yelling at his mother because he is mad at her for marrying Claudius. When the Queen starts yelling for help, Polonius sounds from behind the arras and Hamlet stabs him thinking he was Claudius. (Act 3) |
| Setting of the Hall in the Castle | In the hall, Laertes and Hamlet have a duel over who loved/loves Ophelia the most. This is where the poison on the sword and in the drink are present. Here is where the Queen, Claudius, Laertes, and Hamlet die. (Act 5) |
| Setting of Graveyard | The graveyard is where the clowns/gravediggers are located and take the place as comic relief. Here is where Ophelia’s grave is being dug and where Laertes and Hamlet fight over Ophelia’s love in her grave. Here Hamlet also finds the skull of his old friend/babysitter Yorik. Hamlet thinks about how odd it is that all of his thoughts and personality were turned to dust and his skull is now empty. (Act 5) |
| Setting of Norway | Norway is where King Fortinbras used to rule before King Hamlet killed him in battle. King Hamlet took a bit of Fortinbras’ land here; but Prince Fortinbras has a plan for revenge for his father. |
| Setting of Poland | Poland is where Fortinbras plans to go to get revenge for his father; but to get to Poland he must go through Denmark where Hamlet lives. |
| Setting of England | King Claudius has a plan to send Hamlet to England to get him out of Denmark. He later makes plans for the King of England to kill Hamlet. Hamlet, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern then set off on a ship where Hamlet intercepts the letters and causes Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to be killed there. Pirates take over the ship but somehow Hamlet gets them to return him back to Denmark. |
| Setting of France | Laertes wants to return to France because it is his second home. He must get permission from his dad and the King first. He ends up going but returns soon thereafter. |
| Setting of Germany | Germany is where Wittenberg is located; which is where Hamlet went to college. Here is where Hamlet became bestfriends with Horation. Hamlet would like to return but does not get full permission from the King and Queen. |
Hamlet Unit Test
August 16, 2019