| Act One: Scene 1:Question One: The premise for Shakespeare’s Hamlet was borne from…A. The anxiety created by Queen Elizabeth not having married or borne children B. Shakespeare’s strained relationship with his only son, HamletC. The mysterious death of King Henry VID. The sixteenth century play, “The Norse Prince” written by Lars Sweeney | A. The anxiety created by Queen Elizabeth not having married or borne children |
| Question Two: The ominous cold of darkness that surrounds Castle Elsinore in Hamlet’s opening scene is significant because…A. It allows the ghost of King Hamlet to wander the halls of Elsinore undetected B. It sets the mood for the play and foreshadows the tragic events that will follow C. It sets up the important theme of cold and darknessD. It makes it difficult for Barnardo and Francisco to recognize one another | B. It sets the mood for the play and foreshadows the tragic events that will follow |
| Question Three: Which of the following is an important theme within Shakespeare’s “Hamlet?”A. A mother’s sense of obligation to her fatherless childB. A prince’s sense of obligation to the throneC. A son’s sense of obligation to the desires of a dead father D. A king’s sense of obligation to his countrymen | C. A son’s sense of obligation to the desires of a dead father |
| Act One: Scene 2:Question One: Claudius claims to have married Gertrude so quickly following King Hamlet’s death because…A. He believes that Hamlet that has gone madB. It was the king’s dying wishC. He does not want Fortinbras to mistake Denmark’s grief for weakness D. Their exceptional love supersedes diplomacy and politeness | C. He does not want Fortinbras to mistake Denmark’s grief for weakness |
| Question Two: When Hamlet says he is “too much in the sun,” he is…A. Objecting to being forced into public while still in mourningB. Objecting to having attention focused on his behavior in the middle of a court occasionC. Reminding his uncle that he is too much his father’s son to cast away his mourning so easily D. All of the above | D. All of the above |
| Question Three: When Hamlet utters the famous line, “Frailty thy name is woman,” he is…A. Insulting Claudius for having married his brother’s wife B. Saying that women are weak and easily manipulatedC. Naming the newborn child of a trusted advisor.D. Is damning his mother for having given him life | B. Saying that women are weak and easily manipulated |
| Act One: Scene 3:Question One: In Scene Two we saw Claudius try and fail to assume the role of father to Hamlet. In this scene we saw three conversations between members of the Polonius family. These conversations help build which motif?A. Expected honesty of offspring B. Expected filial obedienceC. Expected sibling trustD. Expected honor amongst royalty | B. Expected filial obedience |
| Question Two: Which words best describe Gertrude and Ophelia?A. Loud and brashB. Assertive and driven C. Reclusive and sweet D. Quiet and obedient | D. Quiet and obedient |
| Question Three: Throughout the play, which character’s behavior consistently contradicts that of Prince Hamlet’s?A. Polonius B. Ophelia C. LaertesD. Horatio | C. Laertes |
| Act One: Scene 4:Question One: Hamlet’s remarks about Danish drinking customs suggest that…A. The prince sees the social structure of Denmark as problematic B. The prince enjoys drinking alcoholC. The prince is not a native of DenmarkD. The prince sees Elsinore as regarded with the respect of a pub | A. The prince sees the social structure of Denmark as problematic |
| Question Two: Hamlet’s inability to act may be partially due to the fact that he…A. Is a cowardB. Is an intellectualC. Is dutiful and submissive D. Is bound by oath | B. Is an intellectual |
| Question Three: Which words best describe Hamlet when he first sees the apparition?A. Fearful and timidB. Contemplative and serious C. Uplifted and cheeryD. Courageous and resolute | D. Courageous and resolute |
| Act One: Scene 5:Question One: What does the ghost ask Hamlet to do to Queen Gertrude?A. Avenge his “foul and most unnatural” murderB. Force her to confess having conspired with Claudius C. Leave her to be judged in the afterlifeD. Pity her, for she has lost a husband and lover | C. Leave her to be judged in the afterlife |
| Question Two: When Horatio and Marcellus swear silence, Hamlet warns them that, in the days to come, his behavior may seem erratic. This is because…A. He is in shock from having seen his dead father B. He has decided to feign madnessC. Anger overwhelms him in “sudden, cruel rises.” D. He intends to test their loyalty | B. He has decided to feign madness |
| Question Three: Some critics believe that Hamlet, troubled by his inability to enact his revenge…A. Secretly yearns for Polonius’ fatherly advice B. Is contemplating taking sides with Claudius C. Has decided to remain forever passiveD. Is descending into true madness | D. Is descending into true madness |
| Act Two: Scene 1:Question One: Which of these characteristics best describe Polonius?A. A competent, trusting parentB. A quiet, reclusive member of the king’s courtC. An over-opinionated, questionably-proficient father D. A violent, ambitious advisor and father | C. An over-opinionated, questionably-proficient father |
| Question Two: Polonius believes that Hamlet’s madness has been caused by…A. His unrequited love of OpheliaB. The death of his fatherC. Claudius’ refusal to allow him to return to Wittenberg D. His mother’s marriage to Claudius | A. His unrequited love of Ophelia |
| Question Three: Which character is often considered the most innocent and sympathetic?A. Polonius B. Gertrude C. Fortinbras D. Ophelia | D. Ophelia |
| Act Two: Scene 2: Question One: Which could be considered a genuine source of Hamlet’s distress?A. His inability to return to WittenbergB. His position in Claudius’ courtC. His awareness that he lives in a world of intrigue and deceit D. Polonius’ disapproval of his relationship with Ophelia | C. His awareness that he lives in a world of intrigue and deceit |
| Question Two: How does Claudius react to word that Denmark will not be invaded?A. He calls for a celebratory dinner to honor FortinbrasB. He sets the issue aside in order to deal with Prince HamletC. He orders a sneak attack on Fortinbras and his unsuspecting troops D. He excuses himself for a moment of “reflection and prayer.” | B. He sets the issue aside in order to deal with Prince Hamlet |
| Question Three: What does Hamlet hope to achieve by having the actors perform “The Murder of Gonzago?”A. He believes that Claudius’ reaction will prove his innocence or guilt B. He hopes to win Ophelia’s loveC. He hopes to distract the court long enough to search Claudius’ quarters D. He hopes the play will cheer him up | A. He believes that Claudius’ reaction will prove his innocence or guilt |
| Act Three: Scene 1:Question One: When Hamlet speaks his “to be or not to be” soliloquy, he is…A. Pondering the pathetic bind in which men live, sick of life, yet fearing deathB. Deciding whether or not to continue his relationship with OpheliaC. Contemplating taking action against Claudius and killing himD. Pondering whether or not he should renounce his royal status and flee Denmark | A. Pondering the pathetic bind in which men live, sick of life, yet fearing death |
| Question Two: When Ophelia attempts to return Hamlet’s love letters, how does he react?A. He tells her that she should keep the letters for as long as he will love her, forever B. He tears them to shreds and falls to the floor, weepingC. He coldly denies ever having loved herD. He accepts them, stoic, then leaves the room silently | C. He coldly denies ever having loved her |
| Question Three: Why does Claudius suspect that Hamlet may harm him?A. A dagger of King Hamlet’s has gone missingB. He overheard Hamlet say that “those that are married already—all but one—shall live.” C. Gertrude dreamt of Hamlet pouring poison in the king’s earD. He is familiar with the plot of “The Murder of Gonzago” | B. He overheard Hamlet say that “those that are married already—all but one—shall live.” |
| Act Three: Scene 2:Question One: Hamlet’s behavior before and during the play can be seen as…A. Reflecting the entire play’s concern with “seeming” versus “being” B. Reflecting the actions of Hamlet’s nemesis, ClaudiusC. Reflecting the theme of “a son’s obligations to his dead father.”D. Reflecting the ambitions of young Fortinbras. | A. Reflecting the entire play’s concern with “seeming” versus “being” |
| Question Two: When Claudius asks Hamlet what the play is titled, Hamlet responds…A. The Murder of GonzagoB. The Murder of a Loving Brother C. The MousetrapD. With Silence | C. The Mousetrap |
| Question Three: Polonius’s mention of having portrayed Julius Caesar not only advertises Shakespeare’s own play but also…A. Reveals that Polonius is an intellectualB. Tips off Hamlet that Polonius’ has been eavesdropping C. Explains the acting troupe’s arrival at ElsinoreD. Foreshadows Polonius’ death by stabbing | D. Foreshadows Polonius’ death by stabbing |
| Act Three: Scene 3:Question One: In Scene Three, Hamlet is once again unable to take action against his uncle. What does Claudius do that prevents Hamlet from killing him?A. He hides behind a curtain with Polonius.B. He falls to his knees and prays.C. He convinces Hamlet of his innocence.D. He flees to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. | B. He falls to his knees and prays. |
| Question Two: What does Hamlet see as an appropriate punishment for Claudius? A. DeathB. The stocksC. Eternal damnationD. Decapitation | C. Eternal damnation |
| Question Three: Why does Polonius want to spy on Gertrude’s conversation with Hamlet?A. He believes Gertrude and Hamlet are scheming against ClaudiusB. He wants to prove his devotion to ClaudiusC. He suspects that Hamlet may be trying to kill himD. He believes that Gertrude, as a mother, may not be entirely objective | D. He believes that Gertrude, as a mother, may not be entirely objective |
| Act Three: Scene 4:Question One: Some critics believe that Hamlet’s rage in scene four is an indication that…A. Hamlet and Gertrude had an incestuous relationship B. Hamlet has decided to kill his motherC. Hamlet is finally ready to take actionD. Hamlet is no longer capable of pity | A. Hamlet and Gertrude had an incestuous relationship |
| Question Two: Which of the following is NOT considered a possible reason for Gertrude’s inability to see the ghost?A. Hamlet has manufactured the ghostB. Gertrude cannot bear the guilt of seeing her dead husband C. Gertrude is genuinely unable to see the ghostD. The ghost only reveals itself to Hamlet | D. The ghost only reveals itself to Hamlet |
| Question Three: What word best describes Gertrude’s reaction to Hamlet being shipped to England?A. Devastation. B. Fear.C. Indifference. D. Joy. | C. Indifference. |
| Act Four: Scene 1:Question One: Upon hearing of Polonius’ death, Claudius is worried most about…A. PoloniusB. Polonius’ children C. His wife’s safetyD. Himself | D. Himself |
| Question Two: By the end of Scene One, what are Claudius’ main concerns?A. Damage control and self-preservation B. His family and kingdomC. Fortinbras’ army and their alliesD. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern | A. Damage control and self-preservation |
| Question Three: Scene One closes with Claudius intending to take what action?A. Deliver word to Laertes that his father has been killed B. Confer with his wisest friends and advisorsC. Flee to EnglandD. Avenge Polonius’ death | B. Confer with his wisest friends and advisors |
| Act Four: Scene 2:Question One: When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern ask Hamlet the whereabouts of Polonius’ body, Hamlet responds by…A. Being silentB. Pretending he doesn’t know what they are talking about C. Saying the body is covered with dirt, of which it is related D. Talking them to the body immediately | C. Saying the body is covered with dirt, of which it is related |
| Question Two: Hamlet compare Rosencrantz to what item?A. A sponge B. A shirt C. A dagger D. A whistle | A. A sponge |
| Question Three: What does Hamlet believe will happen to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?A. They will become members of the royal court B. They will return to Wittenberg safelyC. They will be shunned by ClaudiusD. They will be killed | D. They will be killed |
| Act Four: Scene 3:Question One: Although Claudius feels Hamlet is a threat, he refuses to act. This is because…A. Gertrude has ordered him to leave Hamlet aloneB. His love for Hamlet is too strongC. He is frightened by the young prince’s madnessD. The public’s love for Hamlet is so great, he fears a revolt | D. The public’s love for Hamlet is so great, he fears a revolt |
| Question Two: One reason for Hamlet’s focus on death and corruption may be…A. He realizes that Ophelia is going to commit suicideB. Having murdered Polonius, he feels that he has lost any chance at salvation C. He is fearful that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern may be killedD. His fear that Fortinbras will invade Denmark | B.Having murdered Polonius, he feels that he has lost any chance at salvation |
| Question Three: What are Claudius’ plans for Hamlet once he reaches England?A. He will be returned to his studies at Wittenberg B. He will be counseled in royal etiquetteC. He will be killedD. He will be stripped of his identity and abandoned | C. He will be killed |
| Act Four: Scene 4:Question One: During Scene Four, Fortinbras orders a captain to find Claudius and ask permission to cross Denmark. What does he order the captain to tell Claudius should he refuse?A. Though disappointed, Fortinbras is grateful for the king’s attentions B. He will not leave Elsinore until Claudius agreesC. Fortinbras and his army will cross with or without his consentD. Fortinbras will arrive shortly to ask permission personally | C. Fortinbras and his army will cross with or without his consent |
| Question Two: Fortinbras, the Norse King’s nephew, is leading his army to battle Poland…A. For a worthless piece of landB. To avenge his father’s deathC. To steal Poland’s valuable natural resourcesD. To prepare for his inevitable conquering of Denmark | A. For a worthless piece of land |
| Question Three: Hamlet ends the scene by finally proclaiming that if his thoughts are not bloody, they are worthless. This is because…A. In his heart, he knows he cannot take action even if he wanted toB. The betrayal of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern has angered him greatlyC. With the threat of Fortinbras looming, he knows that time is running out D. He has compared his own situation to that of the Danish and Polish armies | D. He has compared his own situation to that of the Danish and Polish armies |
| Act Four: Scene 5:Question One: Laertes’ immediate, aggressive action is a notably sharp contrast to the behavior of which character?A. Polonius B. Claudius C. Gertrude D. Hamlet | D. Hamlet |
| Question Two: Which of the following is NOT a result of Polonius’ murder?A. Ophelia going madB. Hamlet being banishedC. A growing suspicion amongst the people of Denmark D. Fortinbras’ invasion of Poland | D. Fortinbras’ invasion of Poland |
| Question Three: Which symbols are often associated with Ophelia?A. Fire and water B. FlowersC. WeaponsD. Children | B. Flowers |
| Act Four: Scene 6:Question One: What happens to Hamlet’s ship while en route to England?A. It is damaged by a reef and sinks B. It is overcome by piratesC. It is slowed by ferocious winds D. The crew declares mutiny | B. It is overcome by pirates |
| Question Two: A conventional theatrical device in which a tangled plot can be resolved by the convenient intervention of an event, however unlikely is called…A. Deus ex machina B. Pluribus machina C. Resolute machina D. Incisi machina | A. Deus ex machina |
| Question Three: Although the pirate attack has very little to do with any of the rest of the action, it could be speculated that the pirates provide Hamlet with…A. Another example of Claudius’ evildoingB. Another example of boundless loyalty to a common goal C. Another example of action unhindered by thoughtD. Another example of senseless violence | C. Another example of action unhindered by thought |
| Act Four: Scene 7:Question One: In Scene Seven, Claudius demonstrates his superior capacity for…A. Self-justificationB. Self-indulgenceC. SelflessnessD. Self-serving passivity | A. Self-justification |
| Question Two: Although Hamlet and Claudius are adversaries, they do share some similarities. Which of the following is NOT a trait shared by these two characters?A. Their inability to immediately act against one another B. Their flair for the manipulation of eventsC. Their royal statusD. Their concern for Ophelia’s well-being | D. Their concern for Ophelia’s well-being |
| Question Three: Why did Gertrude lie about the circumstances behind Ophelia’s death?A. She was concerned about the sanctity of Ophelia’s burialB. She wanted to protect Hamlet from the gruesome truthC. She feared Laertes’ might seek revengeD. She was determined to keep a promise she made to Polonius | A. She was concerned about the sanctity of Ophelia’s burial |
| Act Five: Scene 1:Question One: In Scene One, Hamlet and Horatio wander a graveyard pondering death and imagining the remains of King Alexander being used to…A. Bake dessertsB. Feed Denmark’s trees C. Stop a beer barrelD. Season potatoes | C. Stop a beer barrel |
| Question Two: During Hamlet and Laertes’ gravesite confrontation, the distraught prince claims to have loved Ophelia more than forty thousand…A. Brothers B. Fathers C. Husbands D. Mothers | A. Brothers |
| Question Three: Hamlet’s leap into Ophelia’s grave is an indication of his…A. Readiness to accept the consequences of murdering Polonius B. Readiness to avenge his father’s deathC. Readiness to assume the throneD. Readiness to marry Ophelia | B. Readiness to avenge his father’s death |
| Act Five: Scene 2:Question One: Though Hamlet feels no remorse for sending Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths, he regrets his treatment of Laertes. This is because…A. He is reminded of their “once pure” friendshipB. He realizes Laertes is a product of Polonius’ weak parenting abilities C. He recognizes the similarities of their situationsD. Laertes’ skills as a swordsman will be enhanced by his rage | C. He recognizes the similarities of their situations |
| Question Two: When Horatio says that he is “more an antique Roman than a Dane,” he is referring to…A. Fortinbras’ conquest of Polish landsB. The old Roman belief that committing suicide was preferable to living an unworthy life C. Hamlet’s forgotten Roman heritageD. The Danish belief that true honor cannot be achieved in the mortal world | B. The old Roman belief that committing suicide was preferable to living an unworthy life |
| Question Three: Hamlet’s last requests are that Horatio live to tell the tale of the events at the castle and that…A. His body will be carried by four captainsB. The lands lost to Fortinbras be returned to PolandC. His remains will be buried beyond the walls of Elsinore D. Fortinbras assume Denmark’s throne | D. Fortinbras assume Denmark’s throne |
| TRAGIC FLAW – (or fatal flaw) | The principal defect (weakness in character) in the tragic hero of a tragedy which leads to the character’s downfall and eventual destruction. In Hamlet, one must ask in relation to his tragic flaw, “Why did he wait? Why didn’t he immediately put Claudius to death, as the Ghost requested?” |
| HAMLET’S DELAY IN ACTION: (LITERARY CRITICISM ON REASONS FOR HIS DELAY) (3 reasons) | I. Hamlet as Victim of excessive melancholy from griefII. Romantic ideal of Hamlet as a “Sentimental Dreamer”III. Noble or Christian Hamlet |
| I. Hamlet as Victim of excessive melancholy from grief | -Experienced grief due not only to his father’s death, but also disgust at his mother’s incestuous marriage. (I,ii, first soliloquy–p.643)-Passion warps reason, which in turn affects the will.*** Elizabethans call this “passion” “MELANCHOLY ADUST” = a disease in which one faces an imbalance of passion from grief and reason. As a result, he experiences mood shifts from deep depression to elation.-See these textual references for mood swings:-(I,ii–p. 644)- pleasant to grim mood with Horatio-(II,ii–starts p. 670)- greets Rosencrantz and Guildenstern-(III,i–p. 683-4)- becomes harsh & cruel with Ophelia-(III,iv–starts p. 700), becomes irate with his mother, but switches to a calm mood when the ghost appears.* All of these point to “melancholy adust”–unnatural melancholy induced by passion.-Melancholy increases by a deepening self-contempt (see soliloquies.) Hamlet becomes controlled by passion and grief.-(II,ii) – Hamlet reveals in this scene that he is aware that he has permitted passion, not reason, to dominate him, which has caused an inability to act positively and swiftly. |
| “MELANCHOLY ADUST” = | -Passion warps reason, which in turn affects the will.*** Elizabethans call this “passion” “MELANCHOLY ADUST” = a disease in which one faces an imbalance of passion from grief and reason. As a result, he experiences mood shifts from deep depression to elation. |
| II. Romantic ideal of Hamlet as a “Sentimental Dreamer” | -Hamlet is incapable of positive action-Oversensitiveness of mind (He becomes too strongly impressed by the situation, and is overpowered by the feelings that the situation excites.)-Becomes a creature of mere MEDITATION and loses power to action.-HAMLET’S OVERDEVELOPED INTELLECT:-his reflective powers paralyzed his conduct.-Hamlet could not view any question without seeing and contemplating on a number of different aspects of the problem. (See III,iii, p. 699, soliloquy 6 where Hamlet comes upon Claudius kneeling.) If he had killed him then, the other deaths would not have occurred.***This argument states that Hamlet is a weak individual, who, because of temperamental reasons, cannot bear the burden of action.*** Problems with this argument: There is evidence of a RATIONAL MIND:-killing of Polonius-arranging for death of Guildenstern and Rosencrantz-mocks and displays cruelty to many characters-plotting of the play within a play to catch the King’s guilty conscience** These are all evidence of a character capable of decisive action, with no compunction about killing. |
| III. Noble or Christian Hamlet | -Hamlet is faced with the moral conflict of the justification of his revenge and the fear that he might have been misled by the Ghost. See Soliloquy 4: ACT III, scene 1 (p. 682), ll. 62+-Hamlet often doubts the Spirit, realizing later it could be an evil spirit, trying to lead him to evil or death. (See the end of soliloquy 3, p. 680)-The play within the play, which Hamlet arranged, revealed the guilt of Claudius and revealed the Ghost as honest and true, not misleading.-Once that is solved (the question of trusting the Ghost) Hamlet is able to progress to the question of whether revenge can be morally justified. (NOTE: There always seems to be a question which hinders action–evidence of the Elizabethan “questioning intellect.”)-Now the questions are whether it’s his duty to murder for honour’s sake, and whether honour and duty justify murder.-Moral Justification text references:-Hamlet’s statement of moral justification, and his desire to be an honest instrument of God’s vengeance.-(Soliloquy 7, pp.713-14) Here is evidence of a change in this concern of moral justification, as his “thoughts turn bloody…” Hamlet now disregards any aspect of morality. He turns his concern to DUTY alone. |
| Soliloquy 1ORIGINAL TEXT: (Act 1, Scene 2)O that this too too solid flesh would melt,Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!Or that the Everlasting had not fix’dHis canon ‘gainst self-slaughter! O God! O God!How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitableSeem to me all the uses of this world!Fie on’t! O fie! ’tis an unweeded garden,That grows to seed; things rank and gross in naturePossess it merely. That it should come to this!But two months dead! — nay, not so much, not two:So excellent a king; that was, to this,Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother,That he might not beteem the winds of heavenVisit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth!Must I remember? Why, she would hang on himAs if increase of appetite had grownBy what it fed on: and yet, within a month, — Let me not think on’t, — Frailty, thy name is woman! — A little month; or ere those shoes were oldWith which she followed my poor father’s bodyLike Niobe, all tears; — why she, even she, — O God! a beast that wants discourse of reason,Would have mourn’d longer, — married with mine uncle,My father’s brother; but no more like my fatherThan I to Hercules: within a month;Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tearsHad left the flushing in her galled eyes,She married: — O, most wicked speed, to postWith such dexterity to incestuous sheets!It is not, nor it cannot come to good;But break my heart, — for I must hold my tongue! | ACT I, scene 2 (p. 643), begin at line 131 -Note: This soliloquy occurs before he knows the secret of his father’s murder.-Evident bitterness at his mother’s incestuous marriage (lines 148, 155-160.)-He has built his life on an ideal, but this fortunate world has collapsed without warning and has left him lost. Everything seems; nothing is but viciousness.-The result — Hamlet reveals a mournful, angry contempt for life (lines 135-139), a wish for death if suicide were not condemned by God (lines 133-134), and a tendency toward uncontrolled outbursts of emotion. All of these are symptoms of MELANCHOLY ADUST.-Note how he views the world — “unweeded garden” imagery (lines 137-139)-Note Classical allusions (lines 142,151,155) |
| Soliloquy 2ORIGINAL TEXT: (Act 1, Scene 5)O all you host of heaven! O earth! what else?And shall I couple hell? O, fie! — Hold, my heart;And you, my sinews, grow not instant old,But bear me stiffly up. — Remember thee!Ay, thou poor ghost, while memory holds a seatIn this distracted globe. Remember thee!Yea, from the table of my memoryI’ll wipe away all trivial fond records,All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past,That youth and observation copied there;And thy commandment all alone shall liveWithin the book and volume of my brain,Unmix’d with baser matter: yes, by heaven! — O most pernicious woman!O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!My tables, — meet it is I set it down,That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain;At least, I am sure, it may be so in Denmark | ACT I, scene 5 (p. 657), begin at line 98 -This soliloquy occurs after the ghost of Hamlet’s father reveals the secret of his murder, and calls Hamlet to the duty of avenging his unnatural death.-As Hamlet’s excitement mounts, madness spills over into frenzied speech and actions (PASSION VS. REASON)-Hamlet makes an elaborate vow of dedication to act on revenge.-Says he will wipe all else form his mind: his studies, skills, entertainments (lines 105-108). He vows to focus only on his promise to get revenge (lines 108, 116-118).-Crazed action – writes furiously in his table (tablet) as a final seal on his resolution for vengeance (lines 113-115). |
| Soliloquy 3Ay, so, God b’ wi’ ye!Now I am alone.O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!… (Act 2, Scene 2)Now I am alone.Oh, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!Is it not monstrous that this player here,But in a fiction, in a dream of passion,Could force his soul so to his own conceitThat from her working all his visage wanned,Tears in his eyes, distraction in his aspect,A broken voice, and his whole function suitingWith forms to his conceit? And all for nothing—For Hecuba!What’s Hecuba to him or he to HecubaThat he should weep for her? What would he doHad he the motive and the cue for passionThat I have? He would drown the stage with tearsAnd cleave the general ear with horrid speech,Make mad the guilty and appall the free,Confound the ignorant, and amaze, indeed,The very faculties of eyes and ears.Yet I,A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak,Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause,And can say nothing; no, not for a kingUpon whose property and most dear lifeA damn’d defeat was made. Am I a coward?Who calls me villain? breaks my pate across?Plucks off my beard and blows it in my face?Tweaks me by the nose? gives me the lie i’ the throatAs deep as to the lungs? who does me this, ha?’Swounds, I should take it: for it cannot beBut I am pigeon-liver’d, and lack gallTo make oppression bitter; or ere thisI should have fatted all the region kitesWith this slave’s offal: bloody, bawdy villain!Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!O, vengeance!Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave,That I, the son of a dear father murder’d,Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,Must, like a *****, unpack my heart with wordsAnd fall a-cursing like a very drab,A scullion!Fie upon’t! foh! — About, my brain! I have heardThat guilty creatures, sitting at a play,Have by the very cunning of the sceneBeen struck so to the soul that presentlyThey have proclaim’d their malefactions;For murder, though it have no tongue, will speakWith most miraculous organ, I’ll have these playersPlay something like the murder of my fatherBefore mine uncle: I’ll observe his looks;I’ll tent him to the quick: if he but blench,I know my course. The spirit that I have seenMay be the devil: and the devil hath powerTo assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhapsOut of my weakness and my melancholy, — As he is very potent with such spirits, — Abuses me to damn me: I’ll have groundsMore relative than this. — the play’s the thingWherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king. | ACT II, scene 2 (p. 679), begin at line 497-Occurs after Hamlet’s run in with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and his first meeting with the players.-Hamlet’s self-reproach: Until the players arrived, Hamlet had done nothing (except play the lunatic.) Now that he has acted, he becomes focused on revealing Claudius’s conscience.-Hamlet’s self-contempt: (lines 514-536) – Hamlet accuses himself of being a coward. He realizes he has done nothing but spill words; he realizes his weakness, his failure to act (lines 530-536). Therefore, he forces himself into Reason, in which he thinks upon a plan of action (line 536 to end of speech). |
| Soliloquy 4To be, or not to be: that is the question:Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to sufferThe slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,And by opposing end them?… (Act 3, Scene 1)To be, or not to be: that is the question:Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to sufferThe slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;No more; and by a sleep to say we endThe heart-ache and the thousand natural shocksThat flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummationDevoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep;To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub;For in that sleep of death what dreams may comeWhen we have shuffled off this mortal coil,Must give us pause: there’s the respectThat makes calamity of so long life;For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay,The insolence of office and the spurnsThat patient merit of the unworthy takes,When he himself might his quietus makeWith a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,To grunt and sweat under a weary life,But that the dread of something after death,The undiscover’d country from whose bournNo traveller returns, puzzles the willAnd makes us rather bear those ills we haveThan fly to others that we know not of?Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;And thus the native hue of resolutionIs sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,And enterprises of great pith and momentWith this regard their currents turn awry,And lose the name of action.-Soft you now!The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisonsBe all my sins remember’d. | ACT III, scene 1 (p. 682-3), begin at line 62-Note: an extra 10 pts. extra credit if you memorize famous first 14 lines.-This soliloquy is famous because it shows Hamlet’s meditation, his complexity of character. Here we see a weary Hamlet who feels called to duty, but weariness breads inaction. The more he thinks, the more he doubts. . . -Again deals with deathwish (lines 70-73)-This brings him to ponder on the mystery of afterlife (lines 84-94) -This “dread of something after death” (line 84) “makes cowards of us all” (line 89). Now, Hamlet is delayed in action (line 94) for fear of the judgment of his murderous revenge. |
| Soliloquy 5’Tis now the very witching time of night,When churchyards yawn, and hell itself breathes outContagion to this world…Soft! now to my mother…Let me be cruel, not unnatural;I will speak daggers to her, but use none… (Act 3, Scene 2)’Tis now the very witching time of night,When churchyards yawn, and hell itself breathes outContagion to this world: now could I drink hot blood,And do such bitter business as the dayWould quake to look on. Soft! now to my mother. — O heart, lose not thy nature; let not everThe soul of Nero enter this firm bosom:Let me be cruel, not unnatural;I will speak daggers to her, but use none;My tongue and soul in this be hypocrites, — How in my words somever she be shent,To give them seals never, my soul, consent! | ACT III, scene 2 (p. 697), begin at line 340-Brief soliloquy after his first notable action of catching the guilty conscience of the King.-Note the change in spirit: now revealed is a new strain of willful cruelty.-Note the gradual change in the harshness of his attitude through Act III. |
| Soliloquy 6Now might I do it pat now he is praying,And now I’ll do it, and so he goes to heaven.And so am I revenged, that would be scanned… (Act 3, Scene 3)Now might I do it pat now he is praying,And now I’ll do it, and so he goes to heaven.And so am I revenged, that would be scanned.A villain kills my father; and for that,I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven.O, this is hire and salary, not revenge.He took my father grossly, full of bread – With all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May.And how his audit stands, who knows save heaven?But in our circumstance and course of thought,’Tis heavy with him, and am I, then, revenged;To take him in the purging of his soul,When he is fit and seasoned for his passage?No.Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent:When he is drunk asleep or in his rage;Or in the incestuous pleasure of his bed;At gaming, swearing or about some actThat has no relish of salvation in it.Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven,And that his soul may be as damned and blackAs hell, whereto it goes. My mother stays,This physic but prolongs thy sickly days. | ACT III, scene 3 (p. 699), lines 76-99 -Hamlet approaches the King, ready to kill him, but delays since the king is on his knees in repentance (ll. 76-81). Rather, he plans to catch him in the midst of sin when unprepared for death (ll.92-98). Again, there is DELAY IN ACTION. |
| Soliloquy 7How all occasions do inform against meAnd spur my dull revenge!… (Act 4, Scene 4)How all occasions do inform against meAnd spur my dull revenge! What is a manIf his chief good and market of his timeBe but to sleep and feed? a beast, no more.Sure he that made us with such large discourse,Looking before and after, gave us notThat capability and godlike reasonTo fust in us unused. Now, whether it beBestial oblivion, or some craven scrupleOf thinking too precisely on the event,A thought which, quartered, hath but one part wisdomAnd ever three parts coward; I do not knowWhy yet I live to say ‘This thing’s to do’Sith I have cause, and will, and strength, and meansTo do it. Examples, gross as earth, exhort me:Witness this army, of such mass and charge,Led by a delicate and tender prince.Whose spirit, with divine ambition puffed,Makes mouths at the invisible event.Exposing what is mortal and unsureTo all that fortune, death, and danger dare,Even for an egg-shell. Rightly to be greatIs not to stir without great argument,But greatly to find quarrel in a strawWhen honour’s at the stake. How stand I, then,That have a father killed, a mother stained,Excitements of my reason and my blood,And let all sleep? While, to my shame, I seeThe imminent death of twenty thousand menThat, for a fantasy and trick of fame,Go to their graves like beds — fight for a plotWhereon the numbers cannot try the cause,Which is not tomb enough and continentTo hide the slain? O, from this time forth,My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth! | ACT IV, scene 4 (p. 713), begin at line 34-After Hamlet departs for England and meets with Fortinbras.-Remember Fortinbras is likened to Hamlet because he too is out to avenge his father’s death; yet his career is more ambitious.-Although this final soliloquy has some of the same content as the others, the tone and form is very different.-Now, Hamlet is certain of the King’s guilty conscience. He has vented his melancholy and frustrations (Soliloquies 1-4) and then narrowed and hardened his heart into violent cruelty, ready for action (Soliloquy 5).-Here, we see a clear and orderly progression of thought PASSION VS. REASON — again reasonably focused to action.-He recognizes his weakness in delay in action and thinking too much (lines 41-46)-He recognizes he’s prepared for action (lines 46-48)-He compares himself to Fortinbras, who has also lost his father, and acts upon it for honour’s sake alone (lines 49-58). Hamlet is compared to Fortinbras in lines 58-62). |
| Soliloquy 1 In Class For EssayORIGINAL TEXT: (Act 1, Scene 2)O that this too too solid flesh would melt,Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!Or that the Everlasting had not fix’dHis canon ‘gainst self-slaughter! O God! O God!How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitableSeem to me all the uses of this world!Fie on’t! O fie! ’tis an unweeded garden,That grows to seed; things rank and gross in naturePossess it merely. That it should come to this!But two months dead! — nay, not so much, not two:So excellent a king; that was, to this,Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother,That he might not beteem the winds of heavenVisit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth!Must I remember? Why, she would hang on himAs if increase of appetite had grownBy what it fed on: and yet, within a month, — Let me not think on’t, — Frailty, thy name is woman! — A little month; or ere those shoes were oldWith which she followed my poor father’s bodyLike Niobe, all tears; — why she, even she, — O God! a beast that wants discourse of reason,Would have mourn’d longer, — married with mine uncle,My father’s brother; but no more like my fatherThan I to Hercules: within a month;Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tearsHad left the flushing in her galled eyes,She married: — O, most wicked speed, to postWith such dexterity to incestuous sheets!It is not, nor it cannot come to good;But break my heart, — for I must hold my tongue! | -Right after the King Died and the Queen remarried-Hasn’t seen the ghost yet, Grief Stricken-Contemplating suicide, wishes to die wasn’t a sin (going to Hell if he kills himself)-Mad (losing mind) MELANCHOLY ADUST -Disgusted with mother who quickly remarried, comparing uncle to father and are not alike* Noble or Christian Hamlet |
| Soliloquy 2 In Class For EssayORIGINAL TEXT: (Act 1, Scene 5)O all you host of heaven! O earth! what else?And shall I couple hell? O, fie! — Hold, my heart;And you, my sinews, grow not instant old,But bear me stiffly up. — Remember thee!Ay, thou poor ghost, while memory holds a seatIn this distracted globe. Remember thee!Yea, from the table of my memoryI’ll wipe away all trivial fond records,All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past,That youth and observation copied there;And thy commandment all alone shall liveWithin the book and volume of my brain,Unmix’d with baser matter: yes, by heaven! — O most pernicious woman!O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!My tables, — meet it is I set it down,That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain;At least, I am sure, it may be so in Denmark | -Right after Hamlet talks to ghost dad-Wants to avenge dead (line 105) indicates only focused on what Dad has asked of him (Kill Claudius) Distraught. Commits to live by this alone (lines 117-118)-Mad and mad in craft (upset and thinking about why he is mad) (responding rationally and impulsively)* Hamlet as a victim of excessive melancholy from grief and Romantic ideal of Hamlet as a “sentimental dreamer” (overdeveloped intellect) |
| Soliloquy 3 In Class For EssayAy, so, God b’ wi’ ye!Now I am alone.O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!… (Act 2, Scene 2)Now I am alone.Oh, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!Is it not monstrous that this player here,But in a fiction, in a dream of passion,Could force his soul so to his own conceitThat from her working all his visage wanned,Tears in his eyes, distraction in his aspect,A broken voice, and his whole function suitingWith forms to his conceit? And all for nothing—For Hecuba!What’s Hecuba to him or he to HecubaThat he should weep for her? What would he doHad he the motive and the cue for passionThat I have? He would drown the stage with tearsAnd cleave the general ear with horrid speech,Make mad the guilty and appall the free,Confound the ignorant, and amaze, indeed,The very faculties of eyes and ears.Yet I,A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak,Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause,And can say nothing; no, not for a kingUpon whose property and most dear lifeA damn’d defeat was made. Am I a coward?Who calls me villain? breaks my pate across?Plucks off my beard and blows it in my face?Tweaks me by the nose? gives me the lie i’ the throatAs deep as to the lungs? who does me this, ha?’Swounds, I should take it: for it cannot beBut I am pigeon-liver’d, and lack gallTo make oppression bitter; or ere thisI should have fatted all the region kitesWith this slave’s offal: bloody, bawdy villain!Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain!O, vengeance!Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave,That I, the son of a dear father murder’d,Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell,Must, like a *****, unpack my heart with wordsAnd fall a-cursing like a very drab,A scullion!Fie upon’t! foh! — About, my brain! I have heardThat guilty creatures, sitting at a play,Have by the very cunning of the sceneBeen struck so to the soul that presentlyThey have proclaim’d their malefactions;For murder, though it have no tongue, will speakWith most miraculous organ, I’ll have these playersPlay something like the murder of my fatherBefore mine uncle: I’ll observe his looks;I’ll tent him to the quick: if he but blench,I know my course. The spirit that I have seenMay be the devil: and the devil hath powerTo assume a pleasing shape; yea, and perhapsOut of my weakness and my melancholy, — As he is very potent with such spirits, — Abuses me to damn me: I’ll have groundsMore relative than this. — the play’s the thingWherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king. | At the beginning of the soliloquy, the introduction of the players (actors) at Hamlet’s home has just occurred. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern let Hamlet know that they have arrived to perform a play for him, and that he shall go and watch. In watching them perform a play about the fall of Troy including the Prince Priam and Queen Hecuba, Hamlet is infatuated with their ability to express such grief, emotion, and more specifically tears when Hecuba’s husband is found to be dead. Striking in him closely to the resemblance of his father’s death, Hamlet believes that if these players can perform such emotional plays on things they were not physically a part of, how much more could they reflect on the true account of a real life murder. Thus, in watching this play occur, Hamlet begins to think about how he hasn’t stayed true to his duty in killing Claudius. He feels that he has delayed himself long enough and conceives a plan to catch the killer in the midst of his past actions. Therefore, in responding to this guilt he feels inside for the delay of his actions, Hamlet decides that he will give these very talented players a specific act to perceive, which will in turn represent the murder of his father. Depicting “The Murder of Gonzago” Hamlet inserts his own twist of the play (including the exact murder plot of his father) in which the players will proceed to act out in the play the following day. By handcrafting this plan, Hamlet believes that he will be able to watch Claudius during the play in his guilt, thus proving the new King’s guilt and Hamlet’s own innocence. This is his emotional response to both his own guilt and anger towards his Uncle. “The play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King.”-Right after players arrive, play within a play idea-Still questioning Ghost’s reliability-Condemning self for inaction (Self-loathing)(Disgusted with self) -Abrupt shift (line 536) Thinking he can do something about this (and constructs plan)-Mad and mad in craft, reason takes over in the end*Romantic ideal of Hamlet as a “Sentimental Dreamer” |
| Soliloquy 4 In Class For EssayTo be, or not to be: that is the question:Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to sufferThe slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,And by opposing end them?… (Act 3, Scene 1)To be, or not to be: that is the question:Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to sufferThe slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;No more; and by a sleep to say we endThe heart-ache and the thousand natural shocksThat flesh is heir to, ’tis a consummationDevoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep;To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub;For in that sleep of death what dreams may comeWhen we have shuffled off this mortal coil,Must give us pause: there’s the respectThat makes calamity of so long life;For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely,The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay,The insolence of office and the spurnsThat patient merit of the unworthy takes,When he himself might his quietus makeWith a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,To grunt and sweat under a weary life,But that the dread of something after death,The undiscover’d country from whose bournNo traveller returns, puzzles the willAnd makes us rather bear those ills we haveThan fly to others that we know not of?Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;And thus the native hue of resolutionIs sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,And enterprises of great pith and momentWith this regard their currents turn awry,And lose the name of action.-Soft you now!The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisonsBe all my sins remember’d. | -Still wanting to die, but worries about what death will bring-Contemplating life and death-Overthinking-To be or not to be, life questions of reflection*Romantic ideal of Hamlet as a “Sentimental Dreamer” |
| Soliloquy 5 In Class For Essay’Tis now the very witching time of night,When churchyards yawn, and hell itself breathes outContagion to this world…Soft! now to my mother…Let me be cruel, not unnatural;I will speak daggers to her, but use none… (Act 3, Scene 2)’Tis now the very witching time of night,When churchyards yawn, and hell itself breathes outContagion to this world: now could I drink hot blood,And do such bitter business as the dayWould quake to look on. Soft! now to my mother. — O heart, lose not thy nature; let not everThe soul of Nero enter this firm bosom:Let me be cruel, not unnatural;I will speak daggers to her, but use none;My tongue and soul in this be hypocrites, — How in my words somever she be shent,To give them seals never, my soul, consent! | -Responding to confirmation that uncle killed dad-Mom wants to see Him after Claudius ran out on play-Ready to rip Claudius apart-Passionate, mad in craft-Talks about how he will speak to Gertrude (mother)*Hamlet as Victim of excessive melancholy from grief |
| Soliloquy 6 In Class For EssayNow might I do it pat now he is praying,And now I’ll do it, and so he goes to heaven.And so am I revenged, that would be scanned… (Act 3, Scene 3)Now might I do it pat now he is praying,And now I’ll do it, and so he goes to heaven.And so am I revenged, that would be scanned.A villain kills my father; and for that,I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven.O, this is hire and salary, not revenge.He took my father grossly, full of bread – With all his crimes broad blown, as flush as May.And how his audit stands, who knows save heaven?But in our circumstance and course of thought,’Tis heavy with him, and am I, then, revenged;To take him in the purging of his soul,When he is fit and seasoned for his passage?No.Up, sword, and know thou a more horrid hent:When he is drunk asleep or in his rage;Or in the incestuous pleasure of his bed;At gaming, swearing or about some actThat has no relish of salvation in it.Then trip him, that his heels may kick at heaven,And that his soul may be as damned and blackAs hell, whereto it goes. My mother stays,This physic but prolongs thy sickly days. | -Uncle is confessing to God and says now he can’t kill Claudius because he would go to Heaven-Reflects on father no being able to prepare for death-Decides to wait and kill Claudius during his own sin so he will go to Hell*Romantic ideal of Hamlet as a “Sentimental Dreamer” (overthinking) |
| Soliloquy 7 In Class For EssayHow all occasions do inform against meAnd spur my dull revenge!… (Act 4, Scene 4)How all occasions do inform against meAnd spur my dull revenge! What is a manIf his chief good and market of his timeBe but to sleep and feed? a beast, no more.Sure he that made us with such large discourse,Looking before and after, gave us notThat capability and godlike reasonTo fust in us unused. Now, whether it beBestial oblivion, or some craven scrupleOf thinking too precisely on the event,A thought which, quartered, hath but one part wisdomAnd ever three parts coward; I do not knowWhy yet I live to say ‘This thing’s to do’Sith I have cause, and will, and strength, and meansTo do it. Examples, gross as earth, exhort me:Witness this army, of such mass and charge,Led by a delicate and tender prince.Whose spirit, with divine ambition puffed,Makes mouths at the invisible event.Exposing what is mortal and unsureTo all that fortune, death, and danger dare,Even for an egg-shell. Rightly to be greatIs not to stir without great argument,But greatly to find quarrel in a strawWhen honour’s at the stake. How stand I, then,That have a father killed, a mother stained,Excitements of my reason and my blood,And let all sleep? While, to my shame, I seeThe imminent death of twenty thousand menThat, for a fantasy and trick of fame,Go to their graves like beds — fight for a plotWhereon the numbers cannot try the cause,Which is not tomb enough and continentTo hide the slain? O, from this time forth,My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth! | -Hamlet departs for England and meets Fortinbras who is also revenging his father’s death. -Hamlet is certain of Uncle’s act-Orderly progression of thought of inaction-Passion versus reason*Noble or Christian Hamlet (moral justification) |
| Spot Quote: “Adieu, Adieu, Remember me” | Hamlet’s Father (The Ghost) |
Into To Literature: Shakespeare Hamlet FINAL
July 6, 2019