Hamlet Questions

Hamlet Questions

Act 1:

1. The opening setting is important to set the tone for the whole play. Describe the setting and predict the possible themes and even outcomes.

2. Characters around the protagonist are often used to help illuminate the protagonist's personality usually by showing contrasts. These characters are called "foil" characters because of their reflective quality. Name some foil characters and how they reveal Hamlet's character.

3. Appearance vs. Reality is a popular theme in many of Shakespeare's plays. How do we see this theme in Act 1?

4. At the end of Act 1, Marcellus states the renowned phrase, "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." Examine where and how this language resonates throughout the first Act and creates symbolic imagery.

5. In Scene 2 how does Hamlet's first soliloquy (monologue) reveals much about his emotional state, his attitude towards women, and his brilliant use of language.

Act 2

6. In Act 1, Hamlet claims he will "put an antic disposition on" (pretend he's mad). Some critics believe he actually goes mad. Support or refute this argument.

7. How guilty are Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? What is your reasoning?

8. What is the tone of Hamlet's second soliloquy "O what a rogue and peasant slave" (2:2 578)? What occasions it?

Act 3

9. (Scene 1): Examine the "To be or not to be speech." How does this give you an understanding of Hamlet's character?

10. (Scene 1) Examine the Nunnery Scene (99-163). What is the point of Hamlet's satirical commentary on beauty, marriage, and offspring? Why does he direct it at Ophelia? Does Ophelia hold her own, or is she the passive victim?

11. (Scene 2)What is symbolic about the Mousetrap play? Does it catch the "conscience of the King"?

12. (Scene 3) Does the prayer scene change your view of Claudius as the villain of the play? How?

13. (Scene 4)Examine the Closet Scene. Some critics see Hamlet as having an Oedipal complex (wanting to marry his mother). Do you see evidence of this? Some critics see Hamlet as misogynistic (hatred of women). Do you see evidence of this? How guilty do we think Gertrude is by this scene?

14. Many see the killing of Polonius as the turning point of the play. How and why? Does he deserve to die?

Act 4

15. How does Fortinbras' expedition against Poland become for Hamlet an occasion