| How does Claudius respond when Gertrude tells him what happened to Polonius? | He feels that if he himself was the one present when Polonius was murdered, he would have been the one to die. In this way, he would have died and not Polonius. Hamlet is a threat.”O heavy deed! / It had been so with us, had we been there. Spoken by Claudius. |
| Gertrude tells Claudius that hamlet “weeps for what is done.” Why does she say this? | She says this because she is lying to protect Hamlet from Claudius. She cares for her son immensely and does not want Hamlet to get in trouble for what he has done. |
| How does claudius decide to deal with hamlet? How does he use rosencrantz and guildenstern as his pawns? Why do you think he does this? | He sends Hamlet back to England. He uses Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to go back to England with Hamlet and keep an eye on him, so he doesn’t have to. They are sponges soaking up the favors of the king. He does this so that he can get details about how Hamlet is feeling and about his whereabouts. He does not answer their questions, knowing that if he were to answer them, he would be sent directly to Claudius. Ship him to England and is being helped by Rosencrantz and |
| Claudius says, “my soul is full of discord and dismay.” if he had a clear conscience he would be saddened by these events. What do you think he’s really nervous about? | Claudius acts shaken due to the death of Polonius but he truly is concerned that Hamlet found out the truth about the murder of his father, King Hamlet. Now that Hamlet knows the truth about his father’s murder, there is no stopping him in his desire for revenge. Line 46 |
| “…he weeps for what is done…” | Spoken by Gertrude to make Claudius believe that Hamlet did not intend on killing Polonius. |
| “His liberty is full of threats to all / To you, yourself, to us, to everyone” | Claudius knows that Hamlet is a threat to the kingdom and everyone else. |
| What does Hamlet call Rosencrantz? Why do you think he calls him this? | He calls him a sponge because Rosencrantz is merely a spawn of the king and does whatever is asked of him. He is suspicious of his childhood friend, claiming him to be against him now and on Claudius’s side. Sucking up to the king”Sponge you shall be dry again” Spoken by Hamlet. Soak up information from hamlet and then king squeezes the information out that he needs. They are looking for Polonius’s body. |
| What is everyone looking for during this scene? (Act 4 scene 2) | Polonius dead body |
| At the beginning of the scene, why does Claudius say that they can’t punish Hamlet too harshly? Find a quote to support this answer. | Claudius can not punish Hamlet too hard because people love him. “Yet must not we put the strong law on him / He’s loved of the distracted multitude / Who like not in their judgment, but their eyes.” – 4.3.2-5 – Spoken by Claudius claiming that Hamlet is popular among the people and well-liked which is why he cannot punish Hamlet too harshly. |
| What’s ironic about Claudius’ criticism of the Danish people? | He claims that “Man should be judged on crimes he committed.” This is ironic because he himself has committed horrible crimes that he is concealing from the public, such as killing King Hamlet. Spoken by Claudius. |
| According to Hamlet, why does he think worms are the most powerful when it comes to the food chain? | He thinks worms are the most powerful when it comes to the food chain because we grow by eating animals. When we die worms then eat us and grow through the food we ate. In other words, it is because we get fat off of animals and when we die they eat us and get fat off of us. When we die, worms eat us. You can be a beggar or a king. The worm is TOP of the food chain. All eaten by worms. |
| When asked where Polonius is, how does hamlet respond? What is the double meaning in his answer? | Hamlet responds that Polonius is in heaven and then he requests that Claudius send a messenger to heaven and check to see if he is there. If he is not there, Claudius himself should go to hell to check for himself. He claims that he will smell him soon. He responds he is at supper, not where he eats and is being eaten. Line 37. “In heaven. Send thither to see. If your messenger find him not there, seek him i’ th’ other place yourself” – Spoken by Hamlet |
| What are the details of the king’s plan in scene 3? Why can’t he make a simpler plan? | The king’s plan in scene 3 is to have Laertes fence with Hamlet and if he wins, Claudius will offer him a cup of wine to drink in celebration. Laertes will also poison his sword so that even a scratch will kill him. He cannot make a simpler plan because he has minimal time and many people love Hamlet. Send England king letter that Claudius plans to kill King of england kill hamletClaudius cannot kill hamlet himself because people like hamlet and hate claudius. If its an outside person, Claudius would not be traced. |
| Of what importance is the first appearance of Fortinbras? What points of comparison and contrast are suggested between him and hamlet? | His appearance draws similarities between Hamlet and Fortinbras. King Hamlet and King Fortinbras both die. Both are trying to get revenge for their father’s death. Hamlet stabs Claudius with a poisoned sword and forces him to drink the last of the poisoned wine. Fortinbras goes out and conquers other countries. Both princes are trying to take back what is theirs. Both the throne of Hamlet and Fortinbras was taken by their uncles. Hamlet did nothing for revenge and does nothing in action. |
| What is young Fortinbras fighting for/ why is it worth it to him? | Young Fortinbras is fighting for Poland and he wants his troops to move across Denmark. However, the land is only worth 5 ducats. He is doing it because his father was killed and he is seeking revenge but Hamlet claims that he is truly doing this for no reason. Small land worth nothing. He wants it for his pride and honor. Told he is not allowed to invade Denmark |
| Hamlet is frustrated with his own inaction. Why do you think he has such a hard time getting things done? | He has such a hard time getting things done because of his inability to paint a clear plan to accomplish what he desires. He is scared of what might happen and is waiting for things to just magically resolve. He is constantly waging war against himself, overthinking every situation. He is withered. |
| This scene is a break from the action of the play, but not from its theme. How does fortinbras’ situation compare and contrast to hamlet’s? | He sees that he and Fortinbras share the same desire to avenge their fathers’ deaths. They are both equally motivated and have clear thoughts even in the midst of madness. |
| “O, from this time forth, My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth.” | Spoken by Hamlet to reassert his mission and desire to seek revenge. Either think about killing or no point. |
| “We go to gain a little patch of ground That hath in it no profit but the name.” | Spoken by Fortinbras to show that he just wants the profit of the land for namesake but not for an actual reason. |
| DESCRIBE OPHELIA’S RECENT ODD BEHAVIOR. | She is singing about love and death and is on the verge of suicide. This is done in front of Claudius and Gertrude and everything she has gone through along with the pain of her love life has added to the intensity and contributes to why she does this now. She also makes odd remarks that do not make any sense. A gentleman reports that Ophelia has been talking about her murdered father a lot and says there are conspiracies in Denmark. She babbles, coughs, and beats her heart. Her words are meaningless, yet some people are trying to make sense out of her words because they seem to suggest something bad for the state of Denmark. People are worried about Ophelia, who seems to have lost her mind. Feels bad for her |
| queen GERTRUDE DOESN’T WANT TO SEE OPHELIA, BUT RELENTS, WHY? | She relents in seeing Ophelia because it might turn people in the kingdom against the royal couple. She is just mad that Hamlet, a lover of Ophelia, killed her own father Polonius. |
| WHAT ARE THE SUBJECTS OF OPHELIA’S SONGS THAT SHE SINGS FOR GERTRUDE AND CLAUDIUS? | The subjects of the songs that Ophelia sings for Gertrude and Claudius are love and death. She sings about both a dead man and a heartbroken young woman who slept with a man in the hopes that he would marry her. Sadly, he dumps her after they’ve had sex, saying that he would have married her if she had not had sex with him. Claudius thinks she’s upset because of Polonius’ death. She’s also upset by Hamlet’s harsh rejection and cruel mocking of her. Love with hamlet, flowers, |
| EXPLAIN HOW THE REACTIONS OF OPHELIA AND LAERTES TO THEIR FATHER’S MURDER ARE USED TO MIRROR AND AMPLIFY HAMLET’S REACTION TO KING HAMLET’S MURDER. | Hamlet is slow and thinks deeply about the murder of his father even more. Ophelia is ready for revenge while Ophelia has gone mad and crazy. Both Ophelia and Laertes serve as foils here. Hamlet even pretends to be mad, But Ophelia is truly driven insane. Hamlet thinks about confronting Claudius and exacting his revenge, but Laertes actually moves quickly toward the same goal. In both cases, the echo of Hamlet’s deceit and inaction should be strong for the audience. |
| EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED WHILE HAMLET WAS AT SEA, SAILING TO England. | Horatio is going to Hamlet (Denmark to England boat with rose and Guildenstern. Pirates attack their ship and they will bring hamlet back. I have words to speak to thine ear that will make you dumb. I have much |
| LAERTES Accept CLAUDIUS’ STATEMENT THAT HAMLET IS THEIR MUTUAL ENEMY, BUT LAERTES WONDERS WHY CLAUDIUS DIDN’T TAKE ACTION Against HAMLET SOONER. WHAT ARE THE TWO REASONS THAT CLAUDIUS GIVES TO EXPLAIN HIS INACTION IN PUNISHING HAMLET? | The reason is that it is his wife’s son and she loves him. It looks bad to look for halmet because the public loves hamlet |
| LAERTES IS WELL-KNOWN FOR HAVING Skill IN A PARTICULAR SPORT. WHAT IS IT? HOW WILL THIS FACTOR INTO CLAUDIUS’ PLAN TO HAVE HAMLET KILLED AND MAKE IT LOOK LIKE AN ACCIDENT? | Laertes is known for his dueling skillsHe will stab Hamlet with a poisoned sword so it looks like Laertes gave a fatal hit rather than it be on purpose |
| WHAT IS INTERESTING ABOUT CLAUDIUS’ PREFERRED METHOD OF KILLING PEOPLE? WHAT DOES THIS SHOW US ABOUT THE MAN? | He prefers to kill people in a church and through unmanly ways. It shows that he doesn’t take the hard way only the easy way |
| DESCRIBE OPHELIA’S DROWNING. DO YOU THINK HER DEATH WAS AN ACCIDENT OR A SUICIDE? | Ophelia drowned herself in the river. Slowly going down. If someone saw her, why did no one help her. |
| “Too much of water hast thou ophelia” | Spoken by Laertes (4.7.): Her crying and the water |
| At the beginning of the scene, two gravediggers are talking about Ophelia’s death. Why is one of the gravediggers irritated that Ophelia will be given a Christian burial in the graveyard? | They are talking about the burial because if it was a sucide you are not allowed to be buried in a Chrisitian burial. |
| In your own words, retell one of the jokes or one of the puns told by the Gravediggers. | if they said adam had dug, then he definitely had armsIn the gallows there are 1000 tenants, so it is better built |
| Why would Shakespeare open the final act of this tragedy with the comic banter between thegravediggers and Hamlet? | Comic relief from ophelia’s death |
| Find Shakespeare’s joke about his fellow Englishmen. Paraphrase the passage that likely would havemade his Elizabethan audience chuckle. | There the men are as mad as he – gravedigger |
| Who was Yorick? To Hamlet, how is this man just the same as Alexander the Great? | This guy was a great person and now he is dead; yorick was the jester, made everyone laugh |
| What lines show that Polonius was wrong about his advice to Ophelia that Hamlet was out of herleague/social class? Do you believe that Gertrude is telling the truth? | “I hoped thou shouldst have been my Hamlet’s wife” |
| What is the priest’s attitude about giving Christian burial rites to Ophelia? What is Laertes’ response tothe priest? | They don’t know why she died so she really shouldn’t be buried here |
| Hamlet is irritated by Laertes’ heavy show of grief and says that he loved Ophelia more than 40,000 brothers could have loved her. List four of the things Hamlet says he’s willing to do to prove that his lovefor Ophelia was stronger than Laertes’ love. | FightFastKill himselfDrink vinegar |
Act 4 and 5 Hamlet
August 2, 2019