| Futility | the quality of having no useful result; uselessness |
| Signet | a small seal, as on a finger ring |
| According to the second gravedigger (clown), why is the woman whose grave they’re digging being given a Christian burial, even though she committed suicide? | The King (Claudius) ordered it that way, probably because Polonius didn’t get that |
| The gravediggers’ task is a sobering one, but their conversation is humorous. Why do you suppose Shakespeare creates humor at this time? | comic relief for the audience standing there |
| Hamlet asks the gravedigger how long he has been a grave-maker. He replies that he began this work on a very special day. What two things happened on that day? | 1. King Hamlet overcame (killed) Fortinbras.2. Hamlet was born |
| According to the gravedigger, why is England a good place for Hamlet to have been sent? | Because Hamlet was crazy and the people in England will take care of him because they’re just as crazy. |
| Why does the priest insist that the burial service for Ophelia be brief? | Because she committed suicide |
| In the graveyard, as Queen Gertrude is scattering flowers on Ophelia’s grave, what does she say she once hoped would happen? | Gertrude hoped that she would have been throwing flowers at Ophelia and Hamlet’s wedding, not her funeral |
| “Let Hercules himself do what he may, the cat will mew and dog will have his day.” These lines are an example of dramatic irony because: | Hamlet is talking about fighting Laertes, but Claudius and Laertes already planned for them to fight |
| “There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will” What does Hamlet mean in these lines? | People could do bad things to us and it can shape who we are |
| How did Hamlet find out that the king had ordered his death? | He stole the letters from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and read that the letters were telling the people of England to kill Hamlet |
| How was Hamlet to be killed? | He was to be beheaded |
| How was Hamlet able to get the king’s seal (mark of authorization) on his own plan? | He had his father’s signet in his purse |
| Horatio warns Hamlet that Claudius will soon find out what has taken place in England. Hamlet says, “…the interim is mine…” What does he need to do? | He has to kill Claudius |
| Act V, scene i, line 239 – Queen: | “Sweets to the sweet! Farewell.” |
| What is Hamlet’s attitude towards Laertes? | He says he harbors no ill-will towards Laertes because his fight is not against Laertes, it is against Claudius |
| What is Hamlet’s and Horatio’s attitude toward Osric? | They think he is disrespectful |
| Does Hamlet have any misgivings about the fencing match? | “I shall win at the odds” Yes, he is a little anxious about the fight |
| What does Hamlet mean in the following lines?”If it be now, ’tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all. Since no man has aught of what he leaves, what is’t to leave betimes?” | He is finally ready to die and he doesn’t care how it happens because he knows he will die eventually |
| “If it be now, ’tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all. Since no man has aught of what he leaves, what is’t to leave betimes?”To whom is Hamlet speaking to? | Horatio |
| Throughout the play it is clear that Claudius loves Gertrude dearly. Yet in this scene, he tells her not to drink the wine. He does NOT tell her it is poisoned. How do you account for this? | They couldn’t give themselves away |
| What does Horatio want to do when he says “Here’s yet some liquor left.”? | He wants to die |
| Why does Hamlet stop him? | He needs Horatio to live to tell his story |
| Why does Hamlet, as he is dying, take the trouble to name a successor to the throne of Denmark? | He knows Fortinbras is a noble man and will take care of his kingdom |
| What final tribute does Fortinbras give to Hamlet? | He says that Hamlet would have been a great King and they give him a proper funeral |
| List all the characters who have died during the play: | King Hamlet, Polonius, Ophelia, Gertrude, Claudius, Laertes, Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern |
Hamlet Act V
July 14, 2019