| Years of Shakespeare life | 1564-1616 |
| Where did Shakespeare live? | Stratford on Avon, England |
| Name of his Wife | Anne Hathaway |
| When was Hamlet written | 1601 |
| Who was the monarch during this era | Elizabeth I |
| other things going on during this era | There was a theater company that put on these tragedies plays with children as their cast, which ran some other theater companies out of business (HENCE the traveling theater company in Hamlet) |
| What are the original origins of Hamlet | Historae Danicae (Danes 12th century)Histories Tragiques (French)Ur-Hamlet (by Thomas Kyd)Anolothi (Norse legend) |
| What are the possible interpretations of Hamlet’s character | -the victim of external difficulties (claudius is too powerful)-The sentimental dreamer (too much thinking)-victim of excessive Melancholy (depressed/mentally unstable)-victim of Oedipus Complex-motivated by ambition (do anything to be king)-misled by ghost (not honest ghost) |
| What are the themes in Hamlet | Destiny and Purpose of Life Madness an SanityAppearance vs. RealityRole of WomenRights and Duties of Kinship Poison and corruption (decay and disease) |
| How is Act I the Exposition | we learn the background of what has happened to Claudius and Hamlet’s father how he is remarried and now the king instead of HamletGHOST WANTS HAMLET TO TAKE REVENGE |
| How is Act II the Rising Action | Hamlet was entrusted with getting revenge and killing the king so we know that is coming all of the acts of entrapment |
| How is Act III the Climax and Dramatic Reverse | Climax: when Hamlet could’ve killed Claudius but he didn’t Dramatic Reverse: when Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius |
| How is Act IV falling action | Laertes comes back after he finds out and wants revenge (King helps and guides him with that)Ophelia is so mad that it eventually leads to her death |
| How is Act V the catastrophe | Laertes, King, Queen, Hamlet all die in the end because of the plots of Laertes and the King |
| What are the 6 elements of a Shakespearean tragedy | revenge motiveinternal and external conflicts comic relief Tragic hero/flaw/mistake Supernatural elementChance happenings |
| What is the revenge motive in the play | Claudius killed Hamlet’s father and Hamlet is getting revenge for him |
| What are the internal and external conflicts in the play | Internal: Hamlet debates whether to kill Claudius when he is prayingExternal: Claudius and Hamlet are very opposed to each other and fortinbras |
| What is Comic relief in Hamlet? | the gravedigger scene after polonius’ death |
| Who is the tragic hero? | Hamlet |
| What is Hamlet’s tragic flaw? | his procrastination of taking actions of revenge |
| What is the supernatural element in Hamlet | the ghost of King Hamlet |
| What are chance happenings in Hamlet | the pirates just happen to be there to “capture” Hamlet and bring him back to Denmark instead of going all the way to England |
| What are the steps taken for a perfect revenge | 1. victim must be tortured mentally and physically 2. Victim must be damned after death3. Person who takes revenge must damn his own soul |
| “A little more than kin and less than kind” | Hamlet as an aside the marriage made he and thing closer as a family but it isn’t right because it’s viewed as incestuous |
| “O, that this too solid flesh would melt” | Hamlet in soliloquy wishes he could die/if he killed himself he wouldn’t be damned |
| Act I scene ii lines 75-88 on “seeming” | Hamlet to Gertrudesays that he doesn’t just “seem” sad he is (and has a reason to be!!)this relates back to appearance vs reality |
| “fraility thy name is woman” | Hamlet to himself He says that the queen is weak because she couldn’t even wait a month to get married to another (needs to depend on a man) |
| “To thine ownself be true. Neither a borrower or a lender be” | Polonius to Laertes He says that he shouldn’t take one side or the other, but still try to stay true to himself |
| “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” | Marcellus to Horatiobecause the ghost keeps appearing (bad omens etc.) he knows there is something bad going on/CORRUPTION HAPPENING |
| “The serpent that did sting thy father now wears his crown” | Ghost to Hamlet the person that killed Hamlets father is now the kind (AKA CLAUDIUS) |
| “there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio than are dreamt of in your philosophy” | Hamlet to Horatiosaying that neither of them know anything in the world or what could happen (never thought a ghost would come back but he did) |
| “And thus do we…by indirections find directions out” | Polonius to Ronaldo Polonius (of course) thinks he needs to spy/be secretive to find information out |
| “brevity is the soul of wit” | Polonius to the King says that using less words is more intelligent, relating that polonius babbles on forever, meaning he’s less intelligent |
| “the play’s the thing” | hamlet to himself the manner of how he acts (crazy/mad) is the thing that is going to get him information |
| “through this madness, yet there’s method in it” | Polonius to himself he knows that there is a purpose to Hamlet’s madness, he is still smart even though he is mad |
| “there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so” | Hamlet to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern nothing is inherently good or bad, but your attitude is why you see things as good or bad |
| “what a piece of work is man, how noble in reason how infinite in faculty” | Hamlet to Rosencrants and Guildenstern man has potential to be a masterpiece but also be very evil |
| “O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I” | Hamlet he says that he is going against following in the footstep of his father (by acting mad and having alterior motives, hes acting more as a peasant than as royalty) |
| “the play’s the thing, wherein I’ll catch the king” | Hamlet to himselfthe play the people put on is the way he will catch the king in his evil deeds |
| “to be or not to be” | Hamlet in soliloquyto die or to stay alive… |
| “to the noble mind, rich gifts wax when givers prove unkind” | Ophelia to Hamlet these are nice gifts that he gave but they are no longer together |
| “give thee to a nunnery” | Hamlet to OpheliaHamlet does not want Ophelia to be with any man and doesn’t think she should no longer pursue men, but rather become a nun |
| “madness in great ones must not unwatched go” | Claudius to polonius madness in great/influential people must have a reason to be mad and should be watched closely (AKA HAMLET) |
| “give me that man/that’s not passion’s slave” | Hamlet to HoratioHe says that Horatio is level headed (not driven by emotions like Hamlet) and Hamlet is grateful to have him |
| “the lady doth protest too much methinks” | Queen to Hamletsays that if you protest too much, you are saying the opposite of what you mean |
| “why look you now how unworthy a thing you make of me! You would play upon me; you would seem to know my stops; you would pluck out the heart of the mystery” | Hamlet to Guildenstern He means that he can “trick” and play Hamlet and thinks he knows everything about Hamlet but he cannot do something as simple as play the recorder |
| “I will speak daggars to her but use none” | Hamlet to PoloniusShe will be rude/mean to the Queen but will do nothing to harm her |
| “my words fly up, my thought remain below” | King to himself he says that he sends his words up to heaven, but his true thoughts remain on the Earth (meaning he’s not really sorry) for his deeds |
| “Oh what a rash and bloody deed this is” | Queen to Hamlet She is saying how cruel it was that Hamlet killed Polonius |
| “I must be cruel only to be kind” | Hamlet to Queenbeing negative and cruel, but has a good interest for a possible outcome of the situation |
| “let it work; for tis the sport to have the engineer hoise with his own petar and t shall go hard…” | Hamlet to Queen Rosencranz and Guildenstern’s plan is going to backfire on them |
| “he’s loved of the distracted multitude who like not in their judgement but their eyes” | King to himself Hamlet looks like his father and he is popular with the people, because they have watched him grow up, so Claudius cannot kill him |
| “from this time forth my thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth” | Hamlet to himself He has more reason to take action than the soldiers in the army, so he is for sure going to take revenge now (took him long enough!!) |
| “no place indeed should murder santuarize Revenge should have no bounds” | King Claudius to Laertes he says that Laetes should kill hamlet anywhere and do whatever to take revenge (ironic) |
| “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio” | Hamlet to HoratioHe is examining his skull and comments on how awful they are treating his dead body and how he loved him/played with him when he was alive RELATES THAT DEATH IS AN EQUALIZER |
| “sweets to the sweet” | Queen to the dead Ophelia She is saying goodbye to Ophelia and lays flowers on her grave because she is so connected to flowers |
| “there’s divinity that shapes our ends…rough hew them how we will” | Hamlet to Horatiohe is saying that there is a greater power that controls your destiny and life (unavoidable) |
| “the readiness is all” | Hamlet to Horatio Hamlet says that death is inevitable and is ready for whatever outcome is to happen |
| “report me and my cause aright to the unsatisfied” | Hamlet to Horatioas hamlet is dying he tells Horatio to stay alive to tell his story (the true story) |
| “Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince/and flights of angels sing to thy rest” | Horatio to dead Hamlet saying that he was such a noble person/prince and instead of being damned he will be greeted by angels |
| “for he was likely, had he been put on,/to have proved most royal” | Fortinbras to Horatioif hamlet would have been king he would have been an amazing king for the entire kingdom |
| What flowers does Ophelia give to Laertes? What are their meanings” | Rosemary=remebrance Dansies=thoughts and memories |
| What flowers does Ophelia give to Claudius? What are their meanings | fennel: flatter (he is easily flattered)columbine: ingratitude |
| What flowers does Ophelia give to Gertrude? What do they mean | rue: sorrow daisies: adultery |
| What flowers did Ophelia not give to anyone? What is its meaning? | violets: faithfulness |
| (ACT I) According to Horatio, what are the reasons that ghosts normally return? What is the reason that King’s ghost returns? | 1. good deed left undone2. warn country of something bad3. left treasure behind 4. tell how they died (THIS ONE) |
| What are the first orders of businesses of Claudius as king | 1. Fortinbras: he is planning on attacking, Claudius is gonna send Cornelius as ambassadors to talk to Old NOrway (his uncle) to prevent conflict 2. Laertes (Son of polonius): was going to school in Paris but comes back for the WEDDING AND CORONATION (not funeral) 3. Hamlet: in very strong melancholy (mourning for his father) and wants to return to school, but King and Queen want him to stay |
| Why would the King Claudius want Hamlet to stay in Denmark rather than go back to school? | keep your friends close, but your enemies closerhe thinks that Hamlet could raise an army |
| How is Horatio a good friend in Act I | he came for the funeral (instead of the coronation)comments on the speed of the marriage shares with Hamlet what has been happening with the ghost |
| What does Laertes tell Ophelia to do in ACT I scene iii? What does Polonius tell Ophelia to do? | L: tells her to break up with Hamlet now before he breaks her heart because he has to marry someone royal (not her)P: he tells her to break up with Hamlet and return all of his letters |
| What does Polonius tell Laertes to do before he leaves in ACT I scene iii? | to not take one side or the other but still be true to himself |
| In Act I scenes iv, what is going on in the outside of the palace vs. the inside? | outside: waiting for ghosts, very eerie and darkinside: party (carousing)shows the corruption in the palace |
| what 3 requests does the ghost make of Hamlet in Act I scene v? | 1. avenge his death 2. don’t do anything to mother (leave her alone because maybe the king still loves her)3. take care of yourself |
| Why would Hamlet act like a madman to find out the truth? | because then he can do and say whatever without his motives being questioned |
| What are the 4 acts of entrapment in Act II? | 1. Polonius sends ronaldo to Paris to spy on Laertes 2. Rosencranz and Guildenstern are invited by the King and Queen to spy on Hamlet (why he is crazy)3. King and Polonius are going to hide behind tapestry and spy on Hamlet and Ophelia 4. Hamlet is going to use the play to catch the King |
| What does Polonius think is the reason for Hamlet’s madness? | he is lovesick for Ophelia |
| What news did Voltaire come back and bring? | Fortinbras wants to march through Denmark and attack the Poles (might be a trap) but Claudius agrees |
| In Act III how does Shakespeare enter his political opinion about the era? | a company of kids began to perform plays, running the adult actors businesses out of business so they travel aroun |
| What are requests Hamlet makes of the actors | to act with emotion but not too much/too little emotion to act “normal” (ironic cuz acting) |
| What is the CLIMAX of the play | when Hamlet could’ve killed the king but he didn’t |
| What is the dramatic reverse? | his innocent killing of polonius (because it turns Ophelia crazy and Laertes after him) |
| What requests does Hamlet make of his mother in ACT III | 1. don’t sleep with Claudius2. don’t tell him the truth about Hamlet’s madness |
| How does shakespeare lighten the mood after Polonius’s death | he makes the somewhat scavenger hunt for the body |
| Why can’t Claudius kill the Hamlet? | because he looks like his father people watched him grow up and they love him |
| What does Hamlet vow to do at the end of his soliloquy in Act IV scene iv? | after seeing how all of Fortinbras army is willing to die for this unimportant cause/land he vows to take action and finally take revenge |
| How does Ophelia act “mad”? | enters with flowers sings about her father/sexual things about Hamlet gives specific flowers to people and cries |
| Who are Hamlet’s foils? | Fortinbras and Laertes and Horatio |
| What is the kings/Laertes’ plan? | have a fencing match and the sword will have poison and he will uncork the sword part way throughif that doesn’t work then he is going to poison his wine |
| How does Ophelia die? | she drowns in the water while reaching for flowers (doesn’t do anything to save herself) |
| How does Polonius die? | while spying on Hamlet and the Queen, Hamlet hears him and blindly kills him through the tapestry |
| What is the purpose of the gravedigger’s scene (Act V scene i) | to provide comic reliefget viewpoint of common peoplegetting audience prepared for the death |
| examples of malapropisms | ergo, but he says ‘argal’ |
| Why is it a debate whether or not Ophelia should be buried | it is possible that she committed suicide but because of her relations to the royal family she can be buried |
| What is death? How? | the ultimate equalizer everyone inevitably dies and when they are buried their bones and ashes look the same, no longer social divisions or anything |
| Who does Hamlet talk about in the graveyard | Yorick Alexander the GreatJulius Caeser |
| How is ironic that Laertes and Hamlet fight over Ophelia’s dead body | if they truly loved her they probably wouldn’t have let her die |
| Who does Hamlet continuously compare himself to throughout the play | Hercules |
| What is Osric known as? | the court “fob”his character is a stereotypical character that everyone will recognize feminist kind of person with no “substance” |
| How does the Queen die | after Hamlet wins the first 2 rounds of the fencing match, he doesn’t drink the poisoned wine. she toasts to hamlet and drinks the poisoned wine |
| How does Laertes die | Hamlet takes control of his poisoned sword after Hamlet is scratched and fatally stabs him, dies pretty soon |
| How does the king die | Hamlet stabs him both with the poisoned sword and makes him swallow the poison wine |
| How does hamlet die | gets scratched by the poison sword |
| What does Hamlet do as his 45 seconds as king | 1. tells horatio to stay alive and tell everyone the true story (leave mother out of it)2. he hears gunshots in the distance and names Fortinbras as king of Denmark |
| example of soliloquy | to be or not to be |
| example of oxymoron | in act I during his coronation/after the wedding Claudius said defeated joy, dirge in marriage |
| example of pun | “is this the fine of fines to have his fine pate full of fine dirt?” |
| example of riddle | “what is he that builds stronger than either the mason, the shipwright, or the carpenter?”the gallowmaker |
| example of apostrophe | in act iv claudius speaks directly to england (because he wants england to kill Hamlet) |
Hamlet Final
September 3, 2019