HAMLET STUDY GUIDE (ACT I – ACT V)

Identify Bernardo, Francisco, and Marcellus. All guards and friends of Hamlet.
Identify Horatio. Best friend of Hamlet and servant of King Hamlet.
Identify King Hamlet. Ghost in the play and father of Prince Hamlet.
What had Bernardo seen at a prior watch? The ghost of King Hamlet.
Why does Marcellus think Horatio should speak to the ghost? Because Horatio is very educated.
What does young Fortinbras want to do? Attack Demark beacuse Kink Hamlet killed his father.
Who do the soldiers/guards want to tell about the ghost? Prince Hamlet
Identify King Claudius and the Queen Gertrude. King Cladius is Prince Hamlet’s uncle and the Queen is his mother.
Identify Laertes and Polonius. Laertes is Polonuis’s son and Polonius is the advisor to the King.
Where does Cladius send Cornelius and Voltimand? To the King of Norway to tell about Fortibras’s plan.
What does the King tell Hamlet? To not mourn about the death of his father and to not go to university.
Hamlet is upset for two reasons. What are they? 1. his father is dead2. his mther married fast and to his uncle
What does Hamlet decide to do after he hears Horatio’s news? He wasnt to see and talk to the ghost.
What is Laertes’ advice to Ophelia? To stay away from Hamlet.
What is Polonuis’ advice to Laertes? To stay true to yourself.
At the end of Act I, Scene III, Ophelia agrees to “obey”. What will she do? Stay away from Hamlet.
What does the ghost tell Hamlet? That King Cladius killed him.
Hamlet swears Horatio to two things. What are they? 1. Not to tell of the ghost2. not to tell he is pretending to be crazy
Where does Polonuis send Reynaldo? Why? To Paris to look around for Laertes and to see if he is up to no good.
Why does Polonuis think Hamlet is “mad”? He is “mad” because of his daughter, Ophelia, rejecting him. Says he is “love sick”.
Why have Rosencrantz and Guildersern come to the castle? To find out why Hamlet is acting “mad”.
What is Polonuis’ plan for testing his theory that Hmelt is love-crazy? Have Hamlet and Ophelia meet and he and the King will hide, “spy”, and eavesdrop on their converstaion.
Rosencrantz and Guilderstern finally meet with Hamlet, and Hamlet discovers they were sent for by the King. How does Hamelt describe his problems to them? What does he tell them? He says that he used to see the world as beautiful but now he sees it differently and he is not attracted to men or women.
What arrangement does Hamlet make with Player 1? He arranges to have several of his own lines put into the play.
After Rosencrantz and Guildersten leave Hamlet, what does he basically say in his soliloquy? He thinks himself a coward for not getting the guts to take revenge.
What message do Rosencrantz and Guilderstern carry to the King? What is the King’s response? They say that Hamlet wishes that the King and Queen got to the play that he has written and the King happily accepts the invitation.
Hamlet’s famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy is in Act III, Scene I. In a sentence or two, paraphrase his main points. He is pondering whether a miserable life is better than the unknowns of death. And he questions who will take the sorrows of life if he dies. (talks about killing himself)
Describe Hamlet’s tone when he speaks to Ophlelia. He is very rude and aggressive towards Ophelia.
What do the King and Polonuis decide about Hamlet’s condition after eavesdropping on Hamlet and Ophelia? They decide that Hamlet is not love sick, but something worse. Something is troubling deep in his soul.
What instructions does Hamlet give to the players? To not over act the parts and to appear as natural and real as possible so it will hit home for the King.
What was the King’s reaction to the play, and what did Hamlet and Horatio decide his reaction meant? The King stood up and ordered the lights on. So they were convinced that the ghost was right about the King killing him.
What message does Rosencrantz deliver from the Queen? The Queen wants to see Hamlet.
The king has Rosencrantz and Guilderstern prepare to do what? Why? They prepare to take Hamlet to England to kill him because the King feel threatened and wants him dead.
Why doesn’t Hamlet kill the King when the King is kneeling? He wants the King to die without a chance for las confession, just like his father. He believes he is praying.
How does Polonius die? He is behind the curtains of the Queen’s room while the Queen and Hamlet are speaking. Then he makes a noise, thinking it was the King, Hamlet stabs Polonius through the curtain.
What would Hamlet have his mother do? To at least not sleep with Cladius
What does Hamlet think of Rosencrantz and Guilderstern? He describes them as “sponges”, soaking up the King’s words, commands, and gifts. He believes them to be weak and not smart to see that the King is using them.
Why must the King “not put the strong arm on” Hamlet? Because Hamlet’s mother truly loves him and wants no harm done to him. Also, the people of Denmark love him.
When the King asks Hamlet where Polonius is, what is Hamlet’s answer? “Not where he eats, but where he is eaten”. He tell him to look for him in Heaven and if he is ot there look in Hell.
What is the content of the letters the King send with Rosencrantz and Guilderstern to England with Hamlet? Hamlet is to be killed as soon as he reaches England.
What prompts Hamlet to say “My thoughts be bloody or nothing worth!”? His father is dead because Claudius murdered him, his mother is in an incestuous marriage, and the soliders are going to kill each other over a small, insignificant piece of land.
What has happened to Ophelia? She has gone crazy.
Why does Laertes force his way in? What does he want? He wants revenge for his father’s death.
What is the content of Hamlet’s letter to Horatio? He says he is a prisoner on a pirates ship but he is treated well. And he wants Horatio to give the letters he wrote to the King and Queen.
What plan do the King and Laertes discuss to kill Hamlet? They will set up a dual between Laertes and Hamlet where Laertes will honorably kill Hamlet and if he does not die, the King will poison Hamlet.
What news does the Queen bring Laertes? Ophelia has died by means of drowning.
Laertes thinks that Ophelia should have had a better funneral service. What is the priest’s answer? That she is lucky to have had the service she did, considering the nature of her death.
Why does Hamlet jump into Ophelia’s grave? To show that his sorrow is as great as Laertes’.
What does the King say to Laertes to console him after Laretes and Hamlet are separtated? He says not to worry, he will have the chance to kill Hamlet. One way or another, Hamlet will die.
What did Hamlet do to Rosencrantz and Guilderstern? He replaced their letters that said to exucute Hamlet to say to execute them.
what news does Osric bring Hamlet? A wager has been made on Hamlet’s behalf in a contest between Hamlet and Laertes.
What happens to the King, Hamlet, Laertes, and the Queen? The King is killed by Hamlet. Hamlet is killed by the poison on Laertes’ sword. Laertes is killed by the poison on his own sword. The Queen is killed by the poison a drink by the King made for Hamet.
Who does Hamlet recommenf to the throne? Young Fortinbras
July 29, 2019