1. HAMLET ACT II FOCUS QUESTIONS

2. #1: IT’S COMPLICATED A LOT happens in Act II, sc. ii. A new action begins at each of the following lines: 1, 43, 99, 186, 239, 315, 392, 561, and 623. Use these lines to identify the separate events in the scene and write a single summary sentence about each.

3. #2: PLEASE RELEASE ME, LET ME GO In what sense is Denmark a “prison” for Hamlet? How/why does he feel imprisoned?

4. #3: BIG THEMES: MADNESS What different reasons are given for Hamlet’s strange behavior? Do you believe Hamlet is truly “crazy,” or simply reacting to the maddening circumstances he finds himself in? Provide specific examples and quotes from the text to support your assertion.

5. #4: BIG THEMES: LOYALTY AND BETRAYAL Identify the actions/interactions that deal with the idea of loyalty and betrayal in Act II. What do people’s actions tell you about the nature of life in the Danish court? What values/ideas are most important to different people?

6. #5: SAY IT IN PLAIN ENGLISH Read Hamlet’s soliloquy that wraps up Act II, sc. ii. What is he saying in plain English? Use bullet points; 5-6 main ideas