Hamlet Unit Study Guide

Hamlet Unit Study Guide
Dramatic Arts Mrs. Prange

Hamlet - Table of Contents
Background Info – William Shakespeare Background Info – The Play Famous Quotes Act 1 Act 2 Act 3 Act 4 Act 5 Themes Questions for each act(shorter study guide):

William Shakespeare – Bio Info
Born April 23rd, 1564 in Stratford on Avon Parents were John Shakespeare and Mary Arden. John Shakespeare was moderately wealthy and held a few political offices. Shakespeare was educated in grammar school in Stratford. Little is known about Shakespeare’s boyhood. Very few records. Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway when he was 18. She was seven or eight years older than him Very little is known about Shakespeare during the early years of his marriage except that he had a daughter and twins (boy and girl) in his first five years of marriage

William Shakespeare – Bio Info
By 1594, Shakespeare was a well- established playwright in London. He became a member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men in 1594. He was a shareholder in the Globe theatre, so he had three sources of income: the sale of his plays, his wages as an actor, a share in the profits of the acting company. Shakespeare became moderately wealthy as an actor/playwright and moved back to Stratford in 1597, even though he stayed involved with drama. His only son, Hamnet, died in 1596 at the age of 11. Shakespeare retired permanently to Stratford in 1611, and eventually died on his birthday on April 23, 1616.

Hamlet – The Play Hamlet is the most popular of all Shakespeare’s plays. It has been performed and translated more than any play in the world More has been written about Hamlet than any other play Much of the discussion about the play centers on Hamlet’s inability to act when he finds out his father has been murdered by his uncle Hamlet is portrayed as an educated young man who must think things through before he acts Shakespeare did not invent the plot of Hamlet, but like many dramatists of his time, borrowed the action for a play of his own. Eventually, it was published under his name in The First Folio. Hamlet is widely regarded as the finest of all English tragedies.

Hamlet – The Play Its famous phrase, “To be or not to be,” is the most quoted phrase in the English language Hamlet has inspired 26 ballets, six operas, and dozens of musical works. There have also been more than 45 movie versions. It is Shakespeare’s longest play. Uncut, it would take between four and a half and five hours to perform. The play takes place in Denmark in pre- Viking times, somewhere between

Famous Quotations ACT 1 WHO SAID THE FOLLOWING LINES?
Frailty, thy name is woman. Hamlet A countenance more in sorrow than in anger. Horatio Give every man thy ear but few thy voice. Polonius This above all, to thine own self be true. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Marcellus

Famous Quotations Act 1 (cont.)
There are more things in heaven and earth Horatio/Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Hamlet I am native here and to the manner born. O cursed spite that ever I was born to set it right. I do not set my life at a pin’s fee;/And for my soul, what can it do to that? …foul deeds shall rise/Though all the earth or’whelm them to men’s eyes. The serpent that did sting thy father’s life/Now wears his crown. Ghost of Hamlet

ABOUT WHOM WERE THE FOLLOWING LINES SPOKEN? But two months dead, nay, not so much, not two:/So excellent a king. King Hamlet Frailty, thy name is woman. Gertrude For he himself is subject to his birth. Hamlet

Thou comest in such questionable shape/That I will speak to thee. Ghost of Hamlet Thus was I sleeping, by a brother’s hand/Of life, of crown, of queen at once dispatched. O villain, villain, smiling damned villain. Claudius The serpent that did sting thy father’s life/Now wears his crown.

TO WHOM WERE THE FOLLOWING LINES SPOKEN? The serpent that did sting thy father’s life/Now wears his crown. Hamlet A countenance more in sorrow than in anger. Give every man thy ear but few thy voice. Laertes

There are more things in heaven and earth…/Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Horatio You are the immediate to the throne, Hamlet But break my heart for I must hold my tongue. Hamlet; soliloquy From this time/Be somewhat scanter of your maiden presence. Ophelia

Famous Quotations Act 2 WHO SAID THE FOLLOWING LINES?
I hold my duty as I hold my soul/Both to my God and to my gracious king. Polonius Brevity is the soul of wit. Lord Hamlet is a Prince out of thy star. …there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. Hamlet …I hold ambition of so airy and light a quality that it is but a shadow’s shadow. Rosencrantz

What a piece of work is a man. How noble in reason! Hamlet Am I a coward? The plays the thing. Words. Words. Words. O that a rogue and peasant slave am I.

ABOUT WHOM ARE THE FOLLOWING LINES SPOKEN? No hat upon his head; his stocking foul’d./Ungartered…pale as a shirt, his knees knocking together. Hamlet I did repel his letters and denied his access to me. And he…fell into a sadness, then into a fast. Thence to a watch, thence into a weakness, thence to a lightness and…into madness.

TO WHOM ARE THE FOLLOWING LINES SPOKEN? Lord Hamlet is a Prince out of thy star. (Originally who was this said to?) Ophelia Come, go we to the king: This must be known. What have you, my good friends, deserved at the hands of Fortune, that she sends you to prison hither? Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

To be or not to be, that is the question. Hamlet Thus conscience does make cowards of us all. Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind. Ophelia Get thee to a nunnery: why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? Madness in great ones must not unwatched go. Claudius

My words fly up; my thoughts remain below. Claudius Oh throw away the worser part of it/And live the purer with the other half. Hamlet I must be cruel, only to be kind/Thus bad begins and worse remains behind. How now. A rat! Let me be cruel, not unnatural. It hath the primal eldest curse upon it/A brother’s murder.

TO WHOM WERE THE FOLLOWING LINES SPOKEN? Get thee to a nunnery; why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? Ophelia Thou hast cleft my heart in twain. Hamlet I took thee for thy better. Polonius ABOUT WHOM ARE THE FOLLOWING LINES SPOKEN? England…may not endure hazard so dangerous as doth hourly grow out of HIS lunacies. Look here, what grace was seated on this brow…the front of Jove himself…This was your HUSBAND. King Hamlet

At his head a grass green turf; at his feet a stone. Ophelia When sorrows come, the come not single spies/But in battalions. Claudius There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance. I do not know why yet I live to say “This thing’s to do.” Hamlet Too much of water hast thou, poor Ophelia. Laertes

Famous Quotations ABOUT WHOM ARE THE FOLLOWING LINES SPOKEN?
Act 4 (cont.) TO WHOM ARE THE FOLLOWING LINES SPOKEN? One woe doth tread upon another’s heel, so fast they follow:/Your sister’s dead… Laertes I have words to speak in thine ears which make thee dumb. Horatio ABOUT WHOM ARE THE FOLLOWING LINES SPOKEN? Compounded it with dust, where to ‘tis kin. Polonius Whips out his rapier, cries “A rat. A rat.” Hamlet Not where he eats, but where he is eaten. You shall nose him as you go up the stairs into the lobby.

If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart/Absent thee from felicity awhile. Hamlet Their defeat does by their own insinuation grow. Alas, poor Yorik, I knew him. I tell thee churlish priest,/A ministering angel shall my sister be/When thou liest howling. Laertes I hoped thou should’st have been…Hamlet’s wife. Gertrude There’s a divinity that shapes our ends,/Rough hew them how we will.

TO WHOM ARE THE FOLLOWING LINES SPOKEN? If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart,/Absent thee from felicity awhile,/And in the harsh world draw thy breath in pain/To tell my story. Horatio ABOUT WHOM ARE THE FOLLOWING LINES SPOKEN? Their defeat does by their own insinuation grow. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern One that was a woman sir. Ophelia He hath wagered six Barbary horses…against…six French rapiers. Claudius

Act 1 Questions Scene 1 What is the mood at the beginning of Act 1?
eerie and tense Identify Bernardo, Francisco, Marcellus, Horatio, and King Hamlet. Bernardo, Francisco, and Marcellus are soldiers on watch at the castle Horatio is an educated man that is a friend of Hamlet King Hamlet is Hamlet’s father who has recently died and caused the state of impending war What has Bernardo seen at a prior watch? Ghost/apparition that looks like the dead king Why does Marcellus think Horatio should speak to the ghost? Horatio is a college student and can understand Latin What does young Fortinbras want to do? Get back the land his father lost to the King Hamlet Who do the soldiers/guards want to tell about the ghost? Hamlet

Act 1 Questions Scene 2 Identify King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, Laertes and Polonius. Claudius is the brother of King Hamlet who has married Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude. Polonius is the counselor to Claudius; his son is Laertes Where does Claudius send Cornelius and Voltimand? To Norway, delivering a letter to Fortinbras’ uncle to prevent the war What does the King tell Hamlet? That it is not natural or right to grieve for a dead father for an extended period of time Hamlet is upset for two reasons. What are they? He is disgusted by the marriage of his mother to his uncle after such a short period of mourning for King Hamlet

Act 1 Questions Scene 2 (cont.)
Why does the world look “weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable” to Hamlet? See #10; He wants to kill himself, but is against God’s laws How does Hamlet describe his uncle in comparison with his father? Doesn’t compare, would be like comparing Hamlet to Hercules How does Hamlet describe the relationship of Claudius and Gertrude? Incestuous; nothing good will come of it What news does Horatio bring to Hamlet? The ghost of his father has been seen at watch; it is dressed in armor from head to toe

Act 1 Questions Scene 2 (cont.)
What does Hamlet decide to do after he hears Horatio’s news? He will watch that night and try to talk to the ghost

Act 1 Questions Scene 3 What is the advice/effect of Laertes' talk with Ophelia in Scene 3? Don’t get to close with Hamlet; He must be loyal to Denmark(Royal family) She agrees with her father’s request to stop seeing Hamlet What is the advice/significance of Polonius' advice to Laertes? Don’t be quick to act; don’t say what you’re thinking; be friendly, but don’t over do it; keep good friends; clothes make the man; don’t lend/borrow money He is trying to make his son into a well-meaning, responsible young man At the end of Scene 3, Ophelia agrees to ‘obey.’ What will she do? She will limit her time and feeling with Hamlet; he is young and has time before he marries; Polonius does not want her to embarrass him

Act 1 Questions Scene 4 and 5
What information does the ghost add that increases the grief? That he was murdered by his own brother and that Claudius had already seduced Gertrude before King Hamlet was killed. Hamlet swears Horatio to two things. What are they? They must never mention what was seen that night They must never make comment on Hamlet’s future behavior

Act 2 Questions Scene 1 Where does Polonius send Reynaldo? Why?
Paris; to spy on Laertes actions and who he spends his time and where Why does Polonius think Hamlet is “mad”? Hamlet is in love with Ophelia, but she has turned him away as her father requested. Are Claudius and Gertrude persuaded that Hamlet is mad? They just know that he’s not acting as himself and they want to know why

Act 2 Questions (cont.) Scene 2
4. Why have Rosencrantz and Guildenstern come to the castle? To spy on Hamlet and find a reason to his actions 5. What is Plonius’ plan for testing his theory that Hamlet is love crazy? Find a way to get the two of them in the same room and watch what happens from a hidden location 6. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern finally meet with Hamlet, and Hamlet discovers they were sent for by the King. How does Hamlet describe his personal problems to them? He finds no pleasure in the world; he knows that it offers beautiful things but cannot enjoy them.

Act 2 Questions 7. What arrangement does Hamlet make with Player 1? To play “The Death of Gonzago” and insert some lines that Hamlet writes down 8. Why does Hamlet want Player 1 to recite the speech he picks out? It’s the story of a wife mourning her husband which Hamlet’s mother did not do for his father. 9. Why is Hamlet so moved by the story of Hecuba? See #8 10. After Rosencrantz and Guildenstern leave Hamlet, he outlines his new plan to “catch the conscience of the king.” What is his plan? The play will mimic the story the ghost told Hamlet. He will watch Claudius to detect any guilt and follow through with his vengeance

Act 3 Questions Scene 1 What message do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern carry to the King? That Hamlet has not told them the cause of his madness. He is free with his answers but he craftily evades answering directly What is the King’s response? The King tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to encourage Hamlet to participate in things he enjoys (like drama). He tells Gertrude that Polonius and he are going to spy on a conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia What does Hamlet’s soliloquy in Scene 1 (“To be, or not to be”) reveal about his attitude toward revenge? Many times people back away from vengeance because of the fear of death What specific misgiving does he voice about seeking revenge for his father’s death? He is not absolutely sure of Claudius’s guilt; he fears the devil may be trying to trick him Describe Hamlet’s tone when he speaks to Ophelia. Formal; bitter; condescending; disgust

Act 3 Questions (cont.) What do the King and Polonius decide about Hamlet’s condition after eavesdropping on Hamlet and Ophelia? The King decides Hamlet is not mad, and therefore he is dangerous. Claudius decides, because of the urgings of Polonius, to send him to England, but only after meeting with Gertrude. Scene 2 Why does Hamlet give instructions to the players? He wants to make sure the play is as life-like as possible so he can accurately gauge Claudius’s guilt. If it is not played well, Claudius will not react What was the King’s reaction to the play? He shouts for light and then storms out. Later, we find out he is very angry with Hamlet and is now certain Hamlet knows of his treacherous act What did Hamlet and Horatio decide his reaction meant? That he was guilty of murdering King Hamlet What message does Rosencrantz deliver from the Queen? That Hamlet’s behavior has paralyzed her with astonishment and she wants to speak with him before bed

The King has Rosencrantz and Guildenstern prepare to do what? Why? To accompany Hamlet to England. Because he has become dangerous to the king in his madness (although Claudius is just using this as a plausible excuse to get rid of him) Why doesn’t Hamlet kill the King when the King is kneeling? Because he thinks that Claudius has begged forgiveness for his sins and he wants to make sure he kills him at a time when he has not had a chance to atone for his sins Scene 4 How does Polonius die? He is stabbed by Hamlet while hiding behind a curtain eavesdropping on Hamlet and Ophelia How does the murder of Polonius further complicate Hamlet’s revenge? It will make Claudius even more wary of Hamlet and he now almost has to ship Hamlet to England, which will make the act of revenge more difficult What would Hamlet have his mother do? He want her to repent for her sins and to give up Claudius – or at least give up sleeping with him

Act 4 Questions Scene 2 What does Hamlet think of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? He thinks they are just pawns of the king (sponges); he does not think a king’s son should be asked questions he does not want to answer Scene 3 Why must the King “not put the strong arm on” Hamlet for the murder of Polonius? Gertrude’s world revolves around Hamlet The commoner’s love Hamlet and would not stand for it When the King asks Hamlet where Polonius is, what is Hamlet’s answer? At supper – not where he eats, but where he is eaten If you find him not within the month, you shall nose him as you go up the stairs into the lobby What is the content of the letters the King sends with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to England with Hamlet? He asks the recipient of the letters to murder Hamlet Scene 4 What prompts Hamlet to say, “My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth!”? The fact that Fortinbras is willing to sacrifice his life and the lives of 2,000 others for honor and for a piece of land that is worth nothing

Act 4 Questions (cont.) Scene 5 What has happened to Ophelia?
She has gone mad from the death of her father and the loss of her lover Why does Laertes force his way in? What does he want? He is angry at Claudius for not avenging his father’s death He wants to take the crown of Denmark Scene 6 What is the content of Hamlet’s letter to Horatio? He has been captured by pirates who are holding him for ransom and that he has important news about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Scene 7 What plan do the King and Laertes discuss to kill Hamlet? Laertes will enter into a fencing match against Hamlet with a poisoned sword. If he is not able to kill him, Claudius will offer Hamlet a poisoned drink during a break in the action What news does the Queen bring Laertes? Ophelia has drowned in a river trying to hang garland on a tree

Act 5 Questions Scene 1 1. What attitude toward death does Hamlet reveal as he speaks of Yorick’s skull and of Alexander as a plug of earth “to stop a beer barrel”? Despite what we do in life in death there is nothing; we all end up the same 2. Laertes thinks that Ophelia should have a better funeral service. What is the priest’s answer? Her death is questionable; they are lucky she is getting what she has 3. Hamlet mentions a “special providence in the fall of a sparrow.” “Providence” is God’s guidance over earthy events. How would a belief in providence affect Hamlet’s seeking of revenge? Is it God’s will that revenge is sought? Is it Claudius’ time to die or not? 4. Why does Hamlet jump into Ophelia’s grave? to show how much he loved Ophelia compared to the exaggerating Laertes 5. What does the King say to Laertes to console him after Laertes and Hamlet are separated? Be patient, you will have your time with Hamlet

6. What did Hamlet do to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? Switched the letter so they would be killed when arriving to England 7. Talking to Horatio, Hamlet refers to “th’ election.” What difference does it make that the crown of Denmark passes by election, not heredity? The people have the choice, it doesn’t require family heir 8. What do Laertes and Claudius do to manipulate the outcome of the duel? Laeartes will have a poisoned sword with a non- blunted tip. Claudius will have poison wine. 9. What news does Osric bring Hamlet? The king has wagered that Hamlet will beat Laertes 10. Why does Gertrude drink from the cup? Toast to Hamlet

Act 5 Questions (cont.) 11. What is Hamlet’s last word? “The rest is silence” 12. Why does it matter who tells Hamlet’s story after he dies? Horatio is the only one who knew the whole story 13. How are the stories of Hamlet, Fortinbras, and Laertes similar? All of them seek revenge for their fathers 14. Who does Hamlet recommend to the throne? Fortinbras 15. Has the Danish monarchy been saved, and if so, from what? Opinion

Hamlet Unit Study Guide

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