Hamlet: Act I Quizimages.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/Schools/TN/HumboldtCitySch… · Web viewHamlet: Act III Quiz. 1. King: “ O, ‘tis true! How smart a lash that speech doth give my

Hamlet Study Guide: Name:__________________________

Hamlet: Act I Quiz

1. Identify Bernardo, Francisco, Marcellus, Horatio, and King Hamlet.

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2. What had Bernardo seen at a prior watch? _______________________________________________

3. Why does Marcellus think Horatio should speak to the ghost? ________________________________

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4. What does young Fortinbras want to do?_________________________________________________

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5. Who do the soldiers/guards want to tell about the ghost? ____________________________________

6. Identify King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, Laertes, and Polonius.

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7. Where does Claudius send Cornelius and Voltimand?_______________________________________

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8. What does the King tell Hamlet?_______________________________________________________

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9. Hamlet is upset for two reasons. What are they?___________________________________________

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10. What news does Horatio bring Hamlet?_________________________________________________

11. What does Hamlet decide to do after he hears Horatio's news?_______________________________

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12. What is Laertes' advice to Ophelia? What does Ophelia tell Laertes not to do? __________________

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13. What is Polonius' advice to Laertes? Is it sensible? _______________________________________

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14. At the end of Scene III, Ophelia agrees to "obey." What will she do? _________________________

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15. What did the ghost tell Hamlet? _______________________________________________________

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16. What does the ghost tell Hamlet not to do? What do you think this is? ________________________

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16. Hamlet swears Horatio to two things. What are they? ______________________________________

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Hamlet: Act II Quiz

1. In the beginning of the act who does Polonius send to spy on Laertes? Why?

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2. What is Polonious's excuse for Hamlet's behavior and why does he think this?

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3. Why is Denmark a prison to Hamlet? What is really stopping him from simply leaving

Elsinore?

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4. "This most excellent canopy...-why, it appeareth nothing to me but a foul and pestilent

congregation of vapors." Who said it and to what is the significance?

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5. Do you think that Hamlet has been procrastinating his revenge on his uncle or is he just being

careful? Explain.

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6. Why does Hamlet tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern they are welcome [to Elsinore] three

times in this act?

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Hamlet: Act III Quiz

1. King: “ O, ‘tis true! How smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience.

The harlot’s cheek beautied with plast’ring art

Is not more ugly to the thing that helps it

Than is my deed to my most painted word.

O heavy burden!

What does this speech show about the king? Do you feel the king is evil? Why or why not?

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2. Why does Hamlet repeatedly tell Ophelia to go to a nunnery? _______________________________

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3. What does Hamlet ask Horatio to do during the play? ______________________________________

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4. “O heavens, die two months ago, and not forgotten yet? Then there’s hope a great man’s memory

may outlive his life half a year.”

What is Hamlet’s intention when he speaks this to Ophelia right before the play starts?

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5. From the scene of the play we see, focusing purely on the words of the script, who does it actually

appear Hamlet is targeting in his satirical lines? What does it show about his true feelings for that

character? ___________________________________________________________________________

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7. Why does Hamlet refuse to kill the king when he has a chance to? When does he decide will

be the best time to do so?

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8. Polonius is always quick to eavesdrop on others. How does this nosy characteristic get him in

trouble in Scene 4?

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9. What is the irony of the character he played when he was a former actor?

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9. What does Hamlet tell the Queen he will do on his upcoming journey with his friends?

What character trait is revealed by his actions? Do you think was always a part of his personality or did

it recently evolve because of his father’s death?

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Hamlet: Act IV Quiz

1. What does Gertrude do with the information from the last Act? _______________________________

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2. What do Gertrude’s actions tell us about her relationship to her son in opposition to her relationship to

her husband? ________________________________________________________________________

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3. What does the King decide to do with Hamlet to avoid the scandal? ___________________________

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4. What does Hamlet think of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? __________________________________

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5. Why must the King "not put the strong arm on" Hamlet? ____________________________________

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6. When the King asks Hamlet where Polonius is, what is Hamlet's answer? ______________________

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7. What is the content of the letters the King sends with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to England with

Hamlet? ____________________________________________________________________________

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8. We get news of Fortinbras, what is he up to? What underlying thing does this news tell us? (hint: look

at a map) ____________________________________________________________________________

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9. What prompts Hamlet to say, "My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth!"? ___________________

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10. What has happened to Ophelia? How can you tell? _______________________________________

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11. Why do the King and Gertrude think it has happened (this thing with Ophelia)? _________________

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12. Why do YOU think it has happened to Ophelia? _________________________________________

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13. Why does Laertes force his way in? What does he want? ___________________________________

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14. What is the content of Hamlet's letter to Horatio? _________________________________________

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15. What reason(s) does the King give Laertes for not punishing Hamlet? ________________________

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16. What plan do the King and Laertes discuss to kill Hamlet? _________________________________

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17. What news does the Queen bring Laertes? ______________________________________________

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Hamlet: Act V Quiz

1. Why are the “clowns” digging up old bones? _____________________________________________

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2. What insight does the scene with the gravediggers give about how the lower classes feel about

nobles? _____________________________________________________________________________

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3. What insight does Hamlet get from Yorick’s skull? ________________________________________

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4. At the funeral Hamlet proclaims his love for Ophelia. How does his description of his love insult

Laertes? ____________________________________________________________________________

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5. What reason was there for Hamlet to kill Rosencratz and Gilderstern? _________________________

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6. Osric seems quick to agree with Hamlet about everything. How is his quick agreement contrary to

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7. When the Queen drinks the wine, why does the King not tell her it was poison? __________________

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8. What does Horatio mean when he says, “I am more an antique Roman than a Dane”?

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9. How does Hamlet’s recommendation of young Fortinbras to the throne restore a hope of order to the

kingdom? ___________________________________________________________________________

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10. What is Horatio’s final function in the play? ____________________________________________

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Whole Play Questions

Characters

____1. Hamlet A. Lord Chamberlain and chief counselor to Claudius____2. Claudius B. Umpired the fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes____3. Gertrude C. Ophelia's brother____4. Polonius D. Came to Elsinore to help the King find out what Hamlet's trouble was____5. Horatio E. Student and loyal friend of Hamlet____6. Laertes F. Polonius sends him to Paris to report on Laertes' conduct____7. Ophelia G. Hamlet's mother____8. Rosencrantz & H. Prince of Norway, has lost his father

Guildenstern I. Hamlet's uncle____9. Osric J. Daughter of Polonius____10. Fortinbras K. Prince of Denmark, has lost his father, his uncle is King____11. Reynaldo

Short Answer

12. Describe the relationship between Hamlet and his mother. _____________________________

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13. Compare and contrast Hamlet and Horatio. _________________________________________

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14. Describe Hamlet's relationship with Ophelia. ________________________________________

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15. Explain why Hamlet is a tragedy. _________________________________________________

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16. Explain what Hamlet's main problems are. _________________________________________

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17. Who is the most important character in the play (besides Hamlet)? Defend your answer.

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18. What is one theme in Hamlet? Give specific examples of it from the text. _________________

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19. What is the main conflict in Hamlet? Justify your answer. _____________________________

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20. Was Hamlet "mad"? Defend your answer. __________________________________________

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21. Explain Ophelia's role in the play. ________________________________________________

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I. Quotations

22. A little more than kin and less than kind. (I.ii,64)Speaker Situation Significance

23. Seems, madam! Nay, it is. I know not "seems." (I.ii,76)Speaker Situation Significance

24. Thrift, thrift, Horatio! The funeral baked meats/Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables. I.ii,179-180)

Speaker Situation Significance

25. The time is out of joint. Oh, cursed spite/That ever I was born to set it right! (I.v,189-190)Speaker Situation Significance

26. What a piece of work is a man!How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express andadmirable! In action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god! The beauty of theworld! The paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Mandelights not me -- no, nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so. (II.ii,315-321)Speaker Situation Significance

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27. The play's the thing/Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King. (II.ii,633-634)Speaker Situation Significance

28. O good Horatio, I'll take the ghost's word for a thousand pound. Didst perceive? (III.ii,297-298)

Speaker Situation Significance

29. I am justly killed with mine own treachery. (V.ii,318)Speaker Situation Significance

30. The King, the King's to blame. (V.ii,331)Speaker Situation Significance

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Translation: Arguably, though not really, the most famous speech from the most famous play of all of Western Literature. What does it mean? Translate the speech into modern English being sure to capture the essence and subtlety of the passage.

Ham.: To be, or not to be,—that is the question:—Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,And by opposing end them?—To die,—to sleep,—No more; and by a sleep to say we end

The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to,—'tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish'd. To die,—to sleep;—To sleep! perchance to dream:—ay, there's the rub;For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

Must give us pause: there's the respect

That makes calamity of so long life;For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,The pangs of despis'd love, the law's delay,

The insolence of office, and the spurns

That patient merit of the unworthy takes,

When he himself might his quietus makeWith a bare bodkin? who would these fardels bear,To grunt and sweat under a weary life,

But that the dread of something after death,—

The undiscover'd country, from whose bourn

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No traveller returns,—puzzles the will,

And makes us rather bear those ills we have

Than fly to others that we know not of?

Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;

And thus the native hue of resolution

Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought;

And enterprises of great pith and moment,

With this regard, their currents turn awry,

And lose the name of action.—Soft you now!

The fair Ophelia!—Nymph, in thy orisons

Be all my sins remember'd.

Themes of Hamlet:

1. The impossibility of certainty2. The complexity of action3. The mystery of death4. The complexity of the mother/son relationship5. The importance/believability of the supernatural6. _______________________________________________________7. _______________________________________________________8. _______________________________________________________

Motifs/Symbols in Hamlet:

1. Incest2. Misogyny3. Yorick’s Skull4. ___________________________________5. ___________________________________6. ___________________________________

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Documents

Hamlet: Act I Quizimages.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/Schools/TN/HumboldtCitySch… · Web viewHamlet: Act III Quiz. 1. King: “ O, ‘tis true! How smart a lash that speech doth give my