Act 1 Answer the questions after each scene to ensure comprehension. 1) When the act first opens, explain why Bernardo is on edge? 2) What are the rumors concerning young Fortinbras? 3) What do the guards and Horatio decide to do at the end of scene 1? 4) Where does Claudius send Cornelius and Voltemand, and why? 5) In scene 2, what is Claudius advice to Hamlet? 6) In scene 2, explain why Hamlet is upset? 7) What news does Horatio bring Hamlet and what does Hamlet decide to do about it? 8) In scene 3, what are Laertes and Polonius advice to Ophelia and how does she respond? 9) What does the ghost reveal to Hamlet and how does he respond? 10) At the end of the act, what does Hamlet ask of Horatio and the others? Act II 1) Why does Polonius think that Hamlet is mad? 2) Why have Rosencrantz and Guildenstern come to the castle? 3) How does Polonius plan on proving his theory about Hamlet? 4) At the end of act 2, what is Hamlet s plan concerning the players? 5) What does Hamlet reveal in his soliloquy found at the end of the act? Act III 1) Briefly summarise Hamlet s To be or not to be soliloquy. 2) After spying on Hamlet s encounter with Ophelia, what do the King and Polonius decide about Hamlet s condition? 3) What is the King s reaction to the play? 4) What does Claudius ask of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? 5) Why doesn t Hamlet kill the King while he is kneeling? 6) Describe what happens when Hamlet meets with Gertrude. Act IV Act V 1. What is Hamlet s response to Claudius when asked about Polonius body? 2. What are the instructions in the letters the King sends with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to England with Hamlet? 3. What has happened to Ophelia? 4. What does Laertes want? 5. How does Hamlet get away from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? 6. What plan do the King and Laertes devise to get revenge on Hamlet? 1. Why is Laertes upset at Ophelia s funeral? 2. Why does Hamlet decide to leap into Ophelia s grave and what might this say about his character? 3. What does Hamlet do to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? 4. What happens to the Queen? 5. What happens to Claudius? 6. What happens to Hamlet and Laertes? 7. Who does Hamlet recommend for the throne at the end of the play?
Hamlet Anticipation Guide Read each of the following statements before you read the play and rate the following: 1 - - - - - - - - - 2 - - - - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - - - 4 - - - - - - - - 5 - - - - - - - -6 Agree strongly Disagree strongly a. Revenge is sweet. b. There s nothing wrong with a little procrastination. c. I am a superstitious person. d. It is wrong to commit suicide. e. It is wrong to kill another human being for any reason. f. There is no such thing as pure evil; even the most despicable murderers usually have a conscience. g. It s easy enough to know when someone is lying when you watch the liar closely. h. I would do anything for my family. i. Murder is always a reaction to one s instinct. j. Reading Shakespeare is a drag because it is so hard to understand. k. I can relate to the people and situations in Shakespeare s plays. What is your favorite television program? List some of the issues found on your television show. (ex. Love, fame, revenge )
Characters and relationships in Hamlet.
And you Thought that Your Family was Complicated! All the major relationships between the characters are developed in Act 1. Complete the chart below to state the relationship between Hamlet and the major characters from the act. In each box state the relationship between Prince Hamlet and the character named and then describe the feelings that the prince has toward that character King Hamlet Relationship: father feelings: grief loyalty love respect Relationship : Feelings : Claudius Relationship : Feelings : Gertrude Hamlet Relationship : Feelings : Ophelia Relationship : Feelings : Horatio
In your character description, include the character s trade, personality traits, goals and concerns.
Images of corruption, disease, and death appear throughout Act 4 to help convey the author s theme that a corrupt head of state also corrupts the state itself. As you read, use this cluster diagram to record words and phrases used to create this type of imagery.
In literature, a foil is a person that through strong contrast underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics of another. Critics maintain that Laertes and Fortinbras are foils for Hamlet. Complete the Venn diagram below by indicating the motivation of each of the characters and their actions to reach that goal. Characteristics shared by two or more characters should be placed in the areas where those characters circles overlap. You can also write the information in the margin and show where it should be placed with the use of an arrow. Fortinbras Laertes Hamlet
Tragedy As Defined by Aristotle All discussions of "tragedy" begin with the rules laid down by Aristotle for works of literature to be presented on the stage. His definition is, "tragedy is in imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language, embellished with each kind of artistic ornaments; in the form of action, not of narrative; through pity and fear affecting the proper purgation of these emotions. If we elaborate this definition, we discover that "tragedy" is the performance representation of a serious chain of events (real or imaginary) which starts with certain causes and ends with ultimate conclusions, and which is important for its place in history or for the lesson which it teaches. The events should be related in the highest and most artistic form of language, which, Aristotle concludes, is dramatic poetry. Finally, when a person beholds this representation, he should experience pity or fear (or both) in sympathy with the characters in the story. It was Aristotle's theory that if the audience were subjected to a representation of events which would create pity or fear, these emotions would be "purged" from their own lives and their lives would be better for the experience. Going to the theater then, in Aristotle's opinion, cleansed the mind and made it able to cope with the problems of daily life, and any play which left its hearers in a morbid frame of mind or which merely amused to them was quite useless and certainly not "tragedy." In an Aristotelian tragedy, there must be a "hero" or "protagonist." We will use the latter term because of the unfortunate modern association of the word "hero" with "good guy." To Aristotle, it was quite possible to have an evil protagonist, and there was no villain in the modern sense. It might be the same person as the hero. The protagonist should be a very important person (a king, famous soldier, etc.) at the full height of his power and strength.
The protagonist must come into conflict with a force directly opposed to what he should want (with the antagonist). He must struggle with that force, which might be Fate, or the gods, hostile human forces or a fault in his own character, and the outcome might be one of three things: A) he might win B) he might make a deal with the hostile forces and retain some of his power C) he might die after having made a tremendous struggle against superhuman odds and having changed the world in some way by his life. (A) and (B) are interesting and often instructive, according to Aristotle, but only (C) is the true stuff of "tragedy." It will be seen then, that those many sad and pitiable events which happen in everyday life, the loss of loved ones, the loss of home, death on the highways and so on, are not tragic in the original sense of the word. We have corrupted the word when we apply it to such events. It is our prerogative to do so if we wish, but we should know what we are doing. Aristotle is modern in the sense that he believed in retribution or present punishment for sins. He was a Greek, and the Greeks had hundreds of gods who were a whimsical lot, doing as they pleased without regard for justice or human suffering, yet he sensed that there was a universal justice which rewarded to the virtuous and punishes the guilty. He called it "Nemesis" and insisted that every tragedy should show it working to restore the balance of natural justice and to bring the protagonist to his downfall. It might function through a certain person, or it might simply be the product of a chain of events, but it must be there. Finally, Aristotle insisted that every tragedy must contain six parts: plot, character, diction, thought, spectacle, and song.
Let s see. Did Shakespeare follow the rules of Tragedy as laid out by Aristotle? Complete the following chart to determine if Shakespeare adheres to the rules of tragedy. Aristotle The play must be written in dramatic poetry. Shakespeare The protagonist must be a great person (nobility). The protagonist must come into conflict with a force directly opposed to what he should want. The protagonist must suffer from a tragic flaw in character (called hamartia), which brings about his own downfall. The protagonist s sufferings are in sharp contrast with his previous happiness and glory. The protagonist must suffer from mental turmoil or conflict. The play must invoke fear or pity from the audience. Nemesis retribution or punishment for sins. (Justice) Every tragedy should show nemesis working to restore the balance of natural justice and bring the protagonist to his downfall.
Themes in Hamlet Develop the following themes in Hamlet by completing the chart below. Themes Find examples that develop the theme What s the author s message about the theme? Revenge vs. Justice Action vs. inaction Fate vs. Free will
Appearance vs. Reality Loyalty vs. Betrayal Madness Corruption