William Shakespeare, Hamlet
Directions: You are required to answer one of the main questions, which will appear in bold. This question is due no later than Thursday, November 17. Following the bold questions will be other questions which you should read and think about--they may help you answer the main question. However, you are not required to answer these questions in writing.
Please answer the question as thoughtfully as possible, after reading the lecture. Then post your answer to the English 102 Message Board by the deadline.
Your responses to other students' answers are due by midnight on Sunday, November 20. In order to get the full 20 points, you MUST respond thoughtfully to at least 3 other people's postings.
We will be using the Canvas Discussion Board for this class. Click on the link below to get to the Canvas portal, sign in, and then click on the tab for this class. You will find the "Discussions" link on the left side of the screen:
Remember: This discussion question is worth a possible 20 points. Late answers will receive 0 points. Points will be assigned according to the thoughtfulness of your answer, not by whether it is "right" or not, since sometimes there is no "right" answer. Just be sure your ideas are supported by the material in the story (see Lecture 1).
1. 1. Is Hamlet pretending to be insane, or is he really insane? Explain.
2. Was Ophelia, in your opinion, murdered, or did she die accidentally, or did she commit suicide? Explain.
3. Do you believe that Gertrude was involved in Claudius's plot to murder his brother, or do you believe she was innocent? Explain.
4. In Act V, Scene 2, lines 334-335, Horatio says, upon Hamlet's death, "Now cracks a noble heart.--Good night, sweet prince, / And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest." Do you agree with him, that Hamlet was noble? Explain.
1. In Act I, Scene 1, Shakespeare foreshadows what the Ghost later tells Hamlet; what clues does he give us? (See lines 111-125.)
2. In Act I, Scene 2, how is Hamlet's answer to the King, in line 120, an insult to the King?
3. Why is Hamlet so angry? (See lines 135 ff.)
4. How does Hamlet feel about his father? (See lines 186-187.)
5. In Act I, Scene 3, what advice does Laertes give his sister, Ophelia, about how to behave with Hamlet? (See lines 10-44.)
6. What is Ophelia's response to Laertes? What does this response reveal about her character and personality? (See lines 45-51.)
7. What advice does Polonius give to his son, Laertes? Is it good advice? How is this speech ironic, given what we learn later about Polonius's character? (See lines 58-80.)
8. What order does Polonius give Ophelia about Hamlet? (See lines 115-135.) How does she react to this? How is her response to Polonius different from her response to Laertes?
9. One thing you realize very quickly in this play is that Polonius almost always has mixed motives; he is very cunning and manipulative. Think about how palace politics worked in those days: Claudius is now the King; Gertrude is his wife. But he has no male heir, and Hamlet, therefore, will inherit the throne if Claudius dies. And Hamlet hates Claudius. If you were Claudius, wouldn't you see Hamlet as a threat? And wouldn't you also, possibly, see his beloved, Ophelia, as a threat? So Polonius, in warning Ophelia away from Hamlet, probably wants to protect her life, as well as her virtue. Do you see any evidence in the play that Ophelia is also aware of this?
10. In Act I, Scene 4, Hamlet gives what is known as his "tragic flaw" speech (lines 23-38); what is he saying? How could it apply to his own character?
11. In Act I, Scene 5, the Ghost of Hamlet's father (who is also named Hamlet, if you're confused) tells Hamlet he is on his way to the afterlife; where, exactly, is he going? (See lines 2-4.) Why is he going there? (See lines 76-78.)
12. What does the Ghost tell Hamlet about the cause of his death? (See lines 25, 58-74.)
13. What does the Ghost call on Hamlet to do? (See lines 25, 80-83.)
14. What does he tell Hamlet to do about Gertrude? (See lines 83-87.) Does this give us any indication about whether she is in on the conspiracy or not? Some critics say it proves her innocence; others say it proves her guilt. How can it be read both ways?
15. Hamlet tells Horatio he will sometimes be acting as if he were insane, but that it will all be an act. What does he ask of Horatio? (See lines 170-182.)
16. How does Hamlet feel about the task the Ghost has given him? (See lines 190-191.)
17. In Act II, Scene 1, what does Polonius ask Reynaldo to do? What does this request reveal about his character? What does it reveal about his relationship with his children? (See lines 1-68.)
18. In this Act, how does Hamlet convice others that he has lost his mind?
19. In Act II, Scene 2, what does the King ask Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to do? What reason does he give them? What is his real reason? (See lines 1-18.)
20. In Act II, Scene 2, why does Polonius go to such trouble to convince the King that he broke off the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia? How is his speech in lines 151-157 ironic?
21. When the travelling actors arrive, Hamlet makes a speech about Pyrrhus; how does the content of this speech reflect his situation? (See lines 411-423.) Why do you think he makes this speech when he does? Who is he testing, and in what way?
22. Go over Hamlet's soliloquy in Act II, Scene 2, lines 500 ff. Why is he so angry at himself? What does he intend to do about it? What is his plan? This speech is important because it tells you a lot about Hamlet's internal conflict, and the kind of pressure he is under. Remember it later, when trying to decide whether Hamlet is just pretending to be insane, or whether he has really gone mad.
23. At the beginning of Act III, Scene 1, why do the King and Polonius arrange for Hamlet and Ophelia to meet? (See lines 28-55.) Pay special attention to the King's aside, lines 49-54; what does this reveal about the state of his conscience?
24. Go over Hamlet's famous soliloquy, lines 56-88. What is Hamlet debating? What does this speech tell you about Hamlet's state of mind?
25. When Hamlet encounters Ophelia (lines 89 ff.), why is he so cruel to her? Does he know Polonius and the King are watching? How is he trying to protect Ophelia? What message is he trying to give her? Why does he tell her, repeatedly, to go to a nunnery?
26. Why does the scene between Hamlet and Ophelia make the King nervous? (See lines 157-162.) What does he decide to do about it? (See lines 162-170.)
27. In Act III, Scene 2, Hamlet plots with Horatio and the Players to produce evidence of the King's guilt. What is his plan? (See lines 65-77.)
28. How, in this "play within a play," is Hamlet also testing his mother? (See lines 210-211.) Do you think her response to the play indicates guilt or innocence?
29. How does Hamlet feel about Rosencrantz's and Guildenstern's "examination" of him? (See lines 330-337.) Can this be seen as a warning to them? How does this foreshadow their fate?
30. Go over the King's soliloquy, Act III, Scene 3, lines 36-72: what does this speech tell you about Claudius's state of mind? Can he truly repent?
31. Hamlet comes upon the King praying, and vulnerable (lines 73-95). Why does he decide not to kill him at that moment? How is his decision ironic? (See lines 97-98.)
32. In Act III, Scene 4, Hamlet confronts his mother; what is her reaction?
33. Why does Hamlet kill Polonius? What is his reaction to this murder? Who did he think he was killing? Does he show any sign of guilt?
34. This scene is one in which the critics have said that Hamlet's feelings for his mother can be perceived as unnaturally jealous, even incestuous. Do you agree or not?
35. In Act IV, Scene 2, what is the meaning of the warning Hamlet gives Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? (See lines 15-20.)
36. In Act IV, Scene 3, the King tells Hamlet he's sending him to England to protect him; what is the King's real plan? (See lines 56-66.)
37. Why is this subplot about Fortinbras and his conquest of Poland in the play? (See Act IV, Scene 4.) When does Fortinbras reappear? (See Act V, Scene 2.)
38. In Act IV, Scene 5, is Ophelia pretending to be crazy, or has she really lost her mind?
39. In Act IV, Scene 7, how does the King manipulate Laertes? What does he want Laertes to do? (See especially lines 106-138.)
40. How does Laertes improve on the King's plan? (See lines 138-147.)
41. How does the King intend to make the outcome even more certain? (See lines 156-161.)
42. In Act V, Scene 1, Hamlet gives his famous "Alas, poor Yorick" soliloquy. What is Hamlet pondering throughout this scene, and in this soliloquy? What is his mood?
43. How does Hamlet discover that Ophelia is dead? (See lines 190ff.)
44. What does the Queen say in farewell to Ophelia? (See lines 215-218.) Does that shed new light on any of the motives of Laertes and Polonius, when they were giving Ophelia advice early in the play?
45. In Act V, Scene 2, Hamlet says to Horatio, "There's a divinity that shapes our ends, / Rough-hew them how we will" (ll. 10-11). What does he mean? How are these lines reflected in the events of the play?
46. Hamlet tells Horatio how and why he had Rosencrantz and Guildenstern killed. What justification does he give for their deaths? (See lines 56-62.) Do you think he was justified?
47. Why is Hamlet sorry he attacked Laertes at Ophelia's grave? (See lines 75-79.)
48. Hamlet and Horatio are suspicious of the King's motives in staging a swordfight as entertainment between Hamlet and Laertes; Why does Hamlet agree to fight anyway? What is his state of mind at this point? (See lines 192-196.)
49. How does the Queen die? (See lines 265-267.)
50. How does Laertes die? (See stage directions after line 276.)
51. How does the King die? (See lines 294-301.)
52. How does Hamlet die? (See lines 317-333.)
53. What is Hamlet's last order? (See lines 330-331.)