Hamlet

By William Shakespeare

Reading Guide
--------------------------ACT I-------------------------------
Vocabulary
definition synonym definition synonym definition synonym

antonym
appariti drawing antonym
immine drawing antonym
canon drawing
on nt

definition synonym definition synonym

antonym
perilous drawing antonym
prodigal drawing

Literary Terminology: Provide an example from the act for each lit term.

Protagonist:

Tragic Flaw:

~1~
Mood:

Soliloquy:

Themes: Provide an example from the act for each theme.

Loyalty vs. Betrayal

Revenge

Appearance vs. Reality

Relationships: Parents and children

~~~~~~~~~~~~I.i~~~~~~~~~~~

Characters:

Setting:

Action:

Quotations: Who is speaking? Analyze the importance of the quote.

“The dreaded sight twice seen of us…” (4)

“This bodes some strange eruption to our state.” (8)

~~~~~~~~~~~~I.ii~~~~~~~~~~~~

Characters:

Setting:

Action:

Quotations: Who is speaking? Analyze the importance of the quote.

~2~
“A little more than king and less than kind.” (22)

“O that this too too solid flesh would melt,

Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew.
Or that the everlasting had not fixed
his canon ‘gainst self-slaughter! O God, O God,
How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable
Seems to me all the uses of this world!” (26/28)

“Frailty, thy name is woman!” (28)

“The funeral baked meats

Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables…” (30)

“My father’s spirit in arms! All is not well.

I doubt some foul play. Would the night were come.
Till then, sit still, my soul. Foul deeds will rise,
Though all the earth o’whelm them, to men’s eyes.” (38)

~~~~~~~~~~~~I.iii~~~~~~~~~~~~

Characters:

Setting:

Action

~3~
Quotations: Who is speaking? Analyze the importance of the quote.

“Give every man thy ear but few thy voice…

Neither a borrower nor a lender be…
This above all—to thine own self be true…” (44)

~~~~~~~~~~~~I.iv~~~~~~~~~~~~

Characters:

Setting:

Action:

Quotations Who is speaking? Analyze the importance of the quote.

“Angles and ministers of grace defend us!” (52)

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” (58)

~~~~~~~~~~~~I.v~~~~~~~~~~~~

Characters:

Setting:

Action:

~4~
 Quotations

“The serpent that did sting thy father’s life

Now wears his crown.” (62)

Questions: Answer COMPLETELY and in complete sentences.

A. Do the events of Act I suggest that the ghost of Hamlet’s father is real or just a
product of Hamlet’s imagination?

B. Does Hamlet appear to be someone who is grieving or someone who is insane?

C. What atmosphere is created by the scene?

D. How could this ghost be explained?

--------------------------ACT II-------------------------------
Vocabulary
definition synonym definition synonym definition synonym

antonym
firmam drawing antonym
malefacti drawing antonym
pestilen drawing
ent on t

~5~
 definition synonym definition synonym

antonym
soverei drawing antonym
tedious drawing
gn

Literary Terminology: Define and provide an example from the act for each lit term

Play within a play:

Themes: Provide an example from the act for each theme.

Appearance vs. Reality

Relationships: Parents and Children

~~~~~~~~~~~~II.i~~~~~~~~~~~

Characters:

Setting:

Action:

~~~~~~~~~~~~II.ii~~~~~~~~~~~~

Characters:
~6~
Setting:

Action:

Quotations: Who is speaking? Analyze the importance of the quote.

”More matter with less art.” (92)

“Words, words, words.” (100)

“Though this be madness,

yet there is method in’t.” (102)

“The plays’ the thing

Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King.” (132)

Questions: Answer COMLETLEY and in complete sentences.

A. Is Hamlet’s hesitation in approaching his task of revenge a gin of cowardice or is

his thoughtfulness admirable and understandable? Explain.

B. The level of suspense escalates in Act II. How does Shakespeare accomplish this?

~7~
 C. Compare/Contrast Hamlet and Fortinbras. Why did Fortinbras change his plan?

--------------------------ACT III-------------------------------
Vocabulary
definition synonym definition synonym definition synonym

antonym
paradox drawing antonym
perceiv drawing antonym
pious drawing
e

definition synonym definition synonym

antonym
resoluti drawing antonym
visage drawing
on

Literary Terminology: Define and provide an example from the act for each lit term

Climax:

Denouement:

Themes: Provide an example from the act for each theme.

Relationship: Parent/Child

Loyalty Vs. Betrayal

~8~
Appearance Vs. Reality

~~~~~~~~~~~~III.i~~~~~~~~~~~

Characters:

Setting:

Action:

Quotations

“To be, or not to be, that is the questions:

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 sleep to say we end
The heartache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to-‘tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. 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 shrugged off this mortal coil
Must give us pause.” (138)

“Get thee to a nunnery.

Why wouldst though be a breeder of sinners? (142)

~~~~~~~~~~~~III.ii~~~~~~~~~~~~
~9~
Characters:

Setting:

Action:

Quotations:

“Why, look you now, how unworthy a thing you make of me! You would play upon me,
you would seem to know my stops, you would pluck out the heart of my mystery, you
would sound me from my lowest note to the top of my compass; and there is much
music, excellent voice in this little organ, yet cannot you make it speak. ‘sblood, do you
think I am easier to be played on than a pipe? Call me what instrument you will,
though you can fret me, you cannot play upon me.” (180)

“Let me be cruel, not unnatural.

I will speak daggers to her, but use none.” (184)

~~~~~~~~~~~~III.iii~~~~~~~~~~~~

Characters:

Setting:

Action:

~10~
 Questions: Answer COMLETLEY and in complete sentences.

A. Do you feel differently about Claudius after hearing his remorse and attempt to
pray? Why or why not?

B. What events in Act III might be considered turning points?

C. Describe and Explain Hamlet’s treatment of Ophelia. Does he know he is being

watched?

D. What is the purpose of a play with a play?

E. Why doesn’t Hamlet kill Claudius? What are the implications of this decision?
What is the irony?

F. Do you believe Hamlet when he says he is only pretending to be mad?

--------------------------ACT IV-------------------------------
Vocabulary
definition synonym definition synonym definition synonym
definition synonym definition synonym

antonym
firmam drawing antonym convocat drawing antonym firmam
abatem
cunning drawingionantonym profoun drawing drawing
ent antonym ent
d

~11~
Literary Terminology: Define and provide and example from the act for each lit term

Tragic Hero:

Foil:

Symbolism:

Themes: Provide an example from the act for each theme.

Loyalty vs. Betrayal

Appearance vs. Reality

~~~~~~~~~~~~IV.i~~~~~~~~~~~

Characters:

Setting:

Action:

~~~~~~~~~~~~IV.ii~~~~~~~~~~~~

Characters:

Setting:

Action:

~~~~~~~~~~~~IV.iii~~~~~~~~~~~~

~12~
Characters:

Setting:

Action:

~~~~~~~~~~~~IV.iv~~~~~~~~~~~~

Characters:

Setting:

Action:

Quotations: Who said it? Analyze the quote.

“O, from this time forth

My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth!” (232)

~~~~~~~~~~~~IV.v~~~~~~~~~~~~

Characters:

Setting:

Action:

~~~~~~~~~~~~IV.vi~~~~~~~~~~~~

~13~
Characters:

Setting:

Action:

~~~~~~~~~~~~IV.vii~~~~~~~~~~~~

Characters:

Setting:

Action:

Quotations: Who said it? Analyze the quote.

“Her clothes spread wide

And mermaid-like a while they bore her up;
…but long it could not be.
Till that her garments, heavy with their drink,
Pulled the port wretch from her melodious lay
To muddy death.” (270)

Questions: Answer COMPLETLEY and in complete sentences.

A. Laertes responds in a variety of ways to the tragic events in his family. What do
these responses reveal about his character? In what ways is he both similar to
and different from Hamlet?

B. Where does Gertrude’s loyalty lay? Explain.

~14~
 C. How is Laertes a foil for Hamlet?

D. Ophelia gives flowers to Gertrude and Claudius before she dies. How do these
flowers relate to the characters and their actions?

E. Is Claudius taking advantage of Laertes? How? Why?

-------------------------- ACT V -------------------------------

Vocabulary
definition synonym definition synonym definition synonym

antonym
churlish drawing antonym
conjure drawing antonym
equivocati drawing
on

definition synonym definition synonym

antonym
treache drawing antonym
umbrag drawing
ry e

Literary Terminology: Define and provide an example from the act for each lit term
~15~
Comic relief

Catastrophe:

Themes:

Provide an example from the act for each theme.

Loyalty vs betrayal

Relationships: parents/children

Appearance vs reality

~~~~~~~~~~~~V.i~~~~~~~~~~~

Characters:

Setting:

Action:

Quotations

“Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him well, Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent
fancy. He hath borne me on his back a thousand times, and now, how abhorred in my
imagination it is! My gorge rises at it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know
not how oft.—Where be your gibes now? Your gambols? Your songs? (288)

~16~
“Alexandar died, Alexander was buried, Alexander returneth to dust, the dust is earth,
of earth we make loam—and why of the loam whereto he was converted, might they
not stop a beer barrel?” (290)

~~~~~~~~~~~~V.ii~~~~~~~~~~~~

Characters:

Setting:

Action:

Quotations:

“A hit, a very palpable hit.” (324)

“And let me speak to th’ yet unknowing world

How these things came about. So shall you hear
Of carnal, bloody, and unnatural acts
Of accidental judgments, causal slaughters,
Of deaths put on by cunning and forced cause;
And, in this upshot, purposes mistook
Fall’n on the inventors’ heads. Al this can I
Truly deliver.” (390)

“Let four captains

Bear Hamlet like soldier to the stage,
For he was likely, had he been put on,
To have proved most royally. And, for his passage,
The soldiers’ music and the rites of war Speak loudly for him.” (336)

~17~
Questions: Answer COMPLETELY and in complete sentences.
A. Why does Hamlet ask Horatio to tell his story? How does Horatio’s role in
Hamlet’s life differ from that of other characters in the play?

B. According to hamlet’s “too, too solid flesh” soliloquy, what’s really bothering
Hamlet?

C. How does the issue of suicide affect burial?

D. What dramatic function do the gravediggers have and what theme do they
express?

E. Why does the play end this way?

-------------------------- NOTES -------------------------------

~18~