Collections Grade 12 Guiding Questions

Collection 4

The Tragedy of Hamlet by William Shakespeare

ACT I

Read the drama The Tragedy of Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Then, reread the
lines indicated with each question below. Answer each question, citing text
evidence.

1. Sc. 1, Lines 1–9: Describe the setting of this scene. What actions and phrases
contribute to a mood of foreboding?
2. Sc. 1, Lines 44–63: What does the resemblance of this ghost to the late king of
Denmark foreshadow?
3. Sc. 1, Lines 74–108: What does the audience learn from Marcellus’s question to
Horatio? How does Marcellus’s description of a military build-up as well as
Horatio’s response affect the mood of this scene?
4. Sc. 1, Lines 74–108: Describe Fortinbras based on what Horatio says.
5. Sc. 1, Lines 116–129: Explain the significance of Horatio’s allusions to ancient Rome
and Julius Caesar. What is he suggesting through this reference?
6. Sc. 1, Lines 130–143: Explain the traits that Horatio possesses, supporting your
ideas with details from the text.
7. Sc. 1, Lines 148–181: What is the purpose of the first scene? What ideas does
Shakespeare want the audience to understand before meeting the main
characters? As the scene draws to a close, what does Horatio say that he and the
guards should do next and why? Given how Scene 1 closes, predict what might
happen in Act II.
8. Sc. 2, Lines 1–38: Why does Claudius address his brother’s death and his
remarriage in the first part of his speech? How does the second part of the speech
differ from the first? What impression does Claudius wish to create through this
speech?
9. Sc. 2, Photograph: Look at the photograph and say what perception of Hamlet’s
character is developed in this scene. Why?
10. Sc. 2, Lines 42–50: How would you describe Claudius’s attitude toward Laertes?
What details support your description? What might you infer from Claudius’s
action of turning to Laertes first?
11. Sc. 2, Lines 62–95: Describe the tone of Hamlet’s aside after Claudius greets him
as “my cousin Hamlet and my son.” Why might he feel this way? Why does the
Queen urge Hamlet to cast “thy knighted color off”? What does Hamlet imply
when he says that outward signs of mourning “are actions that a man might
play”? Describe the conflict you see between Hamlet on one side and, on the
other side, his uncle, the King, and his mother, the Queen.
12. Sc. 2, Lines 106–128: Explain Claudius’s purpose in his speech to Hamlet. Does he
feel he accomplishes this purpose? Why or why not?
13. Sc. 2, Lines 129–159: What does this speech reveal about the reason for Hamlet’s
attitude toward Claudius and his mother? What does he resolve to do about this
situation?
14. Sc. 2, Lines 160–184: How do you know that Hamlet thinks highly of Horatio?
Explain Hamlet’s mocking, ironic humor in lines 178–179. Paraphrase lines 181–182
and explain the element of humor in Hamlet’s words here. Why might Hamlet
joke like this with Horatio? What do his wisecracks about his mother’s wedding
reveal about him?
15. Sc. 2, Lines 185–213: Explain in detail what Horatio tells Hamlet in lines 197–213.
Why might Horatio be so detailed in his account?
16. Sc. 2, Lines 229–244: Explain Hamlet’s reaction upon hearing the news of the
Ghost. What do his numerous questions suggest about his feelings?
17. Sc. 2, Lines 244–258: Why does Hamlet urge his friends to keep the news of the
Ghost secret? Discuss what is foreshadowed by his comment that “All is not well./
I doubt some foul play.”
18. Sc. 3, Lines 5–24: What is Laertes’s attitude toward Ophelia? Identify details that
support your assessment. What reasons does Laertes give Ophelia for not
trusting Hamlet’s love? Explain that royal marriages were often political alliances
made not out of love but out of political expediency.
19. Sc. 3, Lines 33–51: How do the images in Laertes’s speech relate to his message?
What role do images play in Ophelia’s reply to her brother?
20. Sc. 3, Lines 65–81: What is the purpose of Polonius’s speech to Laertes? What
ideas are conveyed about the character of Polonius through his words?
21. Sc. 3, Lines 100–113: What point does Polonius want to make through his play on
the word tender? What is the tone of his comments to Ophelia? How does this
tone affect the audience’s view of Hamlet? Explain. How does this passage lend to
the developing view of Polonius?
22. Sc. 3, Lines 132–137: What ultimatum does Polonius deliver to Ophelia? Based on
what Ophelia has previously said about Hamlet, what emotions might her
statement in line 137 conceal?
23. Sc. 4, Lines 9–13: Explain the picture of Claudius that Hamlet’s comments paint.
Compare your first impression of Claudius to the image presented here.
24. Sc. 4, Lines 41–59: What is Hamlet’s emotional state in these lines? What phrases
in this speech illustrate his mood? Briefly characterize Hamlet as seen at court,
then alone with his own thoughts, and when he is with Horatio. Explain how his
behavior here adds to the play’s developing impression of Hamlet.
25. Sc. 4, Lines 66–80: Explain Hamlet’s motive—what he wants—in lines 66–70.
Why doesn’t Horatio want Hamlet to pursue the Ghost? What is he afraid might
happen to Hamlet if he follows the Ghost?
26. Sc. 4, Lines 82–89: Describe the conflict between Horatio and Hamlet in these
lines. What does Hamlet’s behavior here make Horatio fear?
27. Sc. 5, Lines 1–24: What mood is created by the words of the Ghost? What does the
ghost say is his ultimate destination? Why? How does the information that the
Ghost reveals influence the audience’s impression of Hamlet’s father?
28. Sc. 5, Lines 25–32: What does the revelation made by the Ghost mean for Hamlet?
Why might knowing his father was murdered create a conflict for Hamlet?
29. Sc. 5, Lines 35–71: How does the real cause of King Hamlet’s death differ from the
“official” version? Consider the connotations of the word serpent. What ideas
about Claudius are suggested by this word? Recall Claudius’s words about the
dead king and his actions following his death. What theme is suggested by the
revelation of the truth behind the king’s death?
30. Sc. 5, Lines 85–89: Restate in your own words what the Ghost asks Hamlet to do
about his mother. Why might it be hard for Hamlet to obey his father’s wish that
he not punish his mother?
31. Sc. 5, Lines 106–110: Read Hamlet’s oath very carefully and notice how faithfully
and thoroughly he vows to seek the revenge the Ghost wants. Identify one thing
Hamlet says that runs counter to what the Ghost asked of him. What does this
statement reveal about Hamlet?
32. Sc. 5, Lines 148–170: Infer why Hamlet doesn’t tell the others what the Ghost has
told him and why he swears them to silence. When the Ghost speaks, many critics
believe that only Hamlet hears the Ghost and that he is so agitated by this point
that the Ghost saying “Swear” is an aural hallucination. Read this scene closely,
finding evidence that only Hamlet hears the Ghost.
33. Sc. 5, Lines 174–185: Explain the deception Hamlet asks his friends to agree to.
What does the audience know that Hamlet’s friends do not about his motives?
Since Horatio and Marcellus are missing important information, how might this
affect their perception of Hamlet as Act I draws to a close?