Quiz on Hamlet, Act 4

(1) ___________________________ said this about (2)_________________________.

In heaven; send hither to see: if your messenger
find him not there, seek him i' the other place
yourself. But indeed, if you find him not within
this month, you shall nose him as you go up the
stairs into the lobby.

(3) _______________________________ said this about (4)_____________________.

she chanted snatches of old tunes;
As one incapable of her own distress,
Or like a creature native and indued
Unto that element: but long it could not be
Till that her garments, heavy with their drink,
Pull'd the poor wretch from her melodious lay
To muddy death.

(5) _______________________________ said this about (6)_____________________.

Mad as the sea and wind, when both contend

Which is the mightier: in his lawless fit,
Behind the arras hearing something stir,
Whips out his rapier, cries, 'A rat, a rat!'
And, in this brainish apprehension, kills
The unseen good old man.
(7)______________________ said this:
By Gis and by Saint Charity,
Alack, and fie for shame!
Young men will do't, if they come to't;
By cock, they are to blame.
Quoth she, before you tumbled me,
You promised me to wed.
So would I ha' done, by yonder sun,
An thou hadst not come to my bed.

(8)____________________________ said this about (9)_________________________.

I do not know
Why yet I live to say 'This thing's to do;'
Sith I have cause and will and strength and means
To do't. Examples gross as earth exhort me:
Witness this army of such mass and charge
Led by a delicate and tender prince.

(10)___________________________ said this:

Too much of water hast thou, poor Ophelia,
And therefore I forbid my tears: but yet
It is our trick; nature her custom holds,
Let shame say what it will: when these are gone,
The woman will be out. Adieu, my lord:
I have a speech of fire, that fain would blaze,
But that this folly doubts it.
11. How does the queen protect Hamlet?

12. What does Claudius ask Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to do?

13. What does Hamlet mean when he calls Rosencrantz a "sponge"?

14. Why does Claudius say he must hide the haste with which Hamlet is being sent
away?

15. What does Hamlet tell Claudius he has done with Polonius? Explain why
Hamlet says he is at dinner.

16. What does Claudius arrange to happen to Hamlet when he arrives in England?

17. Who does Hamlet see in the scene where he is leaving the castle to go to
England?

18. What effect does this meeting have on Hamlet?

19. What has happened to Ophelia?

20. Why does the Queen agree to see her?

21. What are the problems Claudius lists that concern him most?

22. Why does Laertes break into Claudius's chamber?

23. What scheme is planned by Claudius and Laertes? And what is their back-up
plan?

24. What happens to Hamlet during his passage to England?Be specific and
detailed.

25. What news does the Queen bring? Recount the scene she describes.

26. Do you believe Ophelia's death was an accident or suicide? Explain why both
explanations are possible.
27. In this act, both Fortibras and Laertes are foils to Hamlet. What important
aspects of Hamlet's character are revealed by means of the contrast between Hamlet
and these two foil characters?

28.What conclusions can be drawn about what Shakespeare is really trying to get
across to his audience regarding these six themes? Explain each by relating it to
specific events so far in this play.

Doubt

Madness

Revenge

Mortality

Corruption

Appearance vs. Reality

29. While Hamlet's "mad" behavior starts out as an "antic disposition," his mental
state deteriorates over the course of the play to a point where it would be accurate to
call him truly mad. Is this statement true? Defend your answer.