Final study questions

1. Polonius is sometimes played as a senile old fool, sometimes as a shrewd and worldly old man.  Which interpretation do you agree with and why? I agree that he is a senile old fool, because not only is he old and crazy, he also tries so hard to seem smart. In one of the lines, he puts a bunch of words together. "either for tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral, tragical-historical, tragical-comical-historical-pastoral, scene individable, or poem unlimited." (Pg 56 Line 386)                                                                                  
2. Pick one character who could, at some point, have changed the whole chain of events.  Discuss. Gertrude could have changed the chain of events by not marrying Claudius, and letting Hamlet take the throne like he was supposed to.                                                                                                                                                                        
3. Analyze the three appearances of the ghost seen in the play.  Where did he appear; to whom did he appear?  How does the third appearance differ from the first two?  What is the significance of this? The ghost appeared on the castle walls, in the forest, and on a bridge. He appeared for Horatio and the guards, and he also appeared for Hamlet. The third appearance is where the ghost actually talked with Hamlet. The difference is that the ghost actually let out and explained what happened to him.                                                                                
4. Discuss the reasons for Hamlet’s apparent delay in seeking revenge for his father.  What is your opinion regarding his procrastination? Hamlet doesn't want to seem crazy, so he decides to act crazy first. In my opinion, he wants to make sure that the ghost actually was his father, instead of a demon.                                           
5. Compare and contrast Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras as avengers. All three of them have had their fathers murdered. The difference from Laertes and the other two is that he isn't royalty, and his uncle isn't an important figure.
6. What is Hamlet’s attitude towards life and people?  How does it affect his actions? His attitude towards life and people is to be super depressed, and act mad.                                                                                                         
7. Apply the following quote to Hamlet: “A man who wishes to make a profession of goodness in everything must necessarily come to grief among so many who are not good.  Therefore, it is necessary for a prince, who wishes to maintain himself, to learn how to not to be good, and to use this knowledge and not use it, according to the necessity of the case.”  -- THE PRINCE, Machiavelli                                                                                                     
8. Examine the reoccurring pun on sun and son.  How does this symbol work in the overall meaning of the play. Hamlet is the "son" of a dead father, and the pun of "sun" comes in when this country is shown as a decaying garden, and Hamlet will be the "sun" that lightens up the garden.                                                                                    
9. Was Ophelia pregnant with Hamlet’s child? No, I don't think she was.                                                                                                             
10. Did Hamlet slip into madness? In my opinion, he did. When he saw his father in Act 3 Scene 4, I think it was just a figment of his imagination.                                                                                                                                              
11. It is Hamlet who causes the downfall of Denmark. Probably. Even though his Uncle killed his father, his Uncle was still able to keep Denmark in one piece.                                                                                                                 
12. What is the meaning of the pirates? ---                                                                                                                            
13. Is Hamlet Jesus Christ?  How is Horatio either John the Baptist or an apostle. ---                                                
14. Why or how is Denmark the Garden of Eden? ---                                                                                                         
15. Gertrude knows about the murder? No, I do not think so, but she is confused at why Hamlet comes to her saying she did.                                                                                                                                                                   
16. The meaning of prostitution in Hamlet? ---                                                                                                                   
17. Can Hamlet be compared to our current society?  If so, how? ---                                                                               
18. Perhaps others—as we read or when we finish.

Hamlet Act 1 Scenes 3&4

1)    What is Laertes advice to Ophelia?

To stay way from Hamlet, since he will be forced to marry someone other than her.

2)    How does “The canker galls the infants of the spring/ too oft before their buttons be disclos’d” fit into the ideology of the decaying garden?

3)    What analogy does Ophelia give to her brother as an answer to his advice?  What does she mean?

She gives him an analogy of death. 

4)    List five of the “few precepts” that Polonius gives to Laertes.

5)    In lines 105-109, what is the metaphor that Polonius uses to describe Hamlet’s words of love?

He gives the metaphor of new life, but not a good one.

6)    List and explain one metaphor found in the lines 115-135.

Metaphor of hell; "Lends the tongue vows. These blazes, daughter, Giving more light than heat, extinct in both Even in their promise as it is a-making, You must not take for fire."

7)    What is Polonius’ command to Ophelia?

Not to marry Hamlet because he knows what would happen to he when Hamlet is forced to marry someone

else.

8)    In scene 4, what is Hamlet talking about in lines 13-38?

He is talking about the cannons getting fired off, since the king has been drinking for too long, and he is
also firing off the cannons daily, when it is usually a rare event.

9)    Why doesn’t Horatio want Hamlet to follow the ghost?

He is afradi that the ghost will drive him insane, and cause him to hurt himself.

10) What is Hamlet’s command to the three guards?

To keep the secret of Hamlet's uncle poisoning his dad.

Hamlet Scene 1 Part 1 questions

1) How is interest created in the opening scene?
The guards appear telling stories of an apparition.

2) What information are we given to help us understand the situation?
The ghost is real, Horatio is a scholar, and the soldiers keep seeing this ghost appear.

3) What happens at the end of the scene to create suspense and keep up the reader’s interest?
The ghost disappears due to the crowing of the rooster, so the soldiers go to tell Hamlet about it.

4) What is the mood of the scene?
Ominous and suspenseful.

5) Why are the sentries apprehensive? (there are two reasons)
They've seen the ghost before, and it looks like they are preparing for war.

6) What reasons are suggested by Horatio for the appearance of the late King’s ghost?
He believes that it could be the old king Fortinbras.

7) Who are the characters presented in the scene?
Horatio, Bernardo, Marcellus, and Francisco.

8) List one thing Horatio says about the former King?
He says that his land was taken by Hamlet.

9) Who is young Fortinbras?
The son of the dead Fortinbras.
10) What does Horatio say happened in Rome after Julius Caesar was murdered?
Plagues and stuff started to go around.
11) How does Horatio differ from Marcellus and Barnardo in scene 1?
Marcellus was more brave than Bernardo.
12) What is Horatio’s purpose in scene 1 (why is he present)?
He is there to explain the ghost and why he was there.
13) What past history (Denmark’s history) is revealed in scene 1? 
The conquer of land.