O! What Peasant Slaves ARE WE!
(Until graduation)
Your task: Read and be accountable for Act II of Hamlet.
Directions:
1. Read all of Act II. There are only two scenes and they are critical to plot development.
2. Complete the reading questions.
3. Complete entries in your plot-tracking chart.
*We will look at Hamlet’s incredible soliloquy On Monday.
*Be prepared to do more AP Lit style assignments next week.
Suggestions for independent reading and study of Shakespeare:
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Read longer speeches aloud.
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Listen and follow along with audio. (Folger is an excellent source.)
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Read a summary of the scene before you begin studying.
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Toggle back and forth between Shakespearian and modern language, staying
faithful to the Shakespearian.
o You MUST be deeply familiar with original language and be able to
recognize important lines and moments.
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Use film to extend your understanding.
o My method with a brand new play: read and annotate a single scene; watch
film; re-read; tackle next scene the same way; build momentum.
HAMLET WEEKEND HOMEWORK
Hamlet Act II Reading Questions
1.
Act II opens after the passage of some time (critics suggest two months). What do we
learn about Polonius from his discussion with Reynaldo that opens the act?
2.
What was unusual about Hamlet's appearance when he visited Ophelia in her closet
(private room)?
3.
What is Polonius' diagnosis of the illness that caused Hamlet to behave so strangely
when he came to see Ophelia?
4.
When Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive, the King says to them, "What it should be,/
more than his father's death that hath put him/ so much from th' understanding of
himself,/ I cannot dream of." Is this true? Why?
5.
What news do Cornelius and Voltemand bring back from Norway?
6.
When Polonius says, "Brevity is the soul of wit," what does the Queen's reaction tell us
about his adherence to his philosophy?
7.
Discuss the tone of Hamlet's letter to Ophelia.
8.
What is Hamlet's purpose in talking to Polonius about the Sun's breeding maggots in a
dead dog? What does Polonius' reaction (in asides) reveal?
9.
How do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern analyze Hamlet's malady?
10.
Hamlet says to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern about their coming to see him, "I will tell
you why; so shall my anticipation prevent your discovery." What does this last phrase
mean?
11.
What does Hamlet tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern is the cause of his problem (and
identify the line from HAIR)?
12.
Why is the company of actors travelling about rather than staying in the city?
13.
What incident is described in the speech Hamlet persuades the Player to recite?
14.
Hamlet tells Polonius that he ought not to treat the players according to their desserts
but much better; that is, according to what?
15.
How does the player's speech serve as a motivation for Hamlet's great soliloquy that
ends the act?
16.
What does "catch" mean in the last line of the act?
HAMLET WEEKEND HOMEWORK