Hamlet-Act 3 Questions
Scene 1
1. “’Tis too much proved, that with devotion’s visage/And pious action we do sugar over/The
devil himself” (3.1.53-55).
Said by:
What it means:
Important b/c:
2. Summarize lines 56-61. What does Claudius reveal? Is anyone else there to hear it?
3. Read Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” soliloquy (attached). Answer the corresponding
questions (under soliloquy).
4. Outline the conversation between Ophelia and Hamlet. What is Ophelia saying to Hamlet?
What is Hamlet responding with?
5. What does “nunnery” mean in the context Hamlet uses it? What effect does the repetition of
the word have?
6. The interaction between Ophelia and Hamlet (lines 99-173) appears to be what we, in
modern times, would call a…
7. In lines 131-41 Hamlet says something specific about his capacity for doing wrong—what is
it that he says?
8. Why does Ophelia say “O, what a noble mind is here overthrown!” (162)?
9. What does Claudius decide to do with Hamlet (lines 180-87)?
10. “Madness in great ones must not unwatched go.”
Said by:
What it means:
Important b/c:
Scene 2
1. You will be assigned a character for the viewing of “The Murder of Gonzago.” Below, write
how your character reacts to the events of the play AND why these reactions are significant.
You will also include the reactions of the other characters after they are shared by your
classmates.

Gertrude:

Polonius:

Claudius:

Ophelia:

Hamlet:

Rosencrantz/Guildenstern & the Hoi-Polloi:
2. “The lady doth protests too much, me thinks.”
Said by:
What it means:
Important b/c:
3. Rosencrantz asks Hamlet what is the “cause of [his] distemper” (3.2.330-31), and Hamlet
says he “lack[s] advancement” (3.2.333). What does that mean in relation to his quest for
revenge?
4. How do Polonius and Gertrude respond when Claudius jumps up and demands the show
end? Why is this potentially important?
5. Read and analyze lines 381-392 (mini-soliloquy; attached so you can take notes on it).
Answer the corresponding questions (under soliloquy).
Scene 3
1. “I like him not”
Said by:
What it means:
Important b/c:
2. Summarize Claudius’ soliloquy (39-75 & 100-101) below in your own words (what did he
do, what is he asking for).
3. Why does Hamlet decide not to act when he sees Claudius?
4. What do lines 100-01 say about how earnest Claudius is with his apology?
5. What advice would you give to Hamlet and Claudius (separately) at this point in the play?
Scene 4
1. Write a dialogue between Hamlet and Gertrude in your own words, based on their
encounter in this scene. What does it illustrate about their relationship?
2. Explain the message from the Ghost to Hamlet. Why is this appearance of the Ghost
interesting and significant?
3. How does the murder of Polonius redirect Hamlet’s course for vengeance? What shifts in
the play (and possibly in Hamlet) because of this?
4. Why does Hamlet say he is “…not in madness/But mad in craft”? Do you believe him at this
point?
Hamlet
Soliloquy #3 – Act 3 Scene 1
To be, or not to be, that is the question.
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 a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
70
Devoutly to be wish'd. 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 shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover'd country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
80
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
90
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.
[Notices Ophelia] Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember'd.
1. “Sleep” refers to what?
2. What is a “mortal coil”?
3. What “rub” mean? What is “the rub”?
4. What causes mortals to fear or avoid death? Cite a specific line(s).
5. How do you interpret line 90?
6. What seems to be Hamlet’s biggest issue at this point, regarding his revenge plot?
7. What is the overall tone of the “To be or not to be” soliloquy? How is it different from the
“Oh what a rogue and peasant slave am I!” soliloquy from Act 2?
Hamlet Mini Soliloquy Act 3 Scene 2
‘Tis now the very witching time of night,
When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out
Contagion to this world: now could I drink hot blood,
And do such bitter business as the day
Would quake to look on. Soft! now to my mother.
385
O heart, lose not thy nature; let not ever
The soul of Nero enter this firm bosom:
Let me be cruel, not unnatural:
I will speak daggers to her, but use none;
My tongue and soul in this be hypocrites;
390
How in my words soever she be shent,
To give them seals never, my soul, consent!
1.
What or who does Hamlet almost sound like in the first five lines (think paranormal and
trendy)?
2.
What does Hamlet say he will and will not do to Gertrude? (Hint: Look in your book’s
margins for the Nero reference).
3.
Why does Hamlet say his “tongue and soul in this be hypocrites”—what does that mean
about his action/words versus intentions?
4.
Looking back at Hamlet’s other soliloquies, what is absent in this one that was present in all
the others?