Study Questions for Hamlet
* Hamlet faces a moral dilemma. On the one hand, the ghost of his father urges him to
gain revenge by killing Claudius. On the other hand, Hamlet’s conscience tells him that
killing is wrong. After all, he is a college boy who has been exposed to the teachings of
theologians, philosophers and other thinkers who condemn revenge. What was the
attitude of people in Hamlet’s day–as many as a thousand years ago–toward law and
order and revenge?
* Another dilemma Hamlet faces is whether the ghost is trustworthy. Is it really the
ghost of his father? Is it a demon? Is there really a ghost at all? What was the attitude of
people in Shakespeare’s time–he was born in 1564 and died in 1616–toward the
supernatural: ghosts, witches, etc.? See Essay Topic 2 below for additional information.
* In Act I, Scene II, Claudius refers to Gertrude as "our sometime sister." What does
he mean by this phrase?
* Does Hamlet himself covet the throne? Why didn't he–the son of old King Hamlet–
inherit the throne? (Look for a clue in these lines: He that hath kill'd my king and whored
my mother, / Popp'd in between the election and my hopes, (Act V, Scene II, Hamlet
speaking to Horatio). (4) The play is full of deceit. Who attempts to deceive whom?
* Before he leaves to study at the University of Paris (Act I, Scene III), Laertes warns
his sister, Ophelia, to be wary of Hamlet's attentions toward her, saying Hamlet regards
her as little more than a "toy." Is it possible that Laertes is right, that Hamlet really is not
serious about Ophelia?
* Hamlet is angry because his mother married Claudius so soon after the death of old
King Hamlet. Was Gertrude having an affair with Claudius before her husband’s death?
Was she in on the murder? Does Hamlet suffer from an Oedipus complex?
* Hamlet puts on an “antic disposition”–that is, he pretends to be insane. But is he, in
fact, insane or mentally unstable?
* Does Ophelia go insane? Does she commit suicide?
* What circumstances do Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras have in common? Do they
share similar character traits?
* In ancient and medieval times, ambitious men often murdered their way to the
throne, as Claudius did in Hamlet. Shakespeare was right on the mark in Henry IV Part II
when he wrote, “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.” In other words, a ruler often
had to sleep with one eye open to watch for attempts on his life. What were some of the
methods monarchs used to protect themselves or uncover plots against them? For
example, did they employ spies or food tasters? Did they stay in the company of trusted
guards?