Literary Studies
Hamlet Study Guide: 1.1, 1.2
Mr. Cullen
Act 1, Scene 1
1) Why are the men on guard?
2) How many times have the guards seen the ghost?
3) They immediately recognize the ghost has King Hamlet. What is some evidence they give to show this?
4) How do the men try to communicate with it? Why does this fail?
5) What is revealed about King Hamlet during Horatio’s longer speech, starting at line 80?
6) What makes the ghost leave after the second appearance? Why is this?
7) What do the men decide to do at the end of the scene?
Act 1, Scene 2
1) What is revealed to the audience in King Claudius’s first speech?
2) What are Voltemand’s and Cornelius’s role in the opening of this scene? What does this reveal about King
Claudius?
3) What does Laertes ask of King Claudius?
4) How does Hamlet treat King Claudius in this scene?
5) What does Queen Gertrude ask of Hamlet in lines 118?
6) After Claudius and Gertrude exit the scene, Hamlet has his first soliloquy (an act of speaking one's thoughts
aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, esp. by a character in a play). How would you characterize
Hamlet after this speech?
7) When being told of his father’s ghost, how does Hamlet react?
8) At the end of the scene, where is Hamlet going?
Act 1, Scene 3
1) What advice does Laertes give Ophelia concerning Hamlet?
2) How does Ophelia respond to the advice?
3) What advice does Polonius give to his son?
4) Using a feminist lens, explain how Ophelia is treated during this scene.
Literary Studies
Hamlet Study Guide 2
Mr. Cullen
Please answer the following questions in your journal. Answers will not fit in the lines provided.
Act 1, Scene 4
1) Where does this scene take place? Why?
2) What is the reason for the trumpets and canons?
3) What criticism does Hamlet have for Claudius’s revelry?
4) Starting at line 69, Horatio speaks of his concerns about Hamlet following the ghost. What are
these concerns?
5) What do Horatio and Marcellus decide to do at the end of this scene?
Act 1 , Scene 5
1) Describe where the Ghost claim to go during the day.
2) Starting in line 43, the Ghost reveals a great deal about his death. Who murdered him? How was
he murdered? Where was he murdered?
3) What does the Ghost ask of Hamlet?
4) How does Hamlet react to the Ghost’s speech?
5) Why doesn’t Hamlet tell Horatio and Marcellus what the Ghost said?
6) What does Hamlet make Horatio and Marcellus swear? What do they swear upon?
7) In your own words, explain lines 169-180.
Act 2, Scene 1
1) What is Polonius asking Reynoldo to do? Why?
2) Why is Ophelia distraught?
3) How did Hamlet look when speaking with her?
4) Describe Hamlet’s actions in lines 84-97
5) What does Polonius think is Hamlet’s “issue”?
Literary Studies
Hamlet Study Guide 3
Mr. Cullen
Please answer the following questions in your journal. Answers will not fit in the lines provided.
Act 2, Scene 2
Who are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?
What do the King and Queen ask of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?
What do Voltemand and Cornelius report to the King about Fortinbras?
What does Polonius report to the King about Hamlet? What does he use as “proof”?
What scheme does Polonius setup beginning in line 162?
What are some puns that Hamlet uses when speaking with Polonius?
What is some evidence of Hamlet’s lack of sanity during his conversation with Polonius?
How does Hamlet treat Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?
Who are the Players and why are they there?
What does Hamlet want to add to the Murther of Gonzago? Why?
Starting on line 530, Hamlet has another soliloquy. Summarize his feelings.
Literary Studies
Hamlet Study Guide 4
Mr. Cullen
Act 3, Scene 1
What do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern report to the King and Queen?
What do King Claudius and Polonius have “setup” for Hamlet?
Summarize Hamlet’s soliloquy starting at line 55.
How does Hamlet treat Ophelia in this scene?
How does Ophelia react to Hamlet?
What does the King think is wrong with Hamlet? What doe Polonius think is wrong with Hamlet?
Act 3, Scene 2
What advice does Hamlet give to the actors?
Summarize Hamlet’s longer speech starting at line 52.
How do Hamlet and Ophelia interact with each other starting in line 104?
How long ago does Hamlet say his father died? How long ago does Ophelia say he died?
What are the similarities between the Murder of Gonzaga and Hamlet’s life?
What does Hamlet call the piece? Who are the characters in the play?
How does Claudius react to the poisoning scene in the play?
What does Guildenstern report to Hamlet?
Explain Hamlet’s goal (for the next scene) at the end of this scene.
Literary Studies
Hamlet Study Guide 5
Please answer the following questions in your journal. Answers will not fit in the lines provided.
Act 3, Scene 3
What does King Claudius plan with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?
What is Polonius’s plan (again!) in Gertrude’s bedroom?
Summarize the King’s soliloquy starting at line 36.
What does Hamlet question starting in line 73?
Act 3, Scene 4
What does Polonius tell the queen to do? How does she respond?
What happens to Polonius in this scene? How was his spying “given away”?
Summarize Hamlet’s speech starting at line 30 and ending at line 88.
What does Hamlet see in line 102? Does Gertrude see it? How does she react?
What does Hamlet tell Gertrude starting at line 138?
Summarize Hamlet’s speech starting at line 181.
What does Hamlet take with him as he exits the scene?
Mr. Cullen
Literary Studies
Hamlet Study Guide 6
Mr. Cullen
Please answer the following questions in your journal. Answers will not fit in the lines provided.
Act 4, Scene 1
What does Gertrude report to Claudius? How does he react?
Where does Gertrude say Hamlet is now? What is he doing?
What does Claudius ask Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to do?
Act 4, Scene 2
Summarize Hamlet’s speech starting in line 15.
Where does Hamlet say Polonius’s body is located?
Act 4, Scene 3
Why does Hamlet say Polonius’s body is “at supper”?
What does Claudius plan on sending with Hamlet to England (lines 55- 66)?
Act 4, Scene 4
Why is Prince Fortinbras in Denmark?
Summarize Hamlet’s soliloquy starting in line 32
Act 4, Scene 5
What does the Gentleman say to Gertrude? Who is he speaking about?
How does Ophelia act in this scene? Why do you suppose this is?
What is Ophelia trying to say through her songs? Is she telling a story? About who?
Summarize the King’s soliloquy starting in line 74.
Who accompanies Laertes? Why?
In line 130, how does Laertes react when Claudius tells of his Polonius’s death?
How does Laertes react when he sees Ophelia?
Act 4, Scene 6
What does the letter that Horatio receives from the Sailor reveal about Hamlet?
Act 4, Scene 7
When asked by Laertes as to why he did not act against Hamlet, what does the King reply?
What is Laertes especially skilled at? How did the King know this?
What do the King and Laertes scheme? How will they do it? What is their back-up plan?
What does the Queen reveal about Ophelia?
Literary Studies
Hamlet Study Guide 7
Mr. Cullen
Act 5, Scene 1
What are some of the things that the clowns discuss while digging the grave?
The clowns are comedic characters. What are some humorous aspects of their discussions?
What does Hamlet question while the clown digs, revealing skulls?
Whose grave is the clown digging?
How old is Hamlet revealed to be? Is this surprising?
What happened the day Hamlet was born?
Summarize Hamlet’s Yorick speech starting at line 172.
What does the doctor reveal between lines 212 and 220?
Where (specifically) do Hamlet and Laertes come face to face?
What does Hamlet reveal about his love for Ophelia?
Act 5, Scene 2
What does Hamlet reveal about his journey to England? What happened to R & G?
How does Hamlet treat Osric the messenger?
What wager does Osric speak of? What items did the King bet? What is the bet?
Does Hamlet agree to the wager? Does he think he will win? Why?
Summarize Hamlet’s words toward Laertes starting at line 208. How does Laertes respond?
Why does Claudius keep attempting to give Hamlet a drink?
Who drinks the cup?
How is Hamlet poisoned? How does Laertes become poisoned?
Explain lines 307-309. Who kills Claudius?
Who shows up to “clean up the mess” that Hamlet made? What happens to Denmark?