HAMLET
A Final Discussion
2.13.2009
Hamlet is the quintessential revenge play.
A.True
B. False
When Hamlet asks “To be or not to
be,” he is seriously considering suicide.
A. True
B. False
Hamlet is an important play to read.
A.Of course! Shakespeare is the best, and this is
Shakespeare’s best! It speaks to the nature of
humanity.
B. It is important for our cultural literacy.
C.I think my life would have gone on just fine if I did
not read this play.
D.The play is antiquated and should be replaced with
something more contemporary.
Hamlet is the most intelligent character
I have ever read.
A.Yes, he trumps all of Shakespeare’s characters. He
concocts a plan and is really witty.
B. I don’t know about being the smartest in all of
Shakespeare’s universe. Iago’s pretty smart. He
concocted a plan and was really witty.
C.He might not even be the smartest character we
read this year. What about Darl in As I Lay Dying?
D.Hamlet gets himself and his friends killed. How
smart is that?
When did Claudius and Gertrude’s
affair begin?
A.Before Hamlet’s birth. Geez, Claudius could even
be Hamlet’s dad.
B. Before Old Hamlet’s death. Maybe Gertrude even
had a hand in his murder.
C.After Old Hamlet’s death. Gertrude was just a
vulnerable widow.
D.They never really had a romantic affair. It was all
about power, not sex.
Could Hamlet be considered a villain?
A.No way! He’s a hero!
B. He’s no hero, but he’s no villain either.
C.Well, if enacting vengeance is villainous, maybe.
D.He is the reason everyone dies. He’s a villain!
When does Hamlet stop putting on his “antic
disposition” and actually become crazy?
A.He never becomes crazy. He’s plotting all the time.
B. He’s pretending until Ophelia dumps him. Then he
goes crazy.
C.He’s pretending until he kills Polonius. Then he goes
crazy.
D.He talks to ghosts. He writes plays about his father’s
death. He’s attracted to his mom. He gets people
killed. He’s crazy the whole time.
Are you bothered by Shakespeare’s suspension
of disbelief regarding Hamlet’s quick aging?
A.He’s Shakespeare! He can do whatever he wants!
B. Hamlet aged 8 years in one scene! WTF?
C.Huh? Hamlet got older?
What is Hamlet’s tragic flaw?
A.He is obsessed with vengeance.
B. He is too intellectual, and cannot escape the prison
of his own mind.
C.He blindly obeys his father’s wishes.
D.He acts without considering consequences.
Who do you blame for Hamlet’s
death?
A.Hamlet himself
B. Old Hamlet
C.Claudius
D. Laertes
E. Gertrude