Newman – IB 12 – 2013-2014 - Hamlet Study Guide
Discussion Questions by Act
Act I
1. What is the significance that the play begins with the line “who’s there?” How does this set up some of the
themes / tropes you are noticing thus far?
2. The only place we learn the name of Claudius is in the preliminary stage directions. Thereafter he is exclusively
referred to as “the King,” not only in stage directions but by all characters. How is this significant?
3. In Scene II, the King and Queen ask Hamlet to abandon his plan to return to Wittenberg for school. Consider
these other names associated with that location at the time that Shakespeare wrote this play:
a. Doctor Faustus: a play by Christopher Marlowe, another famous Elizabethan playwright. Based on the
German story Faust in which a man sells his soul to the devil for power, experience, pleasure, and
knowledge. Set in Wittenberg.
b. Martin Luther: seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation who was excommunicated from the
Catholic church for his critiques of that establishment, particularly the practice of “purchasing” the
forgiveness of sins with money. Taught theology at University of Wittenberg.
i. Are there parallels here?
4. Comment on Laertes’ speech to Ophelia and her response (I.III.5-51). What does it illustrate about their
relationship, and about each of these characters?
5. What is the function of the Laertes-Ophelia-Polonious family within the play?
Act II
1. Why does this act open with Polonius and Reynaldo? What does this tell us about Polonius's character, and
what theme or motif does it introduce in the play?
2. On line 223-224 Polonius says of Hamlet’s ranting that “Though this be madness, yet there is / method in ’t”
(Shakespeare 95). Discuss the method in Hamlet’s madness in Act II. Why is it necessary for him to put on an
“antic disposition”?
3. What function to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern seem to play as characters?
4. What is the “method” in Hamlet’s request that the First Player recite a few speeches from Aeneas’ tale to
Dido? How do these speeches mirror the action of the play so far? This speech is often cut in performances of
the play. Explain why it is important and why it should not be cut.
5. What do you know about Hamlet’s relationship with other characters? Pick one relationship to examine
(examples: Hamlet and Gertrude, his mother; Hamlet and Horatio; Hamlet and Ophelia). Describe this
relationship.
6. What motifs and themes do you notice emerging? Look at the dialogue closely.
Act III
1. Examine Shakespeare’s use of irony from the end of Scene 2, immediately after the “Mousetrap” (III.ii.297)
through Scene 3 (III.iii.103). Why does Shakespeare so often employ irony here? What point is he making? Consider:
Imagery Hamlet uses in his exchange with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (III.ii.322-402).
Hamlet’s speech at the end of Scene 2 (III.ii.419-432).
R & G’s comments to Claudius on the theme of “majesty” (III.iii.1-28).
Claudius’ prayer, and Hamlet’s observation of this prayer (III.iii.40-103).
2. Consider Shakespeare’s employment of the “play within a play” – The Mousetrap. How might this be contributing
to the themes you have started to perceive in the play thus far?
3. Compare Hamlet’s treatment of R&G in Act III Scene III to that of his first encounter with them in Act II Scene II.
4. Compare Hamlet’s treatment of Ophelia in Scene 1 to that of his mother in Scene 4, considering:
Hamlet’s use of imagery, his attitude toward the two women he loves most in the world, and the
advice/instructions he gives them.
Both Ophelia and Gertrude voice their certainty of his madness, Ophelia after Hamlet has exited (III.i.163175) and Gertrude after she observes Hamlet speaking to his father’s ghost (III.iv.121, 133-141, 157159). How does this factor into the audience’s perception about Hamlet’s sanity, and his intentions?
5. Comment on Polonius’ death. Why is this event significant, or what might it represent?
Act IV
1. Compare Ophelia’s madness in Scene v to Hamlet’s. What specific events occasion each character’s
madness? What purpose does each character’s madness serve? That is, how does Shakespeare develop each and
why? Is there any “method” in Ophelia’s ravings? If so, what is it? Prove using specific references to text.
2. Compare Laertes’ reaction to his father’s death with Hamlet’s reaction to his own father’s death. (Note that at
the time, neither knows the identity of the killer.) Comment on Laertes’ return to Denmark and on his general
behavior in Scene v. Discuss his use of language and how it contrasts with Hamlet’s indecisiveness. In what ways is
Laertes a foil to Hamlet? How is Fortinbras a foil to Hamlet? (See Scene iv.) How are Fortinbras and Laertes
alike/different?
3. Discuss the theme of “putting on” in Scenes i and iii. How do Gertrude and Claudius hide what is really on their
minds in Scene i? What plans for Hamlet is Claudius hiding from Gertrude, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern? How do
Claudius and Hamlet disguise their true thoughts from each other in Scene iii? Be sure to discuss the references to
madness, the poison imagery, and the black humor.
4. Do a thorough analysis of Scene vii. In what ways is this scene an ironic parallel to Act I, Scene v? How does
Claudius convince Laertes to murder Hamlet? Why is an elaborate plot necessary? Discuss the irony of Claudius’
imagery in his attempt to persuade Laertes to act quickly.
5. Comment on the pace of this Act. How does it feel compared to the first three? What choices did Shakespeare
make for this Act, and why?
Act V
1. In what ways does the gravedigger in Scene I evoke wisdom? Why does Shakespeare give this character so much time
in the play?
2. Compare and contrast Laertes’ and Hamlet’s behavior at Ophelia’s grave. Did Hamlet really love Ophelia? Why does
he get so angry at Laertes for leaping into Ophelia’s grave?
3. Analyze the first part of Scene II (up to the entrance of Osric). How do Hamlet’s speeches continue the same kind of
thinking he exhibited in the graveyard scene? What does he mean by “There’s a divinity that shapes our ends,/ Roughhew them how we will” (11-12)?
4. Why does Hamlet disregard Horatio’s warning that Laertes will beat him? What does Hamlet mean by “the readiness
is all. . .Let be” (236-8). How do these lines echo similar sentiments which Hamlet has expressed earlier in this act?
5. How can the line “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead” (411) be viewed as an apt theme for the last scene of the
play (sword fight to entrance of Fortinbras)? Discuss the literal and figurative use of poison. Why is it fitting that
Laertes, Hamlet, Horatio and Fortinbras are brought together at the end? Why does Fortinbras get the last word (and
not Horatio)?
Discussions by Scene / Topic
“Get thee to a nunnery!”
•
Claudius and Polonius have intentionally thrown Ophelia into Hamlet’s path in this scene and are spying on them.
While there is no indication of it in the text, many directors have played the scene so that it is clear to the audience
that Hamlet realizes he is being spied upon at some point.
•
What effect would it have on your understanding of Hamlet’s treatment of Ophelia if Hamlet knows?
•
What happens if the scene is played in a way that makes it obvious that Ophelia knows that Hamlet knows?
•
How do you think Shakespeare meant it?
•
Motivation: Why do the characters behave as they do in this scene?
•
Is Ophelia a willing accomplice of her father and Claudius, concerned for Hamlet’s sanity and the safety of
those around him? Or is she the reluctant betrayer of the man she loves, driven to act against her own wishes
by her fear and sense of duty?
•
What about Hamlet? Does he love Ophelia? What motivates his behavior?
Four Humors

Given your knowledge of the four humors, what is the significance of these allusions to the four humors or
temperaments in Hamlet? What are we able to glean about their temperaments, personalities, and concerns?
o

Act III, Scene ii, Lines 72-79; Act III, Scene ii, Lines 325-334
Hamlet is often called “the Melancholy Dane,” as he is thought to fit perfectly with the description of a melancholic
individual.
•
Merriam Webster definition of “melancholy” – 1. an abnormal state attributed to an excess of black bile and
characterized by irascibility or depression 2. a feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause. 3.
depression of spirits: dejection; a pensive mood
1. Hamlet’s first appearance in the play is Act I, Scene ii; analyze Shakespeare’s words and phrases in this scene, looking
for those that establish Hamlet as a melancholic character. Think carefully about how Shakespeare is developing Hamlet
as a melancholy character.
2. End with Hamlet’s “too too solid/sullied flesh” soliloquy (lines 133-164). How does this soliloquy demonstrate his
melancholia? What internal struggles are made obvious by the content of this soliloquy?
3. What specific trait of melancholy is most significantly influencing Hamlet’s fate in the play so far?
4. How is Hamlet’s melancholy shaping the structure of the play? Its message?
5. What “humours” might be attributed to or represented by other characters in the play? How do they influence the
themes or message?
Seven Soliloquies
•
1. Sullied/Solid flesh – Act I, Scene II, Lines 133-164
•
2. Host of Heaven – Act I, Scene V, Lines 99-119
•
3. Rogue and Peasant Slave – Act II, Scene II, Lines 577-634
•
4. To Be or Not to Be – Act III, Scene I, Lines 64-96
•
5. Witching Time of Night – Act III, Scene II, Lines 419-432
•
6. Do It Pat – Act III, Scene III, Lines 77-101
•
7. Inform Against Me – Act IV, Scene IV, Lines 34-69
1. How does a soliloquy seem to differ from other kinds of long speeches?
2. Are soliloquies realistic? Or are they something we would only see in plays? Where and when do people talk to
themselves?
3. Why is this speaking aloud helpful to us?
4. What does this type of speech reveal about Hamlet? What does it show us that a scene with other characters could
not? For example, why doesn’t he have these discussions with his good friend, Horatio?
Feminist Lens
•
Explore the characters of Ophelia and Gertrude and how they challenge—or fail to challenge — the domination of
male characters, and to explore how the play expresses ideas about femininity common in Shakespeare's lifetime and
how complicit Shakespeare is in Hamlet's personal misogyny.
•
Potential avenues for exploration:
• Both characters
• Representation of archetypes/stereotypes of women
• Ophelia only
• Archetypal Madwoman (Relationship between madness and femininity)
• Exiled Feminine (Represents the Female Side of Hamlet, hated by Hamlet)
• Impossible Subject (Shakespeare/English language (male) unable to represent the feminine, she can
only be represented as “nothingness”)
• Gertrude only
• Sexual Nature (Hamlet’s obsession with)
Feminist: What are the power relationships between men and women?
Feminist: What does the work reveal about the operations of patriarchy? (Economically, politically, socially, or
psychologically.)
Marxist Lens
In what ways does the work serve as propaganda for the status quo? Or does it undermine it?
Who are the powerful people in the text? Who are the powerless? Are they depicted with equal attention? Why does
each group have the power it does?
Psychoanalytical Lens
Is/Are the character’(s’) behavior indicative of or influenced by repressed desires or conflicts among the id, ego, and
superego?
Reveal what is happening in the characters’ unconscious as it has been suggested by images, symbols, actions, or interior
monologues (consider Defense Mechanisms, neuroses/psychoses, etc.)
Motifs / Topics (appearing throughout the play – consider tracing them)
- Fate
- Appearance v. Reality
- Free Will
- Mortality / Immortality
- Political Stability / Instability
- Revenge / Madness
- Interchangeability
- Activity / Inactivity
- Vengeance
Elements of Drama
- Stage Directions (asides, etc.)
- Connotation / Denotation, Double Entendre
- Subplots
- Foil characters
- Archetypes / Characters as representational
figures
-
Denoument
Foot / Meter
Soliloquies v. Monologues
Elements of tragedy and tragic heroes
Comic relief
Trajectory of Play’s Action
- Discussion centered around Acts I – IV building toward a climax, interrupted by comic relief of gravedigger
o First scene outside of castle
o Behavior of Hamlet post-gravedigger conversation
The Great Gatsby Study Guide
Topics Discussed (Broad)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
The American Dream
Inequality
The Roaring Twenties / The Jazz Age / The Harlem Renaissance – America during the 1920s
Regaining the past
Romance v. Obsession
Appearances v. Reality
The Uncanny
8. Self-definition and/or self-[re]creation
9. Emptiness of Language
Close Reading Topics
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Novel’s setting – East Egg, West Egg, New York, 1920s, seasons (summer)
Relationships: Tom and Daisy, Gatsby and Daisy, Nick and Jordan, Tom and Myrtle
The Wilsons
Descriptions of Gatsby – by Nick and by others
Symbols: Valley of Ashes, eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleberg (billboard), green light, cars, Owl Eyes
Motif: sight/blindness, colors, clocks/time, Daisy’s voice
Nick as narrator – filling void
Discussion Questions
1. How does Fitzgerald’s own background factor into our analysis of the elements of inequality he portrays?
2. Analyze Fitzgerald’s use of sight and blindness in the novel.
a. Include notions of mistaken identity, as well as the T.J. Eckleberg billboard, the character Owl Eyes, and
the blindness of certain characters to various important truths in the novel.
3. What choices is Fitzgerald making in terms of literary elements, how does he construct meaning?
4. Who is the real person – Jay Gatz masquerading as Jay Gatsby, or Jay Gatsby? Plato held that reality was an
imperfect reflection of an ideal, permanent realm. Nick says “Jay Gatsby sprang from his Platonic conception of
himself” (p. 98).
a. Is this a peculiarly American phenomenon?
5. Each character chooses to come East to seek fortune and success rather than take the traditional American
route West. What does each character seek and to what degree is that search successful by the novel's end?
a. Why does Fitzgerald have this happen? (The movement EAST rather than WEST?) (p. 176)
i. Examine the following motifs:
1. Water (pp. 82, 99, 153, 162, 177)
2. Season (pp. 3-4, 20, 74, 114, 118, 149, 150, 153, 161, 176)
3. Clocks/timetables (pp. 61-63, 86, 92, 153, 155)
6. Is Gatsby heroic or foolish?
a. Is Gatsby a Romantic hero placed within a Realist setting?
i. (pp. 91, 99, 111, 161, 172)
b. Discuss the “irrecoverable” past.
i. Final page of the novel.
7. Is it romance or obsession?
a. What does all of this (romance or obsession too) have to do with inequality? What is Fitzgerald saying
about it?
i. Consider “holocaust:” Myrtle, Wilson, Gatsby
ii. Consider: childishness (pp. 88, 179)
b. Is Gatsby a victim of the corruption of the American Dream? Or part of the problem?
8. Fitzgerald wrote to his editor, “The worst fault in [the novel] is a BIG FAULT: I gave no account (and had no
feeling about or knowledge of) the emotional relations between Gatsby and Daisy from the time of their reunion
to the catastrophe.” (from The Crack-up, p.270).
a. Why would Fitzgerald have knowingly left this out, and do you agree or disagree with this statement?