McKinney / Allen / Plano Fiction Book Club
Discussion Questions – September 7, 2014
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
1. In what way does the opening scene of Hamlet set the tone for the play that
follows? What atmosphere is established? Why are the sentries on guard so
jittery?
2. In the court scene, is Claudius genuine in his wish to keep Hamlet at court? He
permits Laertes to return to France, yet he refuses to grant similar permission
to Hamlet. Why would Claudius wish to keep Hamlet near? To please
Gertrude? Or for some other reason?
3. What is Gertrude's role in all this? Was her marriage to Claudius unduly hasty?
Might she have married him for reasons of state—to maintain stability in the
passage of power? Or were her actions less noble?
4. Opinions differ as to Polonius. How do you see him—as a garrulous fool, an
overbearing albeit wise father, an opportunist with an eye to the main chance,
a valuable advisor to the king, or an obsequious courtier?
5. Does the old king's ghost, or spirit, truly appear to Hamlet? Or is it a psychological delusion—borne of wish
fulfillment, anxiety, or despair? If, indeed, the king's ghost is real...is it a demon bent on evil? Or is the ghost a
restless spirit requiring revenge for his murder before he can attain peace? Hamlet, himself, is unsure. Scholars
debate, as well. What do you think?
6. Initially hell-bent on revenge, Hamlet prevaricates. This is one of the central riddles of the play, which has
intrigued readers and scholars for 400 years. Why do you think Hamlet waffles in fulfilling his promise to the
ghost? What does it suggest about his nature? Does Hamlet have justification to delay?
7. Some modern readers overlay a Freudian Oedipal interpretation on Hamlet's relationship to his mother (see Mel
Gibson's 1990 film version, which makes this approach blatantly obvious)—though certainly there is a wide
divergence of opinion on the subject. What do you think—is Hamlet in love with his mother? At the very least,
would you say he has an unhealthy obsession with her sex life? Yet it is also said that Hamlet is well justified in
resenting his mother's physical display of fondness for her second husband—especially in that her affections
come so soon after her first husband's death. Thoughts?
8. One of the other central issues readers and scholars have pondered for centuries is whether or not Hamlet is
mad. Is his "madness" a feint, as he tells Horatio? Or does he slowly descend into true madness? What do you
think...and why does he pretend to be insane, for what purpose?
9. Consider Claudius, a fascinating character in his own right. Might he be viewed as a decisive ruler, perhaps wiser
and steadier in dire times than a young, untested prince? (Consider the court scene in which Claudius dispatches
his envoys to Norway). Or is Claudius an out and out villain?
10. What is the "To be or not to be" meditation about?
11. What is the nature of Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship? Why do both Laertes and Polonius* instruct Ophelia to
maintain her distance from Hamlet? What about Hamlet's treatment of her during the spy scene? Why does he
McKinney / Allen / Plano Fiction Book Club
Discussion Questions – September 7, 2014
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
tell her to "get thee to a nunnery?" (In Shakespeare's time, a "nunnery" is both a monastery and a joking
reference to a brothel.) Is Hamlet's anger toward her justified? Is she a passive or an active agent in the court's
intrigue?
12. After Hamlet kills Polonius, Ophelia descends into madness. We see her pitiable state in the flower scene before
her death. What are the symbolic meanings behind the flowers that Ophelia presents to Claudius, Gertrude and
Laertes? What is being said?
13. Why do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern betray Hamlet? Are they willing or unwitting accomplices? What about
Hamlet's switching the letters on the way to England? Are his actions fair or just? Was there any alternative?
14. Hamlet returns to Denmark after pirates have rescued him from the ship to England. He meets Horatio in the
graveyard and holds up the most famous Hamlet icon of all—the skull of Ulric. Once again, Hamlet meditates on
human mortality. What is his message about life and death?
15. Immediately following his Ulric speech, Hamlet sees the funeral cortege for Ophelia. Had he, in fact, loved
Ophelia? Does he have a right to claim grief at her death? Laertes certainly thinks not.
16. Shakespeare creates a contrast between two sons, both set on avenging their fathers' deaths. One is resolute
while one seems anything but. Talk about the difference between the two young men. Are we to admire Laertes
over Hamlet because of his doggedness in pursuing his goal? Or are there flaws in Laertes's character, as well?
17. At what point...and why...does Hamlet seem to accept that he will die? What does he mean when he says to
Horatio before the duel with Laertes, "there is special providence in the fall of a sparrow"?
18. What purpose, as a character, does Horatio serve in this drama? He initiates little or no action: what is he there
for?
19. In all, what do you think of Prince Hamlet? How would you describe him? Does he deserve our sympathy...or do
you find him petulant and exasperating? Does he change or mature by the play's end? Most important, why has
he endured as literature's most brilliant character?