1. Summarize the major events these two
scenes (the first part of film)
 Hint—these scenes are mostly exposition
2. Explain the marriage of Claudius and
Gertrude. Speculate ways in which it could
have come about?
3. What is your reaction to Hamlet? Does he
have the right to be so upset
4. What is your reaction to Claudius so far?
5. Laertes gives advice to his sister about
Hamlet. He reminds her about how her
reputation is more fragile than his if she is
promiscuous. Do you think that this attitude
still exists? If so how and why? If not how
and why? (Elaboration)
6. What is your reaction to this family and
their interactions? (Laertes, Ophelia,
Polonious)
7. Predict what you think will happen to Hamlet
and Ophelia
8. How would it feel to be Ophelia at this point
in the play? What is she going through?
9. What would you do if you were Hamlet and
suspected your girlfriend to be against you?
10. List the issues bothering Hamlet at this
point?
12. SUMMARIZE the play so far using your notes,
journals, and memory. LIST 6 important
events/sentences.
 O that this too too solid flesh
 Definition—An act of
speaking one's thoughts
aloud when by oneself or
regardless of any hearers, esp.
by a character in a play.
would melt
(Spoken by Hamlet, Act 1 Scene2)
 O, what a rogue and peasant slave
am I
(Spoken by Hamlet, Act 2 Scene 2)
 To be, or not to be
(Spoken by Hamlet, Act 3 Scene 1)
 7 sililoquoies in the play
 Purpose—often for him to
work through problems.
 Purpose—”am I doing the
right thing?” Should I?
Shouldn’t I? I can’t do it
 Oh my offence is rank, it smells to
heaven
(Spoken by Claudius, Act 3 Scene
3)
 Now might I do it pat
(Spoken by Hamlet, Act 3 Scene 3)
 How all occasions do inform
against me
(Spoken by Hamlet, Act 4 Scene 4)
14. Watch two versions of
the play within a play.
15. Write down the
similarities and differences
16. Which do you like
better and why?
17. The infamous “closet scene” between Hamlet and
Gertrude is very famous for it’s difficult execution. It’s a
passionate scene that can easily get dull or over done.
What causes Hamlet and Gertrude to get so angry and
emotional?
18. Some people believe that Hamlet suffered from the
Oedipal complex (Freud)—being attracted or in love
with his mother—citing the closet scene. Is that a valid
interpretation? Why or why not?
19. What made Ophelia go mad?
20. What could account for the drastic
change in modern interpretations of
her character?
21. Do you sympathize with Ophelia?
22. What if anything could have
prevented her fate?
 “Hamlet” is mad making her go mad
 Hamlet rejected her and feels he never loved her
 Dad’s death only
 She’s weak and can’t handle any of the stress
 Dependent on the men in her life and they left her
 Can’t revenge her Dad’s death like Hamlet and Laer.
 Possible pregnancy on top of everything else
 Many factors at once
 Just a freak occurrence and is there to contrast Hamlet
 Pregnancy? (out of wedlock awful problem for noble





woman like her. Lines by Hamlet earlier in play)
Syphillis (explains her madness and his?)
Death of father.
Can’t revenge father’s death (also helps compare her to
Hamlet)
Feels torn between all of the people for whom she’s a
pawn—lack of freedom and agency
Combination of everything (huge panic attack)
Similarities
Differences
 Explain how and why Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
arrived at Elsinore castle?
 Why do they agree to their task?
 How are these these two different from Hamlet’s other
friend, Horatio?
 What did Polonious say about friends when he gave
advice to his son in Act I? How is that idea illustrated
with these three men?
23. Some people say that Gertrude is
underwritten and underdeveloped
character. For example, Claudius has two
siloquouies, Hamlet has 6, Gertrude has 1
very short one (explaining Ophelia’s
death).What do you think? What
information would you want from her?
What speech would you wish she made.
24. Do you think that Hamlet is mad or is he
faking it?
25. If he is mad, what caused it? If faking it
what was his intent in making people
believe that he is crazy? What was the
benefit for him?
26. Watch this clip from Inside the Actors’
Studio where comedian, Dave Chapelle,
explains why he left America for Africa at
the height of his success with his own TV
show.
 Can we make any connections to the play
Hamlet? If so what?
 How do you personally feel about what
the actor expressed?
 Frailty thy name is woman,
 To be or not to be, that is the question
 Neither a borrower nor a lender be,
 To thine own self be true,
 the apparel oft proclaim the man.
 It is madness yet there be method in it,
 Tis nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so.
 I must be cruel to be kind
 We know what we are but not what we
may be
 The lord gives you one face and you paint
yourself another.
 Sorrows come not in single spies, but in
battalions,
 The lady doth protest too much
 I trust them like adders, fanged