Hamlet Themes and Literature Terms
Themes
Appearance vs. Reality: Not every person, thing, or situation, in Hamlet is as it appears – in fact,
almost none are! Below, list all of the characters/things/situations in the play to which this theme
applies and explain why.
Mortality and Death: Throughout the play, Hamlet speaks several times about death. What happens
when we die? What is the meaning of life? Below, write down Hamlet’s famous quotes about death
and paraphrase them.
Literature Terms
Define the following:
1. Tragedy:
2. Tragic Flaw:
3. Tragic Hero:
Central Conflict and Inciting Incident: A central conflict is the primary struggle dealt with in the
plot of a story or drama. The inciting incident is the event that introduces the central conflict. What
central conflict is introduced in Act I of Hamlet? What incident introduces this conflict?
Dramatic Irony: When the audience knows something that a character or characters in the play do
not. The most famous example is the end of Romeo and Juliette. Below, list at least 3 examples of
dramatic irony in Hamlet.
Foil: a secondary or minor character who is in some was similar to the main character but has
personal qualities that are the opposite of, or very different from, those of the protagonist; these
personal qualities often magnify the protagonist’s flaws. In Antigone, Ismene is a foil of Antigone.
Ismene is easygoing and soft-spoken while Antigone is headstrong and outspoken. When compared
to Ismene, Antigone appears even bolder. Below, list the 2 characters that are foils to Hamlet and
explain why each is a foil.
Foil:
Why:
Foil:
Why:
Protagonist and Antagonist: The protagonist, or main character, is the central figure in a literary
work. An antagonist is a character who is working against a protagonist. Who is the protagonist of
this play? Who is the major antagonist? In what respects does Hamlet sometimes act as his own
antagonist?
Motivation: A force that moves a character to think, feel, or behave in a certain way. In Act III, scene
1, Ophelia tells Hamlet, “Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind.” In what way has Hamlet
been unkind to Ophelia? In what way has Ophelia been unkind to Hamlet? Why might Hamlet feel
the way he does about women and marriage? Are his feelings justified?
Character: A figure in a literary work; also the personality of such a figure. By Act IV, how has
Ophelia changed since her first appearance in Act I? What do you think was the nature of her former
relationship with Hamlet? What about Ophelia’s character leads you to this conclusion?
Resolution: That part of a plot in which the central conflict is resolved. What is the resolution of
Hamlet? Does justice triumph at the end of the play? Why or why not?
Aside: Words an actor speaks briefly to the audience, which other actors on the stage cannot hear. An
aside serves to reveal a character’s thoughts or concerns while not revealing them to other characters
in the play. Below, write 3 asides in Hamlet; note who says them and what we learn about the speaker
as a result of the aside.
Soliloquy: A recitation in which a character reveals his or her thoughts to the audience but not to
other characters in the play. Some of the most famous soliloquies in all of Shakespeare are in Hamlet.
Below, paraphrase each of Hamlet’s major soliloquies.
Soliloquy #1 (Act I, scene ii, lines 129-159: “O that this too too solid flesh would melt . . .”)
Soliloquy #2 (Act II, scene ii, lines 542-597: “O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! . . .”)
Soliloquy #3 (Act III, scene i, lines 55-87: “To be, or not to be, that is the question . . .”)
Soliloquy #4 (Act III, scene ii, lines 384-395: “’Tis now the very witching time of night . . .”)
Soliloquy #5 (Act IV, scene iv, lines 32-66: “How all occasions do inform against me . . .”)