Literary Devices
This literary device is used when Hamlet compares kings and beggars to food for worms
Metaphor
What idea does Hamlet express when he says Kings and beggars both end up as food for worms
Death makes everyone equal
This is the crucial structural function of the scene, as it represents the climax of Hamlet's inner conflict and guarantees the tragic outcome.
point of no return
How does Hamlet behavior in the scene show a change from earlier in the play
He is more confident, controlled, and deliberate rather than hesitant
What political status is shared by both Hamlet and Fortinbras, making them natural foils to one another?
prince
This literary device is used when Hamlet says that if man only sleeps and feeds, he is "A beast, no more". What literary device is used?
Metaphor
What is the non-material idea that motivates Fortinbras's army to fight for a patch of land that has "no profit but the name"?
Honour
What does the scene reveal about how Claudius maintains his power as king?
he rules through appearance and public image
This is the "craven scruple" that Hamlet finally names as the cause of his own inaction and delay throughout the play.
thinking too precisely
Claudia's fear is acting against Hamlet because Hamlet is supported by this group
the distracted multitude
This device is used when Hamlet speaks truth while mocking Claudius about Polonius's location
Irony
This theme is revealed when Claudius refuses to punish Hamlet openly because of public opinion
Abuse of political power
Why is the presence of Fortinbras so significant to Hamlet’s character arc in this scene?
Fortinbras functions as the ultimate character foil and catalyst.
How does Hamlet demonstrate power in the scene despite being physically restrained
He uses language to confront the interaction
This is the low monetary value, mentioned by the Captain, that he claims he would not pay to farm the Polish land.
five ducats
What dramatic device is evoked by the line "Rightly to be great Is not to stir without great argument, But greatly to find quarrel in a straw"?
Paradox
What is the central theme of the play that Hamlet finally commits to achieving with his final vow: "My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!"
Revenge
Why is Claudius's decision at the end of the scene a major turning point in the play
It marks the moment he fully commits to killing Hamlet by ordering his execution in England
What emotional state is Hamlet driven by when he realizes Fortinbras’s army is risking death for a trifle while he fails to act for a murdered father?
guilt/shame
Claudia's compares Hamlet to this in order to justify killing him
Disease
This literary device allows Hamlet to criticize royal authority without directly accusing Claudius of murder
satire
This theme connects to physical decay of Polonious's body to the moral decay of Denmark's leadership
Corruption
What major dramatic irony surrounding Fortinbras amplifies the tragedy of Hamlet’s final vow?
The dramatic irony is that Hamlet's inspirational model, Fortinbras, is the son of the man King Hamlet killed, establishing a cycle of generational vengeance. Hamlet's act of inspired revenge will not bring, will clear the way for Fortinbras,
How does Claudius’s decision to have Hamlet killed reveal about his character as a ruler?
It shows he is cowardly manipulative and willing to use indirect violence to protect his power
By the play’s end, the ultimate political outcome of Hamlet’s inspired and bloody action will be this character claiming the vacant throne of Denmark.
Fortinbras