Whost is thou? (Characters)
Whos in the scene?
Hamlet, Horatio, Clowns/Grave diggers (at the start)
King, Queen, Laertes, Church Pastor/Doctor (later)
Where does this scene take place?
The graveyard
"Will you ha’ the truth on ’t? If this had not been
a gentlewoman, she should have been buried out o’
Christian burial."
Gravedigger
"They are sheep and calves which seek out assurance in that." What kind of figurative language is this?
Metaphor/Double Entendre
What is Hamlet's relationship to Ophelia?
"star-crossed lovers"- he says that he loves her more than her brother during the funeral
Why does Laertes and Hamlet hop in the grave?
Laertes wants to be buried with his sister- Hamlet wants to duel him
"’Twere to consider too curiously to consider
so."
Horatio
"the age is grown so picked that the toe of the peasant comes so near the heels of the courtier he galls his kibe."- what kind of figurative language is this
BONUS: What is Hamlet trying to say?
Metaphor
BONUS: Hes comparing someone walking closely behind another person to climbing social ranks in society
What is Horatio and Hamlets relationship like?
They are best friends. Horatio acts as the voice of reason
What is the purpose of the gravediggers discussion?
They're justifying that their jobs are meaningful even if they aren't rich and wealthy
"Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio—a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. He hath bore me on his back a thousand times, and now how abhorred in my imagination it is!"
Hamlet
"Upon what ground?"- What kind of figurative language is this?
HINT: Look at the wording and think about scene context
Wordplay
Hamlet: "on what basis"
Gravedigger: "where?"
Are Laertes and Hamlet on good terms? Why or why not?
No, Laertes literally is plotting to kill him- Hamlet murdered his father and "ruined" his sister
Why are the grave diggers debating the validity of Ophelia's funeral?
Because she might have killed herself (it was considered sacrilegious/sinful in this time)
"Her obsequies have been as far enlarged
As we have warranty. Her death was doubtful,
And, but that great command o’ersways the order"
Doctor/Pastor
"Let Hercules himself do what he may, The cat will mew, and dog will have his day."- What kind of figurative language is this?
Allusion
Who exactly was Yorick (the skull) and why is Hamlets holding of him symbolic?
Yorick was a former court jester- he was a beloved figure in Hamlets childhood and symbolizes childhood nostalgia.
What comment does the queen make as she scatters flowers over the grave?
She hoped Ophelia would be Hamlets wife
"O, treble woe
Fall ten times treble on that cursèd head
Whose wicked deed thy most ingenious sense
Deprived thee of!—Hold off the earth awhile,
Till I have caught her once more in mine arms."
Laertes
"This grave shall have a living monument." - What kind of figurative language is this?
BONUS: Is Claudius threatening Hamlet?
Wordplay (play on the word 'living')
BONUS: Yes- his worldplay on meaning states that something/someone currently living will join Ophelia (ie Hamlet is going to die)
While examining skulls, Hamlet deduces that this historical conqueror has turned to clay and now might stop a beer barrel- What historical figure is he talking about?
Alexander The Great