Hamlet and Ophelia
Find an example of Hamlet making rude comments to Ophelia.
Various answers. One example is, "Lady, shall I lie in your lap" (3.2.99)?
Whichever group is the first to find and explain 2 pieces of advice Hamlet gives to the players gets the points.
Various answers
How does the dumb show and actors' play relate to the theme of revenge?
Hamlet is trying to avenge his father's death by putting on a dumb show that portrays how his father was killed to see how Claudius reacts.
How does the king react when Lucianus pours poison in the player king’s ear?
He asks for the lights to be turned on and leaves.
What is the name of the public theater Shakespeare’s plays were performed in?
The Globe Theater
"Look how cheerfully my mother looks, and my father died within two hours" (3.2.112).
Whichever group is the first to find where in the prologue of the dumb show it says that the king and queen have been married 30 years gets these points.
"Full thirty times hath Phoebus' cart gone round" (3.2.136).
How does the dumb show express the theme of disloyalty?
The dumb show exposes the player queen's disloyalty to the player king through remarrying.
What does Gertrude mean when she says that “The lady doth protest too much methinks” after seeing the prologue to the dumb show? (3.2.211)
She criticizes the player queen for “protesting” too much that she would never remarry and that she will love the king forever. This is ironic because Gertrude herself clearly did not have an everlasting love for her own husband.
What is interesting about Shakespeare’s birth and death dates?
He was born and died on April 23rd.
Is the portrayal of Hamlet and Ophelia's relationship in this scene similar to or different from previous portrayals of their relationship?
Various answers
Find in the prologue of the dumb show where the player queen says the player king is sick.
"But woe is me, you are so sick of late" (3.2.144).
How does Hamlet saying that he will be “idle” in line 80 relate to the theme of acting?
Hamlet is just pretending to "be idle," as if he has not orchestrated this entire event to expose Claudius' guilt.
What does Hamlet mean when he tells Horatio “I’ll take the ghost’s word for a thousand pound.” (3.2.260)?
He means that he now believes the ghosts story about being murdered by Claudius.
Whom did Shakespeare marry?
Anne Hathaway
Provide 2 meanings of "the players cannot keep counsel; they'll tell all" (3.2.125)
1. The players will tell what the play is going to be about.
2. The players will disclose the treachery of the king.
Find in the prologue of the dumb show where the player queen says she will never remarry.
"In second husband let me be accurst: / None wed the second but who killed the first" (3.2.160-1).
How does the play within a play relate to the theme of acting?
Various answers that should revolve around how all of the actors are putting on an act in front of each other, which the different layers of the play/acting emphasize.
What do these lines from Hamlet’s soliloquy mean? ‘It’s now the very witching time of night, / When churchyards yawn, and hell itself breathes out / Contagion to this world. Now I could drink hot blood, / And do such bitter business as the day / Would quake to look on” (3.3.349-53)
Hamlet says that it’s that late time of night when evil and deadly things happen. He is so angry that he could drink blood and do such horrible things that the daytime would tremble if it saw what he did.
Where did they get the costumes for the play?
Nobels donated them.
Find an example of irony when Hamlet speaks to Ophelia.
Many possible answers, but one is, "What should a man do but be merry? For look you how cheerfully my mother looks, and my father died within two hour’s" (3.2.111-2)
Find in the prologue of the dumb show where the player king says the player queen might change her mind about remarrying.
"I do believe you think what now you speak, / But what we do determine oft we break" (3.2.168).
What point does Shakespeare seem to be making about acting (putting on an act) vs action in this scene?
Various answers. One possible one would be that Hamlet puts on a play and puts on an act that he doesn't know that Claudius is guilty, but has done very little to "act" upon that knowledge up until now.
What do these lines from Hamlet’s soliloquy mean? Let me be cruel, not unnatural: / I will speak daggers to her but use none. / My tongue and soul in this be hypocrites, / How in my words somever she be sent, / To give them seals never my souls consent.
Let me be mean to my mother but not so mean that it is inappropriate given that I am her son. I will speak harsh words to her but not kill her. I really wish I could kill her, though. My soul would never consent to let my cruel words become action, though.
What was Hamlet based off of?
It was based on a 12th century story by Saxo Grammaticus with similar plot and characters (which was based on a Norse legend about a hero who pretends to be insane to gain revenge)