Characters
Hamlet compares this character to a recorder, accusing them of trying to manipulate him.
Guildenstern
"To be, or not to be: that is the question: / Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, / And by opposing end them?"
Hamlet
He contemplates whether to live or end his life. Should he suffer the hardships of life or end them (aka take his life)?
This character hides behind a curtain to eavesdrop on Hamlet and Gertrude but meets a fatal end.
Polonius
Explain what theme Claudius represents in the play and why.
Betrayal
corruption
decay/disease/dirtiness
sin
Who says "O' what a noble mind has been overthrown" and what is the meaning of it?
Ophelia - Hamlet has gone insane.
This character believes Hamlet’s madness is a result of unrequited love. He loves to spy on people.
Polonius
Who says this quote and what is the meaning of it?
"O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven; / It hath the primal eldest curse upon 't, / A brother’s murder! Pray can I not, / Though inclination be as sharp as will: / My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent."
Claudius
When he talks about his offense, he means his murder of his brother. He calls it "rank" and says "it smells to heaven," meaning that his crime is disgustingly pungent and cannot be hidden. He compares him killing his brother to Cain killing Abel in the Bible, to emphasize how sinful his act is.
He says his guilt is so powerful it defeats his intent to pray.
This character attempts to pray for forgiveness but admits he is unwilling to give up what he has gained from his crime.
Claudius
What themes does Polonius represent and why? Provide a detail.
Deception
Manipulation
He is always spying on characters, trying to control his children.
Explain the meaning of the following quote by Hamlet. Who is he talking to and what is he saying.
"Nay, but to live
In the rank sweat of an enseamèd bed,
Stewed in corruption, honeying and making love
Over the nasty sty!"
He is talking to his mother and describing her marriage bed as a dirty pig pen. He says she lives in the "rank sweat of an enseamed bed." He describes her marriage bed as disgusting, slimy, and pungent. He is basically saying Claudius and her are dirty sinners.
This character spies on Hamlet on behalf of Claudius and Polonius, leading to a painful public rejection.
Ophelia
Who says this quote and what is the meaning of it?
"I have heard of your paintings well enough; God hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another: you jig, you amble, and you lisp, and nickname God’s creatures, and make your wantonness your ignorance."
Hamlet says this to Ophelia. He criticizes how women wear makeup and present a false self. He describes how women "jig," "amble," and "lisp" to basically say that they are loose, rowdy, and temptresses/sinful.
Hamlet instructs this character to go to a convent rather than marry and have children.
Ophelia
How are women characters like Ophelia and Gertrude portrayed in the play? Explain your answer.
Women are portrayed as weak, promiscuous, and sinful beings who are easily controlled.
Gertrude is portrayed as being weak and easily corrupted by Claudius. She is described as promiscuous by Hamlet for having wed her husband's brother. Ophelia, though innocent, is easily controlled by her father. She is criticized by Hamlet and he treats her like a loose woman when he asks her if he could "lie on her lap" and to go to a "nunnery."
Gertrude says the following quote. Translate it and explain its meaning.
"O Hamlet, speak no more!
Thou turn’st my eyes into my very soul,
And there I see such black and grainèd spots
As will not leave their tinct."
Don't speak anymore Hamlet. You turn my eyes into my very soul and I see darkness there that will not go away.
This character is given the task of keeping an eye on Claudius during the play.
Horatio
Who says this quote and to whom?
What dilemma does the character face?
"Now might I do it pat, now he is praying; / And now I’ll do ’t. And so he goes to heaven; / And so am I revenged. That would be scanned: / A villain kills my father, and for that / I, his sole son, do this same villain send / To heaven"
Hamlet says this when he is deciding whether to kill Claudius or not! He questions whether killing Claudius during prayer will result in Claudius going straight to heaven.
What is Claudius's reaction to Hamlet's play and what does he do?
He becomes angry and leaves!
Explain the meaning of the following quote from the end of Act III. What does Hamlet mean by this?
"I must be cruel only to be kind:
Thus bad begins and worse remains behind."
He means that he needs to be harsh and do terrible things for the greater good. He is partly talking about his mother and how he needs to speak to her harshly to ultimately save her. He is also talking about having killed Polonius and foreshadowing the terrible things he will have to do for the greater good of Denmark.
What is the meaning of the following quote by Claudius?
"My words fly up, my thoughts remain below;
Words without thoughts never to heaven go."
This means that Claudius' prayers are meaningless. They have no actual feelings/thoughts in them, which is why they won't go to heaven.
This character is described as the supreme image of beauty, goodness, and strength.
King Hamlet
Who says this quote?
What literary device is it?
What is the meaning?
"Thus conscience does make cowards of us all; / And thus the native hue of resolution / Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought"
Hamlet
He uses imagery. When he describes conscience making men cowards, he means that our inner voice/thinking scares us from taking action. He describes the vibrant colors of determination being covered by our thoughts!
What does the killing of Polonius represent and why is it such an important moment in the play?
Loss of Hamlet's innocence
It is shifting point that shows Hamlet's morality changing and his sanity shifting.
Explain three things that happen at the end of the Act and why each event shows the climax of the play and a key moment.
- Polonius's murder
- Hamlet confronting his mother and saying he knows he has been spied on
- Hamlet seeing his father's ghost and defending his sanity
The Mousetrap
It is ironic because the play is meant to trap Claudius by putting his guilt to a test. Claudius is the mouse and the play is meant to "trap" him.