Characters
Hamlet
King Hamlet's son (prince), main character- filled with a vengeful heart
Where does the play take place?
Denmark/the Hamlet Castle 'Elsinore'
How has Hamlet's attitude changed from ACT I to ACT II?
Sad to vengeful. At first, he was sad his dad died and skeptical of many things then in ACT II he started to be more vengeful and even devised a plan to catch his uncle-stepdad in a lie.
"’Tis bitter cold and I am sick at heart"
It's cold outside, and I'm sad.
(Francisco to Bernardo)
Ophelia (tell me evidence)
His letters state that he loves Ophelia; however, he told Polonius he didn't.
The Ghost
Dead King Hamlet- wouldn't speak to anyone but Hamlet
What troublesome events have occurred in Denmark?
war with Norway; King Hamlet died
Polonius asked this character to spy on his son. What's both of these characters's names?
spy=Reynaldo
son=Laertes
"This bodes some strange eruption to our state."
A warning of something bad to come.
(Horatio)
Claudius (tell me evidence)
Hamlet is disgusted by Claudius marrying his mom so early. Then we found out that the Ghost tells Hamlet Claudius killed him. Now Hamlet wants revenge.
Claudius
uncle/stepdad/new king
We think he killed the king, according to the ghost- he married King Hamlet's widow, Queen Gertrude, super fast and is pushing Hamlet to move on and be happy.
How was the tone/mood created by Shakespeare at the beginning of the play?
The tone/mood is dark and suspenseful. He did this by having it set at night in the cold.
Who were the spies that the king and queen requested to watch Hamlet, and how did they know Hamlet previously?
1. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
2. old friends of Hamlet
"Taint not thy mind nor let thy soul contrive
Against thy mother aught"
Don't let things drive you crazy, or let your heart be turned against your mom because of her actions
(saying that the queen was deceived by Claudius)
(the ghost to Hamlet)The Ghost (tell me evidence)
Hamlet was upset he didn't see the Ghost as soon as the others; however, the minute he did he followed the ghost and had a side conversation and trusted it.
Fortinbras
He's in the similar situation as Hamlet (jr). He's the prince of Norway and his dad (King Fortinbras) was killed. Fortinbras (jr) was arrested for plotting to take over the kingdom from his uncle who is ruling in his place.
How to the main characters respond to Hamlet in ACT I?
Wanted him to move on and be happy. Claudius felt that Hamlet was dragging down the moods of everyone because he was sad the entire time.
Why is Polonius' reasoning that Hamlet is going 'mad'?
He's obsessed with Ophelia and is crushed by her rejection.
“Why, then, ‘tis none to you, for there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so. To me, it is a prison.”
Denmark feels like a prison to me.
(Hamlet to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern)
Denmark (tell me evidence)
Dislikes the area, and wants to go back to school ASAP...stated that Denmark is a prison, and he is trapped there.
Look at how the members of the family react and respond to the respective heads of the family, Claudius and Polonius. Can you sense any genuine love or concern in either family?
There may be genuine love between Polonius and his kids because he creates boundaries for Ophelia with Hamlet.
I'm not so sure about the love from Claudius to Hamlet, but I am somewhat certain that Gertrude loves Hamlet because she seems concerned with his wellbeing.
Is there evidence that Horatio connects unnatural happenings to the Ghost's appearance?
When Julius Caesar died- graves were emptied, and the dead walked the streets of Rome shrieking.
In ACT II, it seems as though many people make fun of or crack jokes about Hamlet’s mental state. Find text evidence and explain to me *what we know about Hamlet’s mental state, *how his mother(give me her name) & stepdad/king/uncle(give me his name) feel about his mental state, and lastly how does Polonius feel about Hamlet’s mental state?
*We know that Hamlet is mad and vengeful about his father's death; evidence in Hamlet planning a way to catch his stepdad-uncle
*Gertrude feels that Hamlet needs help and is worried about him not being happy; hence she asks him to stay and not go to school in another country
*Claudius feels that he is going insane; hence the way they speak to each other
*Polonius feels that Hamlet is going mad due to rejection; hence the way that they speak to each other
What kind of relationship does Hamlet have with his uncle and his mother?
love/hate- Hamlet is so consumed with the fact that his uncle-stepdad killed his father that he is spiteful anytime they speak
(Opinionated, as long as there is evidence used in the explanation, they get the points.)