Characters
Who is the Prince of Denmark?
Hamlet
What country is Prince Fortinbras from?
Norway
To be or not to be—that is the question.
Hamlet
Who is Hamlet dating?
Ophelia
What major theme does Hamlet’s hesitation to kill Claudius represent?
Action vs Inaction
Which character's ghost appears to Hamlet?
Ghost Dad
What does Hamlet pretend to be throughout Acts I–III?
Mad
The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
Gertrude
Who stole the throne from Hamlet?
Claudius
What does Gertrude’s quick remarriage suggest about gender expectations in the play?
Women were expected to be dependent on men for power and protection
Who is sent by Claudius to spy on Hamlet in England?
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
How does Polonius die?
being stabbed by Hamlet through a curtain?
Brevity is the soul of wit.
Polonius
How are Gertrude and Claudius related?
How does Fortinbras contrast with Hamlet in terms of honor?
He takes action to reclaim his father’s honor, while Hamlet hesitates
Which characters warn Ophelia against trusting Hamlet's love?
Laertes & Polonius
What play does Hamlet have the actors perform to test Claudius’s guilt?
The Murder of Gonzago OR The Mousetrap
O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven.
Claudius
Polonius is the right hand to the king
How does The Mousetrap reveal the theme of appearance vs. reality?
It’s a play within a play, showing how performances can reveal hidden truths
What is the name of the character playing Claudius in the play-within-the-play?
Lucianus
What is the reason Hamlet does not kill Claudius when he first has the chance?
He believes Claudius is praying, and killing him then might send him to heaven
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.
Marcellus
How are Horatio and Hamlet related
They were friends in college
What is Ophelia’s fate, and how does it reflect how women are treated in the play?
She drowns, possibly a suicide, showing how powerless women are in a male-dominated world