Characters
Who is Gertrude?
Hamlet's mother; King Hamlet's wife/widow
Who wrote Hamlet?
William Shakespeare
“Now see that noble and most sovereign reason,/ Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh […]”. In this quotation, Ophelia believes that Hamlet _______________________.
A. Is being rude and unkind to Polonius.
B. Is using coarse and ugly language.
C. Is going insane.
D. Is no longer a harmonious court member.
C. Is going insane.
Who tells Hamlet that he thinks he has seen his father's ghost?
A. Polonius
B. Claudius
C. Gertrude
D. Horatio
D. Horatio
What is the purpose of a foil character?
To show direct contrast between two or more characters
Who is Claudius?
King Hamlet's brother; Hamlet's uncle; Gertrude's brother-in-law/husband; New King of Denmark
Where were most of Shakespeare's plays performed?
A. London
B. Dublin
C. Hathaway
D. Westminster
A. London
In Act 1.2, King Claudius tells Hamlet:
“[…] you must know, your father lost a father,/ That father lost, lost his, and the survivor bound/ In filial obligation for some term/ To do obsequious sorrow: but to persevere/ In obstinate condolement is a course/ Of impious stubbornness; ‘tis unmanly grief […]’”
What does King Claudius mean by these lines?
A. Claudius instructs Hamlet to consider the implications of the afterlife and how that should grant Hamlet peace about his father’s death.
B. Claudius questions Hamlet’s intentions for grieving so publicly for his father’s death and instructs him to showcase more princely behavior.
C. Claudius reveals that all fathers die and that Hamlet needs to return to school.
D. Claudius tells Hamlet that he should stop mourning because all people die and that continuing to mourn is not typical of a man.
D. Claudius tells Hamlet that he should stop mourning because all people die and that continuing to mourn is not typical of a man.
Hamlet first thinks the ghost is:
A. The devil
B. Another soldier in his father's clothes
C. Claudius playing a trick on him
D. God
A. The devil
What is the point of an aside/soliloquy in a drama?
To elaborate on the actor/characters' thoughts
Who is Laertes?
Ophelia's brother; Polonius' son
What was the name of Shakespeare's theater?
A. The Old Vic
B. The West End Theater
C. The Globe Theatre
D. The Royal Theater
C. The Globe Theatre
In Act 2.2, Hamlet says:
“What a piece of work is a man! how noble in/ reason! how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how express and/ admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a/ god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals! and yet, to me,/ what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me; no, nor/ woman an neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so.”
What does Hamlet mean by these lines?
A. Hamlet admires man’s abilities and capacities, but he questions why women were created to become sinners.
B. Hamlet reveals that while mankind is an amazing creation, he takes no pleasure in mankind.
C. Hamlet questions the creation of mankind since some men are like angels and gods while others are like animals.
D. Hamlet has higher expectations for mankind and desires to find joy in life through family.
B. Hamlet reveals that while mankind is an amazing creation, he takes no pleasure in mankind.
Hamlet kills Laertes because:
A. He is stronger.
B. They fight for so long.
C. Their swords are switched.
D. He hates him so much.
C. Their swords are switched.
For the full 300 points, you must answer both questions correctly, or you only get half!
Which character finally inspires Hamlet to take action? How does this person do it?
Fortinbras of Norway; He is not backing down from a challenge, even after his own father's death
Who is Rosencrantz?
Hamlet's friend; hired to spy on Hamlet
Shakespeare wrote:
A. Comedies
B. Tragedies
C. Histories
D. All of the above
D. All of the above
In Act 3.1, Hamlet says:
“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.”
What does Hamlet mean by these lines?
A. Hamlet questions whether it is more honorable to commit suicide or endure the blows of fate.
B. Hamlet considers suicide as the result for losing power in his country.
C. Hamlet contemplates dying and expresses his fear of death in battle against Claudius.
D. Hamlet contemplates suicide because he is unable to carry forth the legacy of his father, King Hamlet.
A. Hamlet questions whether it is more honorable to commit suicide or endure the blows of fate.
What is the main plot function that the players serve in The Mousetrap?
A. They help Hamlet determine if his father’s ghost is telling the truth.
B. They distract Hamlet from his grief, which gives Claudius enough time to arrange for Hamlet’s murder.
C. They instruct Gertrude regarding the true nature of her former husband’s death.
D. They distract the court while troops surround Elsinore.
A. They help Hamlet determine if his father’s ghost is telling the truth.
For both groups: What is one theme of Hamlet?
Revenge; Madness; Mortality/Death; Corruption; Satirizing the class hierarchy; Religion; Grief; Mental Struggles
Who is Horatio?
Hamlet's best friend
Hamlet takes place in which country?
A. Norway
B. Finland
C. Scotland
D. Denmark
D. Denmark
In Act 5.2, Hamlet says to Laertes:
“Give me your pardon, sir: I’ve done you wrong;/ But pardon’t, as you are a gentleman./ This presence knows,/ And you must needs have heard, how I am punished/ With sore distraction. What I have done,/ That might your nature, honor and exception/ Roughly awake, I here proclaim was madness.”
What does Hamlet mean by these lines?
A. Hamlet forgives Laertes for attacking him and blames Laertes’s madness for attempting to murder Hamlet.
B. Hamlet apologizes for doing wrong and asks for forgiveness from Laertes, admitting that his bad behavior was the result of insanity.
C. Hamlet begs Laertes for forgiveness and flatters him because he knows Laertes is insane.
D. Hamlet wishes for a pardon because he argues that his mother is to blame for his behavior.
B. Hamlet apologizes for doing wrong and asks for forgiveness from Laertes, admitting that his bad behavior was the result of insanity.
Which two people tell Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet?
Laertes & Polonius
Poisoned sword kills Laertes/poisoned wine kills Gertrude
Hamlet knows Claudius killed his dad/others don't
Hamlet is going mad for a girl/Hamlet is going mad to cover his investigation
Hamlet stages the play to "catch the conscience of the king"/Exposes Claudius
Hamlet stabs a rat or Claudius/He actually stabs Polonius