Characters
Who is Hamlet’s loyal best friend and the only one he truly trusts?
Who is Horatio?
Why does Hamlet pretend to be "mad" (insane) throughout the play?
To distract the King and the court so he can investigate his father’s murder without being seen as a direct political threat.
What nickname does Hamlet give the play?
The Mousetrap.
What is Claudius’s double-relation to Hamlet?
Uncle and Stepfather.
Whose skull does Hamlet hold?
Yorick’s
Which character is the Lord Chamberlain and the father of Ophelia and Laertes?
Who is Polonius?
Why does Hamlet hesitate to kill Claudius when he finds him praying?
He fears that if Claudius dies while praying, his soul will go to Heaven. Hamlet wants Claudius to suffer eternal damnation, just as his father (who died without confession) is suffering in Purgatory
What is the play’s primary goal?
To prove Claudius’s guilt.
Where does the Royal Family live?
Elsinore Castle
What is the Gravedigger’s tone?
Humorous and desensitized.
Which character acts as a "mirror" to Hamlet’s grief, having also lost a father, but is driven to madness and suicide instead of revenge?
Who is Ophelia?
What is the "Turning Point" of the play where Hamlet’s fate is sealed?
The killing of Polonius
When does Claudius finally stop the performance?
During the poisoning scene.
What does the King’s heavy drinking symbolize?
Denmark’s moral decay.
Who builds "stronger" than a mason?
A grave-maker
Who serves as the final "foil" by successfully taking the throne?
Fortinbras
What event miraculously brings Hamlet back to Denmark?
A pirate attack
What does the "Player King" say about human will?
It is fickle and controlled by memory.
Why can't Claudius truly pray for forgiveness?
He won't give up the crown or Queen.
What is their critique of Ophelia's burial?
She only gets a Christian burial because she's rich.
Which minor character appears in the final act to invite Hamlet to the duel, representing the shallow, pretentious, and "frothy" nature of the new court under Claudius's rule?
Who is Osric?
What is the significance of the "Nunnery Scene"?
Hamlet’s total rejection of love and Ophelia
Why is this scene "metatheatre"?
It’s a play about a play used to reveal truth
How is the family depicted politically?
As a corrupt surveillance state.
What is the philosophical point of the scene?
Death is the ultimate equalizer of all men.