Hamlet Act III questions

Answer the following questions while reading Act III.

Answers to #1,2,3,6,10,13, and the vocabulary words' definitions are due Monday.

Also, be sure to complete the comparison/contrast handout I have already distributed.

1. How is Ophelia being used by Claudius and Polonius to deal with their problem with Hamlet?
2. List at least two ideas about death expressed in Hamlet's "To be, or not to be..." soliloquy.
Why might Hamlet be thinking like this at this point in the play?
3. What decision does the king make after observing Hamlet and Ophelia?
4. List three pieces of advice Hamlet offers the visiting actors.
5. Why does Hamlet not take his revenge during Claudius's prayer?
6. Have you changed your opinion about Hamlet since the beginning of the play? Why or why
not?
7. What qualities does Hamlet admire in Horatio? Refer to the handout for comparisons between
Hamlet's friendship with Horatio and his friendship with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
8. Act III always marks the climax, or turning point, in a Shakespearean tragedy. During this
act, the hero's fate is decided. What do you think is the turning point in this act? Why is this
moment so crucial to the plot?
9. Find one or two similarities and differences between Hamlet's dialogues with Ophelia and
with Gertrude.
10. How does Hamlet's state of mind change from when he talks to himself (in the soliloquy) to
when he talks to Ophelia?
11. In the famous scene with Gertrude, Hamlet is sometimes described as "overdoing it." Do you
agree or disagree? Why? What evidence can you find that shows Gertrude knew nothing of
Claudius's murder or Old Hamlet?
12. Why will Hamlet's killing Polonius prove to be a costly mistake? How can it help his enemy,
Claudius, and how might it affect the other characters?
13. Ophelia is being used both by Claudius and Polonius to solve their problems with Hamlet?
How might behavior such as this, by government officials, be reported and received today if
it were leaked to the press?
14. What do you think about some critics' emphasis of the theme of the relationship of thought
to action when they claim that Hamlet spends too much time thinking about his problems
and not enough time acting on ways to solve them?
15. The dumb show (a scene of play acted in pantomime with out dialogue) is one of the most
famous scenes in literature. Briefly describe what happens in it.
16. --20. Define the following: turbulent, insolence, judicious, clemency, primal

Final Hamlet essay topics

Choose a Hamlet final activity essay topic from those listed below.

In addition to the essay requirement for each grade level, stay tuned for the other required activites.

All essays must be submitted to Turn-it-in.com

Characters (Choose one of the following groups and compare the characters to each other in terms of their role in furthering [adding to] the action of the play):

• Laertes, Fortinbras, and Horatio (Grade "A" level)
• Claudius and his brother, Old King Hamlet (Grade "B" level)
• Hamlet and Ophelia (Grade "C" level)
• Polonius and Horatio (Grade "B" level)
• Claudius and Hamlet (Grade "C" level)

Imagery (Take one of the following images that recur throughout the text, locate as many of its appearances as possible [Trace the image from its first appearance].Show how Shakespeare develops and enriches the image by varying it until it has an overall meaning for the play):

• poison in the ear (C)
• a mirror ("glass") (B)
• disease and rot (C)
• the sun (B)
• acting and hypocrisy (A)
• madness (B)

A possible topic that does not fall into any of the categories is the following:

Prove that Hamlet is or is not insane. ("B" or "C" level)

Take one of these decisive moments in Hamlet's story and analyze it in terms of Hamlet's own philosophic view, in terms of his goal of revenge, and in terms of today's moral standards. (These aspects will comprise the three body paragraphs of a five-paragraph essay). Discuss whether his action is justifiable and practical by each set of terms. All essays must feature specific support details from the text, so research how one correctly cites text in blank verse. All "A" level.

• the confrontation with Ophelia (the "nunnery scene")
• his behavior during the play scene
• the killing of Polonius
• his treatment of Gertrude in the closed scene
• his argument with Laertes at the graveyard
• the killing of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

Hamlet--Act II

Answer the following question on paper.
Turn the answers in Monday at the beginning of class.

1. Who is Reynaldo, and what is his job?
2. What does Ophelia report to her father concerning Hamlet's "antic disposition"?
3. How is Claudius's speech to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern like Polonius"s speech to
Reynaldo? (Tip: remember parallel scenes.)
4. What trap does Polonius set to get Hamlet to reveal what may be on the young man's
(Hamlet's) mind?
5. What is the source of Hamlet's "transformation," according to Polonius?
6. How does Hamlet propose to use the visiting actors in his conflict with Claudius?
7. Which character in Act II impresses you most--either positively or negatively? Support your answer.
8. UPDATE: We will answer this one in class. If you already have attempted the answer, be prepared to offer examples in class. Cite examples of Hamlet's sense of humor in his exchanges with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. In each instance, what is the joke? (Use footnotes and look for explanations on the internet.)
9. Based on information provided in this act, what can you infer about Polonius's character?
10. What examples of madness does Hamlet exhibit? What other explanation might be offered for these behaviors?
11. What reasons can you give for Hamlet's rejection of Ophelia?
12. In what ways does Hamlet discover that "the time is out of joint"? What does that mean?
13. As the plot develops in Act II, several "fishing parties" have been organized: one by Claudius, one by Polonius, and one by Hamlet himself. Whom is each man using, and what information or truth is he seeking?
14. How do the actions in Act II convey the theme of life as theatre (life as a play)? Which characters are not involved in the make-believe? Which characters are "wearing" masks of one kind or another? What kind of act are they putting on?
15. How does America react to the issue of social hierarchy: people belonging to certain classes, with little opportunity to move freely from one level to another through marriage or personal accomplishment? How does the issue of social hierarchy impact certain characters in the play?
Define and know the following vocabulary words: piteous, perusal, brevity, satirical, pastoral.