act i, scene v, 49-98: the ghost’s...

AP English Literature 12

The Renaissance: 1300-1600S A.D.Study Questions: As you read the following document, please highlight the answers for the following questions and write the number for each question next to your highlighted document.

1. When did the Renaissance begin? Where?2. Name three famous Renaissance writers.3. What did the Renaissance period initiate?4. What is the main difference between the Renaissance and the Middle Ages?5. With what historical event is the beginning of the Medieval Period associated?6. What is another name for the Middle Ages?7. What was the sole judge of human affairs on earth during the Medieval Period?8. Explain the term, vertical relation, and its significance in the Medieval Period?9. Justify the Middle Ages being called the ‘Age of faith’.10. What was the impact of the Church in the Middle Ages?11. What was the Church’s position on skeptics and non-believers?12. List the advantages of being a member of the Medieval Church.13. Who or what was the supreme authority during the Middle Ages?14. What was the relationship between the Church and the State?15. What historical developments ushered in the Renaissance?16. List the three most significant occurrences during the Renaissance that were directly responsible for the

radical change from the Middle Ages.17. Explain the term, horizontal relation, as used in this section of the essay.18. What does the term, Renaissance, mean in its narrow sense? In its broad sense?19. What years encompass the period known as the Renaissance?20. Who were some of the famous writers and artists of the period?21. How did the economic culture initiated in the Renaissance differ from the previous economic climate

characteristic of the Medieval Period?22. What events/trends/behaviors caused these changes?23. What is humanism in both its narrow and broad senses?24. What effect did the humanistic world view have on mankind and his behavior in the physical world?25. How is this Humanistic World View different from the World View characteristic of the Middle Ages?26. What events may be described as geographical discoveries during this period?27. What historical figures were involved in these “discoveries”?28. Explain the impact of these geographical discoveries on the collapse of the Middle Ages and the subsequent

rise of the Renaissance.29. How has our modern world been influenced by and continues to be influenced by the events and the

character of the Renaissance?

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The RenaissanceThe Renaissance, which began in the early 1300’s and lasted until the early 1600’s, is undoubtedly one

of the most important eras in the history of European civilization. It began in Italy, and then gradually spread to the rest of Europe—to the France of Montaigne, the Spain of Cervantes, and the England of Shakespeare. The Renaissance is important because it marks the beginning of a world, which is totally different from the Medieval world—indeed, it marks the beginning of the modern world.

The social and psychological differences, which separate the Renaissance from the Middle Ages are many, but there is one which stands out as primary. The Renaissance mind is not dominated by the religious, “other worldly’ way of thinking which dominated the medieval mind. During the medieval period, which began in the 5th century with the collapse of Rome and lasted until the Renaissance, the attention of man was directed toward the world-to-come, and preparation for the hereafter was the primary concern in earthly life. The vertical relation between man and God in Heaven became the focus of human thought. During this religious era, which is sometimes called the “Age of Faith,” the Christian Church was the sole judge of human affairs on earth, and its authority was not to be questioned by skeptical individuals. Like the Bible, the commands of the Church were beyond question; God’s truth had been revealed, and it was not open to doubt.

The Church’s influence pervaded everything in the Middle Ages: for it gave medieval life its dimensions, its main characteristics, its goal, and its inner meaning. All Christians were born, lived, and died under the protection of the Church, and the Church was stern toward those who rejected its beliefs. Many rebels were tortured (The rack was used on Galileo), and some heretics were killed. Yet there were few in the Middle Ages who rebelled against Church authority—for within the Church was consolation from the harshness, savagery, and uncertainly of medieval life. The Church also provided warmth and color and drama in a world that was often drab, unexciting, and filled with gloom. Finally, the authority of the Church, stemming from the Pope in Rome and filtering down through an hierarchy of archbishops, bishops, and finally to the humble parish priest, provided the nearest approach to effective centralized government in the Middle Ages. After the collapse of the Roman Empire the Church was a force, which helped to maintain law and order in a dangerous world. And above all else, only the church guaranteed salvation.

But gradually the Middle Ages, with its Church-dominated way of life, gave way to a new era in European history called the Renaissance. This new era, with its more modern way of life, was initially fostered by several historical developments in the 11th century, e.g., the revival of commerce, the birth of well-organized national governments, the securing of Christian control of the Mediterranean, and the revival of contact with the Near East.

During the Renaissance most of the characteristics of the Middle Ages were radically changed. First, the idea of political unity in Europe was shattered by the rise of the nation states; England, France, and Spain were the earliest examples of centralized nation states. Secondly, the Protestant Reformation in Northern Europe, led by Luther and Calvin, overthrew the hitherto undisputed supremacy of the Roman Catholic Church. Thirdly, other-worldliness, respect for authority, and the belief that an individual should be a humble subordinate, were all weakened during the Renaissance. And instead of the preoccupation with a vertical relation with God, men focused on the horizontal relations, which exist solely within this world—on the relations between individuals and their social and physical environment. In thinking about these relations, scientific inquiry and inductive reasoning rather than Church authority and deductive reasoning based on the Bible became more and more important. And as other-worldliness began to lose its hold on man’s mind, so did medieval asceticism; instead, men began to take pleasure in the beauties and joys of this life. Above all, Renaissance self-confidence showed that the rule of the group over the individual was weakening; a strong spirit of individualism dominates the thinking of Renaissance men.

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In its more correct usage, the term “Renaissance” refers to the remarkable outpouring of art and literature, which began in Italy in the early 1300’s and which then spread to the rest of Europe, ending in the early 1600’s. In this sense of the term, “Renaissance” brings to mind such creators as Boccaccio, Montaigne, Boticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Shakespeare, and Cervantes. But, as we have noted, “Renaissance” is used in a much wider sense as a general term descriptive of the age of transition from medieval to modern times. In this sense it includes the rise of European nations, the Protestant religious revolt, the age of geographical exploration leading to the discoveries of “new worlds,” with different ways of life.

The economic significance of the Renaissance is also important. In the Middle Ages the landed nobility controlled an economic life based almost entirely on agriculture. There was little manufacturing and trade, and few people were concerned with profit-making. But by the 14th century a new economic situation began to develop. First, a new economic class began to make its power felt. Composed of merchants and bourgeoisie, this new “middle class”—aided greatly by the expansion of trade, which accompanied the geographical explorations around the world—rapidly gained wealth and power. Manufacturing and trade became more and more a part of economic life in Europe. And money-making became a major motive in European life.

Humanism was another historical movement, which fostered the decline of the Middle Ages. In its narrow sense, humanism was a reawakening of interest in the literature and philosophy of ancient Greece and Rome—in other words, it stimulated interest in non-Christian thought. In its broader sense, humanism was a revival of interest in the affairs of this world, and in the importance of the role of man here on earth. In this broader sense, humanism prompted men to make the discoveries and inventions, which gave the Renaissance its dazzling quality. But humanism is also important in its narrower sense; from their careful reading of Latin and Greek literature, humanists came to understand the classical world in a truer historical perspective. For example, whereas the Middle Ages had thought of the soldiers of Alexander the Great as knights, the Renaissance historians no longer made this simple-minded mistake. Thus, as a result of their studies, humanists discovered that times and ways of life change; in other words, they arrived at a far more complex, and far more realistic, picture of the world and its history.

Another cause of the passing of the Middle Ages was the geographical discoveries which began toward the end of the Middle Ages. The voyages of Columbus, Da Gama, and Magellan exposed Europeans to the culture of Africa, Asia, and the New World; in other words, they exposed Europeans to a wide diversity of people and ideas unknown in the Middle Ages. These geographical expeditions had two major influences; first, they brought great riches into Europe (largely through plundering and the slave trade); secondly, through the constant report of “strange lands” with different ways of life, they broadened the mental horizons of Europeans. The recognition of the great diversity of people and cultures that exist in the world had a great impact on European thinking. Like the historical discoveries of the humanists, the geographical discoveries helped to destroy much of the narrow, simple-minded view of the world and its people, which characterized the Middle Ages. (Think, for example, of the simple-minded thinking behind The Song of Roland) The geographical discoveries of the Renaissance inevitably fostered a much more complex and realistic view of the world—a view that is especially reflected in the Renaissance writings of Montaigne and Shakespeare.

In brief, the Renaissance was an age when man’s development was greatly speeded up, when God began to disappear, and when man reasserted his faith in himself. Hence it was a daring age. Filled with self-reliance, disregarding authority, and stimulated by the new horizons which he saw spreading before his eyes, the man of the Renaissance turned his telescope on the stars or set sail in frail vessels to explore new realms of thinking and feeling, leading to new developments in the arts, science, economics, literature and philosophy—historical developments which continue to have a major impact on the way we think today.

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The Renaissance: Response ParagraphPrompt: Using your exposure to and understanding of the “Renaissance” handout, respond to the following questions in a well-developed paragraph.

How do the terms, Vertical Relations and Horizontal Relations serve to set in place the dominant characteristics of two adjacent periods in the development of the Western Literary Tradition? How do both terms offer an explanation for the collapse of one and the almost simultaneous rise of the other? Can the interpretations of these two terms (beyond their meanings during the Renaissance) reveal information about our society today?





The Elizabethan Worldview

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Write a short response to questions #1-4. Question #5 will be presented to the class during our next class meeting.

1. Recount the basic assumptions upon which the Elizabethan Worldview was founded.

2. What position should man occupy in this great organization?

3. Define “Great Chain of Being.”

4. What is the order of importance in the Great Chain of Being? Who’s highest? Who’s lowest? Why?

5. Create a visual showing the construct of your personal “Great Chain of Being.” Be prepared to defend and justify your hierarchy in your presentation to the class. Your presentation should be 2-3 minutes in length.

Horatio’s Monologue: Act I, scene I, lines 91-119:That can I;At least, the whisper goes so. Our last king,Whose image even but now appear’d to us,Was, as you know, by Fortinbras of Norway,Thereto prick’d on by a most emulate pride,Dar’d to the combat; in which our valiant Hamlet--

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For so this side of our known world esteem’d him,Did slay this Fortinbras; who by a seal’d compact,Well ratified by law and hearldry,Did forfeit, with his life, all those his lands,Which he stood seiz’d of, to the conqueror:Against the which, a moiety competentWas gaged by our king; which had return’dTo the inheritance of Fortinbras,Had he been vanquisher; as by the same cov’nant,And carriage of the article design’d,His fell to Hamlet. Now sir, young Fortinbras,Of unimproved mettle hot and full,Hath in the skirts of Norway, here and there,Shark’d up a list of landless resolutes,For food and diet, to some enterpriseThat hath a stomach in’t: which is no other--As it doth well appear unto our state--But to recover of us by strong hand,And terms compulsative, those foresaid landsSo by his father lost: and this, I take it,Is the main motive of our preparations,The source of this our watch, and the chief headOf this post-haste and romage in the land.

In your own words, paraphrase what is being said in the monologue above by Horatio:

Horatio’s Monologue: Act I, scene i, lines 124-137Horatio:

A mote it is to trouble the mind’s eye.In the most high and palmy state of Rome,A little ere the mightiest Julius fell,The graves stood tenantless, and the sheeted deadDid squeak and gibber in the Roman streets;

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As stars with trains of fire and dews of blood,Disasters in the sun; and the moist star,Upon whose influence Neptune’s empire eclipse,

And even the like precurse of [feared] events,As harbingers preceding still the fatesAnd prologue to the omen coming on,Have heaven and earth together demonstratedUnto our climatures and countrymen.

In your own words, paraphrase what is being said in the monologue above by Horatio. What rhetorical devices does Shakespeare use in constructing Horatio’s monologues?

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“Hamlet”: Act I. scene i: Class DiscussionDirections: Your group will be assigned one of the following questions. You must prepare a complete

response with excerpts from the text of the play to support your reasoning.

Discussion Topics:

1. How does Shakespeare use the literary technique of foreshadowing in this scene? What is the effect of this literary device? You must make references to the text of the play.

2. How does Shakespeare introduce the theme of revenge in this scene? You must make references to the text of the play.

3. Midway through this scene, Horatio declares “…This bodes some strange eruption to our state.” What does the pronoun “This” refer to? How does this declaration by Horatio address the theory contained in the Great Chain of Being?

4. How does Shakespeare use the literary convention of analogy in this scene? You must support you claims with relevant and appropriate references to the text.

5. Identify the characters introduced in this scene as major or minor. Then discuss Shakespeare’s use of characterization in this scene.

6. What does this scene tell us about the reign and personal characteristics of the Old King Hamlet? How is this information revealed to us? You must refer to the text of the play.

“Hamlet” Act I, scene i, 1-120: Revenge

Short Essay: We would all agree that there are many themes to be found in “Hamlet.” One of those themes has

frequently been identified as revenge. Discuss Shakespeare’s introduction of the theme of revenge in this play,

make sure to also indicate the narrative technique employed for the introduction of this theme, and the

characters who are involved.

Due: _____________________

Thesis Statement: __________________________________________________________________________

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“Hamlet” Act I, scene ii: Reading Focus Questions8


As you begin to read Act I, scene ii, isolate the following information in the opening speech of the scene. Support your responses with evidence and line numbers.

After a close reading of the opening monologue by King Claudius and the subsequent soliloquy delivered by Hamlet, follow the directions below in an attempt to understand the contents and effect of each.

1. Define the following termsa. Monologue

b. Soliloquy

c. Aside

2. What is their function in the play?

3. Isolate the following information about both speeches:a. Who is the speaker?

b. What is the speaker’s relationship to Hamlet?

c. What position does the speaker hold in his family? In the State?

d. What matters of concern are addressed in each speech? Are these concerns resolved by the end of the speech? By the end of the scene?

e. Identify the type of speech that is being delivered.

f. What literary devices does Shakespeare use to introduce to the audience the “covert” thoughts of Hamlet? What is the impact of employing such devices?

“Hamlet” Soliloquy: Act I, scene ii: (135-164)9


O that this too too solid flesh would melt,Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew,Or that the Everlasting had not fixedHis canon ‘gainst self-slaughter. O God, God,How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitableSeem to me all the uses of this world!Fie on’t, ah fie, ‘tis an unweeded gardenThat grows to seed. Things rank and gross in naturePossess it merely. That it should come to this:But two months dead, nay, not so much, not two,So excellent a king, that was to this Hyperion to a Satyr, so loving to my motherThat he might not beteem the winds of heavenVisit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth,Must I remember? Why, she would hang on himAs if increase of appetite had grownBy what it fed on; and yet within a month—Let me not think on ‘t; frailty, thy name is woman—A little month, ere those shoes were oldWith which she followed my poor father’s bodyLike Niobe, all tears, why she, even she—O God, a beast that wants discourse of reasonWould have mourned longer—married with my uncle,My father’s brother, but no more like my fatherThan I to Hercules. Within a month,Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears Had left the flushing in her galled eyes,She married. O, most wicked speed to postWith such dexterity to incestuous sheets!It is not, nor it cannot come to good.But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue.

Act I, scene ii (277-281)My father’s spirit—in arms! All is not well.I doubt some foul play. Would the night were come!Till then, sit still my soul. (Foul) deeds will rise,Though all the earth o’erwhelm them to men’s eyes.

In your own words, paraphrase what is being said in the monologue above by Hamlet.

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Act I, scene iv, lines 25-41: Hamlet’s ‘so oft it chances” monologue

So oft it chances in particular menThat for some vicious mole of nature in them,As in their birth--wherein they are not guilty,Since nature cannot choose his origin--By their o’ergrowth of some complexion,Oft breaking down the pales and forts of reason,Or by some habit that too much o’erleavensThe form of plausive manners, that these menCarrying, I say a stamp of one defect,Being nature’s livery, or fortune’s star,Their virtues else—be they as pure as grace,As infinite as man may undergo—Shall in the general censure take corruptionFrom that particular fault. The dram of e’ilDoth all the noble substance often doubtTo his own scandal.

Paraphrase this monologue, then discuss its impact on further defining Hamlet’s opinion of Claudius.

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“Hamlet”: Act I, scenes iii and iv: Discussion QuestionsWith your group, please consider the following questions. You will be responsible for sharing your opinions with regard to the assigned topic, and giving evidence from the text to support your reasoning.

I. After a close reading of the monologues delivered by Laertes ( I, iii, 14-48) and Polonius (I, iii, 124-144) in response to Ophelia’s “relationship” with Hamlet, analyze them for similarities and/or differences. What does their ‘advice’ infer about Ophelia? About Hamlet? About themselves?

II. Analyze the two households presented in I, ii,and iii, according to the following criteria:A. Composition of Family (modification of traditional family structure, with

brief but thorough explanation for modification)B. Hierarchy of power in the Family

1. Source of power2. Distribution of power

C. Family/Household Concerns1. Immediate2. Long-range

D. Methods of Discovering Truth/Information/Reality

III. A series of father-son relationships has been presented in Hamlet, so far. What did each of these relationships have in common? How were they different? Which relationship do you think Shakespeare would most approve of? Why? What do you think Shakespeare was trying to say with the presentation of these father-son relationships?

IV. Each of Hamlet’s soliloquies will contain the following structure:A. Ruminations about his tragic stateB. Summary of past eventsC. Implication for future action

Revisit Hamlet’s soliloquies up to this point in the play and isolate this structural pattern.

V. We have met only two females in the play, so far and a slew of males. Who are these two females? (What do they do? What is the content of their conversation?) What is their purpose in this play? Are they more alike or different? Do you think Shakespeare’s view of women parallels that of the Greeks’?

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ACT I, scene v, 49-98: The Ghost’s MonologueAy, that incestuous, that adulterate beast,With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts—O wicked wit and gifts, that have powerSo to seduce! – won to his shameful lustThe will of my most seeming-virtuous queen.O Hamlet, what a falling off was there!From me, whose love was of that dignityThat it went hand in hand even with the vowI made to her in marriage, and to declineUpon a wretch whose natural gifts were poorTo those of mine.But virtue, as it never will be moved,Though lewdness court it in a shape of heaven,So, lust, though to a radiant linked,Will sate itself in a celestial bedAnd prey on garbage.But soft, methinks I scent the morning air.Brief let me be. Sleeping within my orchard,My custom always of the afternoon,Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole,With juice of cursed hebona in a vial,And in the porches of my ears did pourThe leprous distilment, whose effect Holds such an enmity with blood of manThat swift as quicksilver it courses through The natural gates and alleys of the body,And with a sudden vigor it doth possetAnd curd, like eager droppings into milk,The thin and wholesome blood. So did it mine,And a most instant tetter barked about,Most lazar-like, with vile and loathsome curstAll my smooth body.Thus was I, sleeping, by a brother’s handOf life, of crown, of queen at once dispatched,Cut off, even in the blossoms of my sin,Unhouseled, disappointed, unaneled,No reck’ning made, but sent to my accountWith all my imperfections on my head.O horrible, O horrible, most horrible!If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not.Let not the royal bed of Denmark beA couch for luxury and damned incest.But, howsomever thou pursues this act,Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contriveAgainst thy mother aught. Leave her to heaven And to those thorns that in her bosom lodgeTo prick and sting her. Fare thee well at once.The glowworm shows the mating to be near

And ‘gins to pale his uneffectual fire.Adieu, adieu, adieu. Remember me.

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Hamlet Soliloquy: Act I, scene v, lines 99-119

O all you host of heaven! O earth! What else?And shall I couple hell? O fie! Hold, hold, my heart!And you, my sinews grow not instant old,But bear me stiffly up. Remember thee?Ay, thou poor ghost while memory holds a seatIn this distracted globe. Remember thee?Yea, from the table of my memoryI’ll wipe away all trivial fond records,All saws of books, all forms, all pleasures pastThat youth and observation copied there,And thy commandment all alone shall liveWithin the book and volume of my brain,Unmixed with based matter. Tea, by Heaven!O most pernicious woman!O villain, villain, smiling damned villain!My tables, my tables! Meet it is I set it downThat one may smile, and smile, and be a villain;At least I’m sure it may be so in Denmark. {Writes}So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word:It is “Adieu, adieu! Remember me.”I have sworn’t.

1. Each of Hamlet’s soliloquies contains the following structure:A. Ruminations about his tragic state

B. Summary of past events

C. Implication for future action

Annotate the above text to indicate which part are his ruminations, the summary, and implications for future actions.

2. Isolate the tenants of “The Great Chain of Being” in this act.

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Hamlet Reflection: Act I and II, scenes i and ii

Directions: Respond to the following as completely and as accurately as possible, making relevant and appropriate references to the text of the play.

1. What two significant themes were introduced in Act I of the play? Where in the Act? By whom? Under what circumstances? Mention the literary technique(s) used.

2. How are these themes expounded on/ expanded/ addressed in Act II, scenes I and ii? Be specific. Mention the literary technique(s) used?

3. What new characters were introduced so far in Act II, scenes i and ii?

“Hamlet”: The role of soliloquies and monologuesDirections:

Revisit the monologues and soliloquies in Acts I and II. Then, in a well-developed essay, show how those soliloquies and monologues serve to summarize past events, introduce thematic strands, reinforce and/or extend thematic strands and disclose character, while simultaneously “advancing” the plot.

Essay due: ______________________

“Hamlet”: Acts I and II: In Retrospect15


Select one of the following prompts and create an infographic poster in response to its directives.

A. The literal meaning of soliloquy is “to speak”; it also means to speak to oneself. The aside is defined as private words that a character speaks to another character or to the audience that are not supposed to be over-heard by others on stage. Still, a monologue may be identified as a speech given at length by one person. In Shakespeare’s theater the soliloquy, the aside, and the monologue are stage conventions, which serve a variety of useful functions. Revisit these rhetorical constructions in “Hamlet,” Acts I and II. Then in a well-developed essay, explain how these devices serve to reveal thoughts which the audience needs to know and cannot discover in other ways, while simultaneously revealing character and plot (conflict) development.

B. A series of father-son relationships were presented in Act I and further developed in Act II. Write a well-developed essay in which you discuss the similarities and differences between these relationships. You might consider the following issues, in addition to others of your own choosing: How did the fathers and sons view each other and their relationship? How did the relationship reveal character and plot? What do you think Shakespeare was trying to say in presenting to the readers this variety of father-son relationships?

C. Parallelism has been defined as recurring similarities introduced for rhetorical effect. Shakespeare has employed this rhetorical device in his construction of the complex story of “Hamlet.” First, identify at least three strains of parallelism present in “Hamlet,” thus far. Then choose any one of these strains and discuss its recurrence and its impact on the play.

D. Trace the origin and over-whelming deterioration of Hamlet’s once securely held beliefs in the Elizabethan World View (The Great Chain of Being). The source of your analysis should be Hamlet’s soliloquies and your knowledge about the Elizabethan World View from our class discussion.

E. We have met only two females in this play and a slew of males through Act II. Discuss their roles/purpose in this play. Who are they? What do they do? What is the content of their conversations? What are their concerns? Are these two women more alike or more different? Do you think Shakespeare’s view of women parallels the view held by the Ancient Greeks?

“Hamlet” Act III. scene i: “To Be or Not To Be” Soliloquy Paraphrase

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To be, or not to be--that is the question:Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to sufferThe slings and arrows of outrageous fortuneOr to take arms against a sea of troublesAnd by opposing end them. To die, to sleep--No more--and by a sleep to say we endThe heartache, and the thousand natural shocksThat flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummationDevoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep--To sleep--perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub,For in that sleep of death what dreams may comeWhen we have shuffled off this mortal coil,Must give us pause. There's the respectThat makes calamity of so long life.For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumelyThe pangs of despised love, the law's delay,The insolence of office, and the spurnsThat patient merit of th' unworthy takes,When he himself might his quietus makeWith a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,To grunt and sweat under a weary life,But that the dread of something after death,The undiscovered country, from whose bournNo traveller returns, puzzles the will,And makes us rather bear those ills we haveThan fly to others that we know not of?Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,And thus the native hue of resolutionIs sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,And enterprise of great pitch and momentWith this regard their currents turn awryAnd lose the name of action. -- Soft you now,The fair Ophelia! -- Nymph, in thy orisonsBe all my sins remembered.

1. In your own words, paraphrase what is being said in the monologue above by Hamlet.2. Act III is considered the climax of “Hamlet.” What events lead to the climax? What is the climax?

“Hamlet” Act IV: Discussion Questions

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After the climax in Act III, things begin to unravel … here are some questions to consider as you read.

Act IV.i: 1. How does the King protect himself after finding out he is in danger?

2. What role do Rosencratz and Guildenstern play?

Act IV.iii:

1. The King reveals to the audience his true intentions to have Hamlet killed. What is the King’s plan to get

rid of Hamlet?

Act IV.iv:

1. What do we learn about Fortinbras?

Act IV.v:

1. What has happened to Ophelia? What is the cause?

2. How would you describe Ophelia’s behavior?

Act IV.vi:

1. What news is received regarding Hamlet to the Court? How does this scene build suspense?

2. What is this news preparing the audience for?

Act IV.vii:

1. What is the King’s plan after he hears of Hamlet’s escape?

2. How is Laertes a stronger foe to use against Hamlet than the King’s previous choices?

3. Laertes is a foil to Hamlet. Describe what a character foil is and how Laertes serves this role to Hamlet.

4. What happened to Ophelia?

“Hamlet” Act V, scenes i and iiAct V.i

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1. Why is there a discussion about if Ophelia belongs in the churchyard? How does this fit into the ideals of the Renaissance?

2. What does Hamlet do upon learning it is Ophelia whose funeral he is watching?

Act V.ii1. What does Hamlet tell Horatio at the beginning of this scene? What did Hamlet do?

2. How does Hamlet’s willingness to fight Laertes help solidify him as a tragic hero?

3. How is suspense created and raised in this scene?

4. Where/when does Gertrude finally realize Claudius’s treachery? What is her outcome?

5. After Hamlet’s death, the rest seems superfluous. Why is the rest important?

8. How are Hamlet and Laertes both killed?

9. What does Laertes do before he dies?

10. How does Claudius die?

11. What does Hamlet persuade Horatio to do?

12. Who will restore order in Denmark? How has his arrival been prepared for?

“Hamlet” Essay Prompts

Directions: Choose any ONE of the following prompts and construct a credible essay.

The soliloquy, the aside and the monologue in “Hamlet”:

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The literal meaning of soliloquy is “to speak alone”; it also means to speak to oneself. The aside is defined as private words that a character speaks to another character or to the audience that are not supposed to be over-heard by others onstage. Still, a monologue may be defined as a speech given at length by one person. In Shakespeare’s theater the soliloquy, the aside and the monologue are stage conventions, which serve a variety of useful functions. Revisit these rhetorical constructions in Hamlet, I. Then, in a well-developed essay, explain how these devices serve to reveal thoughts which the audience needs to know and cannot discover in other ways while simultaneously revealing character and plot (conflict) development.

A look at the family in “Hamlet”:

A series of father-son relationships were presented in Act I of “Hamlet.” Write a well-developed essay in which you discuss the similarities and differences between these relationships. How did the fathers and sons view each other and their relationship? Which of these relationships would Shakespeare approve of? Why? Which do you approve of? Why? What do you think Shakespeare was trying to say in presenting to the readers this variety of father-son relationships?

Parallelism and “Hamlet”:

Parallelism has been defined as recurring similarities introduced for rhetorical effect. Shakespeare has employed this rhetorical device in his construction of the complex story of “Hamlet.” Parallelism in “Hamlet” might be discovered through a close examination of the narrative techniques at work in the drama. First, identify at least three strains of parallelism present in “Hamlet.” Then choose any one of those strains and discuss its recurrence and its impact on the play.

Essay Exam Questions for “Hamlet” Prompt:

In some works of literature, such as Hamlet, a character who appears briefly or not at all, is a significant presence. Write a well-developed essay in which you show how such a character functions in Hamlet.

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You may wish to discuss how the character affects action, theme, or the development of other characters. Avoid plot summary.

Hamlet depicts a conflict between a parent figure (or a parental figure) and a son. Write an essay in which you analyze the sources of the conflict and explain how the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work.

From the play of Hamlet, select an important character who is a villain. Then, in a well-developed essay, analyze the nature of the character’s villainy and show how it enhances meaning in the work.

In great literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake. Discuss how the tragedy, Hamlet confronts the reader or audience with a scene or scenes of violence. In a well-organized essay, explain how the scene or scenes contribute to the meaning of the complete work.

A character’s attempt to recapture or to reject or to evaluate the past is important in many plays, novels, and poems. In a well-developed essay, show how Hamlet presents such a character involved in such an attempt, displaying such feelings as reverence, bitterness, longing, etc. Show with clear evidence from the work how the character’s view of the past is used to develop a theme in the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.

Choose a distinguished play in which some of the most significant events are mental or psychological: for example, awakenings, discoveries, changes in consciousness. In a well-organized essay, describe how the author manages to give these internal events the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action. Do not merely summarize the plot.

One definition of madness is “mental delusion or the eccentric behavior arising from it”. But Emily Dickinson wrote

o Much madness is divinest Sense –o To a discerning Eye –

Novelists and playwrights have often seen madness with a “discerning Eye”. Using the text of Hamlet, select a character whose apparent madness or irrational behavior plays an important role. Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain what this delusion or eccentric behavior consists of and how it might be judged reasonable. Explain the significance of the “madness” to the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

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act i, scene v, 49-98: the ghost’s...

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