Act V Discussion Questions:

1.  Why does this scene begin with two clowns trading jokes?  Do their jokes make any sense in the context of the play?

2.  Where do Hamlet and Laertes fight in Act V Scene ii?

3.  Who is Osric and why is he included in the play?  What is the PURPOSE of his presence?

4.  Does Hamlet realize that he might not come out of this fight alive?  Does he care?  Why or why not?

5.  When Gertrude drinks from the cup, Claudius asks her not to drink and she refuses.  Has she ever         disobeyed Claudius before?  Why now?

6.  Who is alive at the end of the play, and how do the others die? Why is the order of their deaths        important?

7.  Why is Fortinbras' presence so important?

Act IV Discussion Questions

Act IV Discussion Questions:

1.  Is Hamlet really mad in this play, or is he merely pretending to be mad?  Find lines that support your answer.

2.  A foil is a character who is like the protagonist in some respects but who has contrasting qualities that "reflect" or illuminate the traits of the main character.  Who are Hamlet's foils, and in what ways do their characters shed light on his?

3.Do Hamlet and Fortinbras meet in Act IV?  Why is the answer to this question significant?
Why is Ophelia mad?  Does anything she says make sense?  What happens to her at the end of Act IV?  What does her madness and death symbolize about the kingdom?

4.  Look at the scene with Laertes and Claudius.  what plans do they have for Hamlet?  How does the scene establish Laertes as a foil for Hamlet?

5.  Why is Hamlet less present in this act than in the previous three?

Act III Discussion questions--remember, you are to answer ONE questions and respond to at least ONE other person's answer by building on it with evidence, or your own additional analysis.

What is the subject of Hamlet's second soliloquy, the famous "To be, or not to be" speech?  Explain why he is struggling with this concept so much right now.

Why is he so cruel to Ophelia immediately thereafter?  Which of the two schools of thought we discussed in class do you agree with here?  Is he protecting or rejecting her?

What happens in the "play within a play"?  How do the speeches and actions reflect on events in the kingdom of Denmark?  How does the king respond?  Why does the king respond in this way?

In what way is Hamlet's second major interaction with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern different from his first encounter with them? What does he know now that he didn't know before?

Why does Hamlet decline to take action against Claudius when he is in the chapel? What does this say about Hamlet's tension between pagan and Christian beliefs?

What happens when Hamlet is with his mother?  Why is this death so important for the play, or what does the death of this figure represent?  Given this incident, what do you think Hamlet will do now?

Based on evidence from the play, did Gertrude know about the murder? Give at least two examples/evidences from act 4.

When the ghost appears to Hamlet, how does Hamlets attitude and treatment of his mother change?  Why?

ACT II discussion Questions:

Remember--you are to answer ONE question, and follow up on someone else's answer by adding on to, or expanding on their thoughts.  

1.  Why does this act open with Polonius and Reynaldo?  What does this tell us about Polonius's character and what theme or motif does it introduce in the play?

2.  How does the interaction between Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern help to explain what's wrong with hamlet?  Why are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Denmark?

3.  Hamlet's "Oh what a rogue and peasant slave am I" is the first of his soliloquies.  What is he saying and how does this set of words help to move him to action?

4.  What does hamlet decide to do at the end of this speech?

Remember--good answers paraphrase evidence from the text at the very least.  Good responses to other's answers add to them--they do not just echo and repeat what that person has said.  

 

Discussion Questions for Act One:  

You can use these to start the discussion, or you can ask your own questions or comment on other features of the play.  

1.  What is "rotten in the state of Denmark", as Marcellus tells us?  What do we learn about the situation in Scene 1?  In Scene 2?  Remember the difference between the public--political side of life and the private--family side of life as discussed in class.

2.  In what ways is Scene 2 a contrast to Scene 1?  what do we learn about Gertrude, Claudius, and Hamlet in this scene?

3.  What is the function of the Polonius-Ophelia-Laertes family in this play?  What parallels exist between their situation and that of the royal family?

4.  What does Hamlet learn from the ghost's speech?  How does he react?

Don't forget to also comment on someone else's reply to a different question than the one you answered.


As always, for each act, trace your character and their emotions throughout, and find several quotes to show their changing emotions in each act.  

Hi everyone, For each Act in Hamlet, I will post discussion questions here.  To reach the most current questions, go to the most current post.  

Your task is to choose ONE question from the set to reply to in a response to the blog post at the end of each act.  

Your next steps are to read someone else's response to a different question, and add to their response.  

You may add commentary, evidence, or ask a follow up question of your own.  

Welcome to the World of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark