Senior English
Spring Board Unit 3
Discussion Questions
Activity 3.5 Cast of Characters: A Close Reading
1. Read “Learning Focus: A Tragedy for All Time” and “Historical Criticism” on page 163.
Read Embedded Assessment 1 for this unit (pp. 214-215). What skills and knowledge do
you need to be successful on the Embedded Assessment?
2. Examine the cast descriptions on the handout from the play Hamlet. What relationships
exist between characters?
3. How do the character descriptions provide information about the organization of society
in Denmark during the middle ages (1300-1499 AD)?
4. Which characters in the play do you assume will have power, and which will not? On
what do you base these assumptions?
5. Read through the vocabulary list for Hamlet. Use it as a reference as you watch the play.
Hamlet Act 1
1. Write out translations of quotations 1-6 on the “Famous Quotes from Hamlet” handout.
2. Marcellus refers to the ghost as a “dreaded sight,” but Horatio, recognizing the King’s
armour, addresses him as “illusion.” What do these references suggest about Marcellus,
Horatio, and the ghost?
3. On what basis does Laertes, warn his sister, Ophelia, not to spend so much time with
Hamlet? What does her father, Polonius, have to say on the matter?
4. Hamlet refers to his uncle, the king, as a “smiling, damned villian.” What does this
reference suggest about Hamlet and about Claudius?
5. Hamlet refers to Horatio and Marcellus as “gentlemen.” What does this reference
suggest about Hamlet and about Horatio and Marcellus?
6. What has Claudius been accused of in Act 1? Who accuses him? Is there any evidence
that he is guilty? Explain your answer.
7. Evaluate Marcellus and Horatio as characters. Do you think they did the right thing by
telling Hamlet about what they saw?
8. What is the effect of Hamlet’s speech at the end of the Act:
So, gentlemen,
With all my love I do commend me to you,
And what so poor a man as Hamlet is
May do to express his love and friending to you,
God willing, shall not lack: Let us go together,
And still your fingers on your lips, I pray.
The time is out of joint; O cursed spite,
That ever I was born to set it right! (1.5.181-88)
9. Make a prediction of what action(s) Hamlet will take in the next act based on what you
know so far.
10. What does Act 1 reveal about the cultural beliefs and values of Denmark in the middle
ages? Give specific references to the play.
Hamlet Act II
1. Write out translations of quotations 7-13 on the “Famous Quotes from Hamlet” handout.
2. What is the tone of the conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia? Why is he acting in
such a strange way?
3. What is Hamlet chastising himself for in the following lines?
...Am I a coward,
Who calls me villain, breaks my pate across,
Plucks off my beard, and blows it in my face,
Tweaks me by the nose, gives me the lie i' the throat,
As deep as to the lungs? who does me this?
Ha!
'Swounds, I should take it: for it cannot be
But I am pigeon-liver'd, and lack gall
To make oppression bitter...(2.2.571-579).
4. How does Hamlet plan to determine whether his uncle, Claudius, is guilty of murdering
his father?
5. What does Polonius believe is the cause of Hamlet’s odd behaviour?
6. What does Claudius order Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to do? Is he genuinely
concerned about Hamlet, or might he have a secret motive? Explain.
Hamlet Act III
1. Write out translations of quotations 7-13 on the “Famous Quotes from Hamlet” handout.
2. What is Hamlet trying to decide when he recites this soliloquy?
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. To die; to sleep,
No more...(3.1.56-61)
3. Evaluate Hamlet’s use of the play to determine Claudius’ guilt. Is his interpretation of
Claudius’ reaction convincing evidence of the King’s guilt? What does Hamlet do in
order to make his interpretation more objective?
4. Why does Hamlet treat Ophelia so cruelly in this Act? Has he made a generalization
about women based on his experience? Explain.
5. What do the actions of Claudius in Act III reveal about himself? Explain.
6. Why doesn’t Hamlet simply stab Claudius when he finds him praying?
Hamlet Act 4
1. Write out translations of quotation 19 on the “Famous Quotes from Hamlet” handout.
2. Predict what is in the letters Hamlet asks Horatio to deliver to Claudius.
3. Archetypal criticism would suggest that an archetype, such as the fall of a corrupt king, is
essential to our understanding of this Act. How does this critical perspective apply to this
scene?
4. Feminist criticism would suggest that the male-female power relationships that come into
play in this act are the most important influence on our understanding of it. How does
this critical perspective apply to this scene?
5. Marxist criticism would suggest that we must examine the issues of class or social
standing in order to fully understand this act. How does this critical perspective apply to
this scene?
6. Reader Response criticism would suggest that what you bring to the act will determine its
significance. How does this critical perspective apply to this act?
7. Cultural criticism would suggest that we must consider such issues as ethnicity, religious
beliefs, social class, and so on to understand this act. How does this critical perspective
apply to this act?
8. Historical criticism would suggest that the historical context plays a significant role in a
modern reader’s understanding of the act. How does this critical perspective apply to this
act?
9. Which critical perspective do you think provides the most interesting lens for the act?
Explain.
Hamlet Act V
1. In the text of Hamlet, the gravediggers wonder why Ophelia is being buried on sacred
ground, even though suicide is considered a mortal sin. Why do you think she is being
given a Christian burial?
2. Hamlet claims to have loved Ophelia even more than her brother, Laertes. Do you think
this could be true? Explain.
3. What has happened to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?
4. When Hamlet hears that the king wants him to participate in a fencing match with
Laertes, he is suspicious. Why does he agree to participate, despite his suspicion?
5. In your opinion, at the end of the play, has justice been served? Who or what is to blame
for the tragic deaths of Polonius, Gertrude, Laertes, and Hamlet?
Historical Context of Hamlet
1. Read the handout, “Hamlet Historical Context Essay from SparkNotes.” Choose three
statements that capture the significant ideas in this essay.
2. According to the essay, how did Shakespeare change the plot of Hamlet so that it is
different from the archetype?
3. According to the essay, why did Shakespeare change the plot in the way he did?
4. After reading the play, were you bothered by the ambiguities mention in paragraph 2, or
do you like the play better with these changes?
Embedded Assessment 3.1 Writing an Analysis (Timed Writing) Read page 214 for Timed
Writing strategies. Then take the assessment (handout).
Unit 3 Assessment (Graded on a Bell Curve)