Themes
Revenge quotations
1.
Act 1, Scene 1, 95104 (pp. 194-195)
2.
Act 1, Scene 5, 25-31
(pp. 211-212)
3.
Act 1, Scene 5, 9-25
(pp. 211-212)
Revenge
1.
Who are the three sons
seeking revenge in
Hamlet?
2.
Why would Shakespeare
write three revenge plots
involving sons seeking to
avenge the deaths of their
fathers?
3.
How does Hamlet’s
attitude toward revenge
contrast with that of the
other two sons?
4.
How does Hamlet’s
attitude toward revenge
change throughout the
play?
Madness quotations
1.
Act 1, Scene 2, 129-134
(p. 200)
2.
Act 1, Scene 5, 172-174
(p. 216)
3.
Act 2, Scene 1, 75-98
(p. 219)
Madness
1.
What does Hamlet mean
when he says he is going to
put on an “antic
disposition”?
2.
Hamlet says he is going to
pretend to be insane. Is
there any evidence in the
play that he actually does
go mad?
3.
What is the difference
between Hamlet’s and
Ophelia’s madness? Is there
a difference in their
behavior and speech?
4.
What causes Ophelia to go
mad? What purpose does
her madness serve in the
play?
Mortality quotations
1.
Act 1, Scene 2, 1-7
(p. 197)
2.
Act 1, Scene 1, 21
(p. 192)
3.
Act 1, Scene 2, 68-73
(p. 199)
Mortality
1.
What is the cause of
Hamlet’s suicidal
tendencies?
2.
Under what circumstances
and at which moments
does Hamlet consider
killing himself?
3.
What counterarguments
for suicide does Hamlet
provide throughout the
play? Do the arguments
change or evolve in any
way?
Mortality (cont.)
4.
How does Ophelia’s
suicide parallel or contrast
with Hamlet’s discussion
of suicide?
5.
In what ways do people in
Hamlet die? Do other
characters put forth
perspectives on death?
6.
What fascinates Hamlet
about death? In what
ways does he explain or
evaluate death? What kind
of language does he use?
Religion quotations
1.
Act 1, Scene 2, 118-119
(p. 200)
2.
Act 1, Scene 5, 9-13
(p. 211)
3.
Act 1, Scene 5, 25
(p. 212)
Religion
1.
Why are the castle guards
afraid of the Ghost? What is
it? Where does it claim to
come from?
2.
How do Hamlet’s ideas about
religion and spirituality shape
the way he sees and reacts to
the world? Does his attitude
change throughout the play?
3.
What kind of burial is
Ophelia given? Why?
4.
What biblical allusions are
found in Hamlet? How do
they affect the story?
5.
How are religious themes in
Hamlet connected to the
Elizabethan age?
Lies and deceit quotations
1.
Act 1, Scene 2, 75-86
(p. 199)
2.
Act 1, Scene 3, 80-82
(p. 206)
3.
Act 1, Scene 5, 42-57
(pp. 212-213)
Lies and deceit
1.
How does Hamlet regard
deception or “seeming”?
Does he provide any
explanation as to why he is
so disgusted by lies and
deceit? Is the audience
supposed to share his
opinion? Does Hamlet
avoid deception? Is he a
hypocrite?
2.
What do other characters
say about deception?
3.
Who in the play engages in
some kind of deception or
deceit? Which characters
avoid deception
completely?
Lies and deceit (cont.)
4.
Polonius says, “To thine
own self be true / and it
must follow, as the night
the day / Thou canst not
then be false to any man.”
Is this evaluation of truth
and deception backed up
by the play? Does Polonius
follow his own advice?
Does anyone follow it?
5.
Which characters who
practice deception are
ultimately punished for
doing so? Are they
punished by their own
form of treachery?
Gender quotations
1.
Act 1, Scene 2, 87-97
(p. 199)
2.
Act 1, Scene 2, 137146 (pp. 200-201)
3.
Act 1, Scene 3, 24-35
(p. 205)
Gender
1.
What is Hamlet’s attitude toward
women? Why does he criticize
women? Are these criticisms
justified?
2.
Do other characters share Hamlet’s
attitude toward women?
3.
What does Laertes’ advice to
Ophelia (Act 1, Scene 2) suggest
about his attitude about gender
roles? What does Ophelia’s
response say about her character?
4.
Does Ophelia’s limited social role
play any part in why she goes mad
and commits suicide?
5.
Does the play indicate that
Shakespeare shared Hamlet’s
sexist attitude?
Politics: Hamlet and Elizabeth 1
1.
Why is Hamlet so upset
about Gertrude’s
marriage to Claudius?
2.
Why do Laertes and
Polonius warn Ophelia
about being intimate
with Hamlet?
3.
Do parents always/ever
look out for their
children’s best interests
in Hamlet?
4.
How did Claudius
become king? Who will
become king after him?