Understanding Hamlet
Theme - Acting
Besides being a playwright and a business owner, William Shakespeare was an actor as well. In many of
his plays, Shakespeare has different characters talking about actors, or “players” as they were often
called then, and even making critiques of different acting styles. In Hamlet, Act 3, scene 2, Hamlet gives
advice to his actors on how to give an effective performance. Obviously, he wants their performance to
be so realistic and moving that Claudius’ reaction to them will reveal his guilt. Among other things,
Hamlet advises the actor not to overact or to underdo the role, but to find balance. In many ways, almost
all of the characters in the play are “actors,” in the sense that they are pretending to be something they
are not. Hamlet pretends to be mad, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern pretend to be Hamlet’s friend,
Polonius pretends to be a loving father, and Gertrude and Claudius pretend to be innocent. Obviously,
“The Mouse Trap” is not the only performance going on in the play, but the question is, which characters
are actually good actors, and which ones are not?
Find five quotes throughout the play that show a character pretending to be something that he or she is
not. Write the quotes with the page numbers on the right. On the left, discuss what makes the character’s
performance effective and believable or not.
Quotes
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Now write a paragraph explaining Hamlet’s advice on acting. Besides the
caution against overacting, what else does he say makes a good performance?
100 words min.
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Finally, write a one-sentence thesis statement that you could use to write a
literary analysis essay on this topic. Be sure to focus your thesis on the novel.
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Understanding Hamlet
Theme - Betrayal
One of the major themes in Hamlet is betrayal. Hamlet feels as if he is betrayed at every turn, by the ones
who claim to love him most, just like his father was betrayed and killed by his wife and brother. This
makes Hamlet feels as if he can’t trust anyone, even Ophelia, who loves him and tries to understand him,
despite the interference of her father and brother. Before long, Hamlet becomes so paranoid that he
expects everyone to betray him, and becomes treacherous and deceitful himself, out of a sense of selfdefense. Worse than that, he drives Ophelia to madness and depression with his suspicion and abuse of
her. His treatment of the woman who loves him is terrible, but the grief over his father’s death and the
constant betrayal from his friends and family members has Hamlet so confused, angry, and suspicious
that even her kindnesses look like tricks to him. He even doubts the supernatural event of his father’s
ghost returning from the grave to plead with him to avenge his death. On the one hand, his suspicion
helps him in that it causes him to see that his life is in danger during his sea voyage, but it also causes
him to destroy one of the only two innocent people in the play.
Find five quotes throughout the play that show a character betraying Hamlet. Write the quotes with the
page numbers on the right. On the left, explain how Hamlet responds to the betrayal in the quote.
Quotes
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Now write a paragraph that shows how all of this betrayal affects Hamlet’s
behavior. In what ways does he betray others? Is his deception and betrayal of
others somehow better or worse than the other characters? 100 words min.
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Finally, write a one-sentence thesis statement that you could use to write a
literary analysis essay on this topic. Be sure to focus your thesis on the novel.
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Understanding Hamlet
Character - Foil
In the play, Hamlet’s overarching goal, based on the mandate from his father’s ghost, is to take
vengeance on his murderous adulterous uncle, Claudius, and, to a lesser degree, on his mother Gertrude.
However, despite the overwhelming circumstantial evidence for the crime, and his father’s miraculous
visit from the afterlife, Hamlet takes quite a long time to make up his mind about what to do about the
situation. Not only does he go back and forth about what to do, he even contemplates killing himself
instead of his enemy, just to avoid taking action. On the other hand, Fortinbras is a constant threat to the
kingdom of Denmark because of his desire to avenge his own father after a fair wager and fight with Old
Hamlet. Because of his passion for revenge, Fortinbras is a foil for Hamlet. A foil is a character who
points out a trait in another character by having the opposite trait. So, in Hamlet, Fortinbras is a foil for
Hamlet, because his decisiveness, ambition, and vengeance, stand in stark contrast to Hamlet’s
indecision, listlessness, and timidity. Without Fortinbras in the play, Hamlet’s negative traits would be
far less obvious to the audience.
Find five quotes throughout the play that show Hamlet thinking about vengeance. Write the quotes with
the page numbers on the right. On the left, describe Hamlet’s thoughts and feelings at that moment.
Quotes
Thoughts
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Now write a paragraph that compares Fortinbras and Hamlet. How are they
different? Is there anything similar about them, besides their circumstances?
When does Hamlet act most like Fortinbras? 100 words min.
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Finally, write a one-sentence thesis statement that you could use to write a
literary analysis essay on this topic. Be sure to focus your thesis on the novel.
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Understanding Hamlet
Structure - Soliloquy
In a novel, if an author wants the reader to know what a character’s thoughts and feelings, he or she can
just describe them at length, or even write them in the form of internal dialogue. If a filmmaker wants to
let the audience in on the character’s inner life, he or she can show a close-up on the face, and perhaps
even a voice-over in which the character talks to the audience. In a play, however, none of these
methods will work, and it is very difficult to make the audience aware of the complicated thoughts and
feelings inside of a characters mind and heart. This is why the soliloquy is so important to drama. A
soliloquy is a speech given by a character who is onstage alone, presumably talking to himself, to God, or
to the audience. Through the soliloquy, we can learn what the character thinks or feels, without having
to guess. In Hamlet, the main character has many complex and conflicting emotions that cannot be
conveyed only by facial expressions or body language, and cannot be spoken to other characters. For
this reason, Hamlet’s soliloquys are extremely memorable, intimate, and moving speeches that let us
connect with Hamlet in his darkest times.
Find five quotes from any of Hamlet’s soliloquys. Write the quotes with the page numbers on the right.
On the left, explain what deep thoughts and emotions are revealed in the quote.
Quotes
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Now write a paragraph that analyzes just one of Hamlet’s soliloquys. What is the main
emotion that he reveals in the speech? Why is it important for the audience to know this?
What descriptive or figurative language does Shakespeare use to get the point across? 100
words min.
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Finally, write a one-sentence thesis statement that you could use to write a
literary analysis essay on this topic. Be sure to focus your thesis on the novel.
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