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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. The first time the audience sees Hamlet after he has killed someone, he says "Safely stowed." What does he mean?

2. At the end of Act 4, Scene 5, what does Claudius offer to do for Laertes?

3. What does Ophelia say about violets?

4. As Laertes and Claudius discuss how to kill Hamlet, what news does Gertrude bring?

5. Claudius finally gives Rosencrantz and Guildenstern sealed orders for how to handle Hamlet. What do those orders say?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is the first person in Elsinore to find out that Hamlet is on his way back to Denmark instead of going to England? How does that person find out?

2. At the end of the play, we learn of the death of two minor characters. Who are they, and how do we learn of their death?

3. When Claudius hears about Polonius's death, what is his first thought?

4. In the last scene of Act 3, Polonius is killed. At the end of the scene, what happens to his body?

5. As Hamlet travels to the boat for England, what or who does Hamlet find on a plain in Denmark?

6. List the major characters who die during the last scene of the play.

7. What plan do Laertes and Claudius come up with in Act 4, Scene 7 to kill Hamlet?

8. After Polonius's death, what does Gertrude tell Claudius about Hamlet?

9. Claudius tells Laertes that Hamlet is responsible for Polonius's death. Claudius says that there are two reasons why he cannot have Hamlet publicly arrested and punished. What are those two reasons?

10. In Act 4, Scene 3, what does Claudius reveal to the audience about his plans for Hamlet in England?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

One of the major themes in the play is connected to ears, hearing, and trusting what you hear. Identify one or two important moments in each act when that theme comes up. Explain the moment, why it is important, and how it contributes to the overall theme.

Essay Topic 2

The question of suicide comes up repeatedly in the play. Hamlet mentions it on multiple occasions and Ophelia's death is potentially a suicide and questionable enough that her funeral rites are "maimed." Discuss the play's treatment of suicide, focusing on the following points:

-- How is suicide presented? Is it a good thing or a bad thing?

-- Are there universal truths about death and suicide, as Hamlet seems to suggest in the "To be or not to be" speech? Or does the play contradict that by adding in Ophelia's suicide?

-- Do you think Ophelia does commit suicide? Why or why not?

-- Do you think Hamlet is essentially committing suicide at the end of the play? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Research the concept of "hamartia" or "tragic flaw." Write an essay in which you explain this concept and apply it to Hamlet or one of the other major characters in this play. Make sure you support your thesis with examples from the text.

(see the answer keys)

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