4. Hamlet's mother tries to leave the room during their conversation in Act 3, Scene 4, but Hamlet stops her and says she cannot leave until he does what?

5. When he is asked where his first victim's body is, what does Hamlet do?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is Yorick, and why does he come up in Act 5?

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

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

4. 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?

5. 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?

6. When Hamlet hears about Fortinbras and his attacks on Poland, what does he say about Fortinbras and about himself?

7. 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?

8. Whose burial does Hamlet witness in Act 5?

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

10. Hamlet calls Rosencrantz and Guildenstern "a sponge." Why does he say that?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Shakespeare is well known for adding comic characters to his most serious plays. In Hamlet, these characters may include Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Osric, and the gravediggers. Choose one or two of these characters/pairs of characters. Identify how they add comic relief to the script and at what point in the action does Shakespeare include them. How is that scene changed by having humor included?