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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. In Act 4, scene 4, while watching the troops and reflecting on his own behavior, what does Hamlet promise about his future actions?

2. While explaining Hamlet's crime to his courtiers, why does Claudius say he has to be gentle with Hamlet?

3. How does Hamlet act after he has killed someone?

4. When Claudius finds out Hamlet has killed someone, what is he most worried about?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Hamlet suggest that Claudius and his servants might find Polonius's body?

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

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

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

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

6. 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?

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

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

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

10. After Polonius's death, Ophelia comes to see Gertrude. What do we learn about Ophelia in that scene?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The play focuses a lot on death. There is the death of the old king and Hamlet's "excessive" mourning. There is the appearance of the ghost and its description of the afterlife. There is Hamlet's obsession with suicide and Ophelia's apparent suicide. There is the entire graveyard scene, with its varied perspectives on death. Shakespeare puts forth many different perspectives on this topic in the play. Choose one belief or perspective that is presented in the play; explain it and identify two or three instances in the play where that belief is supported or represented.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the use of irony, dramatic and otherwise, throughout the play. How does Shakespeare use irony to make his scenes more effective?

Essay Topic 3

Choose a speech by any character that is at least 20 lines long. In an essay, explain the context of the speech within the play, then analyze the speech. Identify its major themes or points and discuss the use of language in the speech. Is there specific imagery used? What effect does that imagery have? Why is there a speech at that point in the text? What purpose does it serve, and why is it long instead of just a couple of lines?

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