View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Claudius die?

2. How does Hamlet manage to avoid his fate in England?

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

4. When Laertes returns after his father's death, what does he want?

5. What does Ophelia she say about the herb rosemary?

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

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

3. After Polonius's death, who is sent to find Hamlet?

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

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

6. Hamlet finally confronts his mother in Act 3, Scene 4, speaking harshly to her as he tries to force her to realize her own complicity in the crime. What happens to change his tone?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Is Hamlet really crazy? Take a stand on this topic and support your stance with specific examples from throughout the text.

Essay Topic 3

Describe how Shakespeare uses foreshadowing to prepare his audience for the very bloody end of the play. Identify specific examples from the first four acts of the script.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 798 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample