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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. What additional method does Claudius suggest so that even if Hamlet wins the duel with Laertes, Hamlet will still die?

2. At the end of the play, who will rule Denmark?

3. When Laertes returns after his father's death, what do the common people say about him?

4. Who is "poor Yorick"?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. 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?

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

3. How does Hamlet avoid going to England?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Sigmund Freud put forward the idea of the "Oedipus complex," based on the character of Oedipus from Greek tragedy. Freud also asserted that Hamlet has a serious Oedipus complex. Research the idea of the Oedipus complex and write an essay in which you do the following:

-- Explain what the Oedipus complex is.

-- State whether or not you think Hamlet has an Oedipus complex.

-- Support your view with information from the text.

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

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?

(see the answer keys)

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