Hamlet Test Review

Where does the play take place

Denmark, Elsinore Castle

What happened to Hamlet’s father

Murdered by Claudius, poison in ear while sleeping

Where has Hamlet been

school

How do Marcellus, Bernardo, and Horatio react to Hamlet’s father’s ghost

Shocked and frightened and Horatio tells Hamlet about the ghost

How many times does the ghost appear before it talks

3 times

What does the ghost of Hamlet’s father ask him to do

Avenge his murder by killing Claudius and not telling Gertrude

Why doesn’t Ophelia marry Hamlet

To obey her father, Polonius, and Laertes who warn her Hamlet’s love is not sincere

Why does Polonius believe Hamlet has been acting strangely

He thinks Hamlet is mad due to his love for Ophelia and her rejection of him.

Why did Hamlet change the play that was performed for his mother, Claudius, and the rest of the court

He wants to recreate the way Claudius killed his father to see if Claudius reacts guilty

How does Hamlet feel about Polonius

Foolish, meddling old man and later kills him without remorse

Hamlet has the opportunity to kill Claudius when he sees him alone. Why doesn’t he do it

Claudius is praying and he fears killing him will send him to heaven instead of hell

Who are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

Hamlet’s childhood friends and Claudius uses them as spies

What is Hamlet’s thinking about his famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy

Hamlet contemplates suicide and wonders if his death is better than suffering but fears the afterlife

What does Hamlet mean when he says “I am but mad north-northwest: when the wind is southernly I know a hawk from a handsaw”

Pretending to be mad but implying he is only crazy in certain situations

What does Hamlet give the actors to use in the play

Additional lines to mirror the murder of his father

What is the play about

Murder of Gonzago but Hamlet changes to resemble Claudius’s crime

How does Hamlet treat Ophelia during the play

He mocks her, insults her, and suggests sexual innuendos

Why does the play end suddenly

Claudius stops it because he realizes it’s about his crime

How does Gertrude react to the play

She is confused and does not realize its significance

What does Gertrude tell Hamlet about Claudius when she tries to scold him for his behavior

She does not believe Claudius killed King Hamlet and she thinks he is overeacting

How does Hamlet react in the conversation with Gertrude

He confronts her harshly accusing her of betrayal and kills Polonius by mistake

When the ghost returns to Hamlet what does it tell him about Gertrude

to leave Gertrude alone and let heaven judge her

How does Gertrude react to Hamlet’s father’s ghost

She cannot see the ghost, believing Hamlet is insane

Why does Hamlet kill Polonius

He mistakes him for Claudius thinking he is spying behind the curtain

Why should the reader not be surprised when Polonius is killed

He is always spying on people, making his death ironic

What does Shakespeare do to speed up the action of the play

He increases conflict and tension using quick scene changes and intense dialogue

What justification does Shakespeare seem to provide for what Hamlet does to Rosencratz and Guildenstern

They were spying on him and betraying him to Claudius

What does Gertrude tell Claudius about Polonius’s death

Hamlet killed Polonius in madness

How does Hamlet use the killing of Polonius to further convince everyone that he’s crazy

He jokes about Polonius’s body and refuses to say where he hid it

Why is Claudius worried about taking Hamlet to trial

The public loves Hamlet and punishing him could cause unrest

What does Claudius try to get from Hamlet

to find out where Polonius’s body is hidden

How do you know that Hamlet is still not worried even though he has finally been forced to appear before Claudius

He still makes sarcastic remarks and acts confident

What impresses Hamlet about Fortinbras

Fortinbras is decisive and willing to fight for honor unlike Hamlet

How does Hamlet get back to Denmark after he is sent to England

Pirates attack his ship and he escapes by boarding their ship

What happens to Ophelia

She drowns possibly suicide due to greif of her father

What is the most important reason that Claudius feels Laertes is a threat

Laertes is a popular with the people and they support his revenge against Hamlet

What does Hamlet find at the graveyard

Yorick’s skull, making him reflect on death and mortality

What do Laertes and Hamlet argue about at the funeral

Who loved Ophelia more

What are Laertes and Hamlet planning to do after the funeral

Laertes wants revenge on Hamlet for his father’s and sister’s death and Hamlet is preparing to fight him

Who plans on having a duel

Claudius and Laertes against Hamlet

Who placed a bet

Claudius on Hamlet winning

What happens to Claudius

Hamlet stabs Claudius and forces him to drink poisoned wine killing him

What happens to Hamlet

He is wounded by Laertes’ poisoned sword and dies

What happens to Laertes

He is struck with his own poisoned sword and dies after confessing Claudius’s plot

What happens to Gertrude

She drinks the poisoned wine meant for Hamlet and dies

Did Claudius want what happened to Gertrude

No he did not intend for this but does nothing to stop it

Of all the characters, who is the most loyal to Hamlet

Horatio

Who becomes King

Fortinbras

What is Hamlet’s tragic flaw

His indecisiveness and tendency to overthink leading to inaction

What makes this play a tragedy

The downfall of the protagonist due to a fatal flaw leading to suffering and death