Hamlet Acts 2-5

When the King asks Hamlet where Polonius is, what is Hamlet's answer?

First he says Polonius is "not where he eats, but where he is eaten." Then he later tells the King to look for him in Heaven, and if he can't find Polonius there, to go to "the other place" (hell) himself.

Who does Hamlet recommend to the throne?

Fortinbras

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern finally meet with Hamlet, and Hamlet discovers they were sent for by the King. How does Hamlet describe his personal problems to them? What does he tell them?

Hamlet basically says that he thought the world was wonderful and man was the most wonderful part of the world, but now he finds that things are not wonderful. He finds no delight in man or woman.

Why does Hamlet give instructions to the players?

Hamlet does not want the parts to be over-acted. He wants it to appear as natural and as real as possible so it will hit home to the King.

What did Hamlet do to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?

Hamlet replaced their letters (which called for Hamlet's execution) with letters which called for the execution of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Why doesn't Hamlet kill the King when the King is kneeling?

Hamlet wants the King to die without a chance for a last confession, as his father died. He thinks if the King is praying, he may not be in sin enough to get eternal punishment.

Why must the king "not put the strong arm on" Hamlet?

Hamlet's mother truly loves him and would want no harm to come to him, and the people of Denmark love him and would be uneasy if something would happen to him.

What arrangement does Hamlet make with Player 1?

He arranges to have several of his own lines put into the play (to make the action of the play as closely related to the actual events of his father's murder as possible).

What is the content of Hamlet's letter to Horatio?

He explains that he escaped from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern onto a pirate ship. He is a prisoner, but is being treated well because the pirates want favors from him. He wants Horatio to give letters he has written to the King and Queen and then to come to see him as quickly as possible.

The King has Rosencrantz and Guildenstern prepare to do what? Why?

He has them prepare to take Hamlet to England. Claudius is beginning to feel threatened by Hamlet, and he wants him away from Elsinore. In fact, he wants Hamlet dead.

Hamlet's famous "To be or not to be" soliloquy is in scene one. In a sentence or two paraphrase his main points.

He is pondering whether a miserable life is better than the unknown of death.

Describe Hamlet's tone when he speaks to Ophelia.

He is really quite rude and aggressive.

What prompts Hamlet to say, "My thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth!"?

He realizes his father has been murdered, his uncle is a murderer, his mother is living in an incestuous marriage, and the soldiers he has just seen are going to kill each other over a little piece of land which is not worth anything.

Why does Hamlet jump into Ophelia's grave?

He shows that his sorrow is as great as Laertes'.

What news does Osric bring Hamlet?

He tells Hamlet of the wager the King has made on Hamlet's behalf in a contest between Laertes and Hamlet.

What does the King say to Laertes to console him after Laertes and Hamlet are separated?

He tells Laertes not to worry, that he (Laertes) will soon have the appropriate time and place to kill Hamlet, and that one way or another, Hamlet will die.

Why does Polonius think Hamlet is "mad"?

He thinks Ophelia's rejections have been too much for Hamlet, that Hamlet is love-sick.

After Rosencrantz and Guildenstern leave Hamlet, what does he basically say in his soliloquy?

He thinks himself a coward for not getting right to the revenge.

What message does Rosencrantz deliver from the Queen?

He told Hamlet that the Queen wanted to see him.

What does Hamlet think of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?

He uses the word "sponge" to describe them, saying they soak up the King's words, commands and gifts. He thinks they are weak and not smart enough to see that they are being used by the King.

What would Hamlet have his mother do?

He wants her to at least not sleep with the King.

What is Polonius' plan for testing his theory that Hamlet is love-crazy?

He wants to have Hamlet meet Ophelia. He (Polonius) will hide and eavesdrop on the conversation to determine whether or not Hamlet is love-sick.

Why does Laertes force his way in? What does he want?

Laertes wants revenge for his father's death.

What has happened to Ophelia?

Ophelia has gone crazy.

How does Polonius die?

Polonius is in the Queen's room while she and Hamlet are talking. He hides behind the tapestry but makes some noise. Hamlet runs through the tapestry with his sword (actually thinking Claudius might be there), killing Polonius.

Where does Polonius send Reynaldo? Why?

Polonius sends Reynaldo to Paris to spy on Laertes and to take him money and messages.

What news does the Queen bring Laertes?

She tells him that Ophelia is dead; she has drowned.

What was the King's reaction to the play, and what did Hamlet and Horatio decide his reaction meant?

The King got up and called for the lights. Hamlet and Horatio were convinced that the ghost was right, that Claudius had murdered King Hamlet.

What happens to the King, Hamlet, Laertes, and the Queen?

The King is run through and killed by Hamlet. Hamlet is killed by the poison on Laertes' sword. Laertes is killed by the poison on his own sword. The Queen is poisoned and killed by the drink the King had prepared for Hamlet.

What is the content of the letters the King sends with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to England with Hamlet?

The King wants Hamlet to be killed as soon as he reaches England.

Laertes thinks that Ophelia should have a better funeral service. What is the priest's answer?

The priest more or less says that Ophelia is lucky to be getting as nice of a funeral as she is, considering the nature of her death.

What do the King and Polonius decide about Hamlet's condition after eavesdropping on Hamlet and Ophelia?

They decide he is not love-sick; rather, he has some other trouble deep in his soul.

Why have Rosencrantz and Guildenstern come to the castle?

They have come to find out why Hamlet is acting so strangely and to report their findings to the King.

What plan do the King and Laertes discuss to kill Hamlet?

They plan to set up a duel between Laertes and Hamlet in which Laertes will honorably kill Hamlet, or if Hamlet lives, the King will poison him.

What message do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern carry to the King? What is the King's response?

They tell him Hamlet wishes the King and Queen to see the play. The King gladly accepts.