1) The play scene was a turning point because it is the first scene in which hamlet has truly descended into madness. Ophelia has betrayed him, his mother betrayed him, his father dead. This is where he starts insulting everyone and everything. This scene is where Hamlet confirms Claudius' murder, more importantly though this is the scene in which Claudius knows that Hamlet knows. The cards are on the table from here on out.
2)
Exposition: The exposition is the background information, in this we are told of fortinbras and the nation preparing for war, we are also told of the arrangements which brought Claudius to kingship(with the exception of murder of course) and how hamlet feels about the incestuous relationship between his mother and uncle.

Inciting event:the inciting is when Hamlet meets the ghost of his dead father, this will set into motion Hamlets rampage into madness as well as his slow crusade against Claudius, and ultimately the death of everyone.

Rising Action: In the rising action, hamlet feigns madness, Claudius feigns caring, Ophelia retracts her love, Polonius spys on everyone, Gertrude is unhappy, Rozencrants and Guildenstern spy on hamlet, Laertes goes gambling, and Horatio remains honest. (in no particular order) Basically everything up to the death of Polonius is rising action.
1.) Claudius sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern along with Hamlet to England, where he has sent word to have the trio terminated. He does this quickly because Hamlet is adored by the (whatever state Denmark is in(Norway?))ish people and hopes not to cause an uproar. He claims that the group is being sent in order to collect tribute which the English owe.
2.) While Hamlet speaks with his mother, Polonius will hide so as to again attempt to see what is causing Hamlet's madness.
3.) Claudius Admits that he killed the king
His guilt is so strong he cannot pray, he knows he has done horible deeds yet cannot bring himself to repent the actions.
He reveals the reasons he has commited the murder-crown, lady, and ambition.
4.)It is odd that Hamlet sees the king praying because Claudius is not in fact praying. Because he will not give up the gains he has made for his sins, he cannot repent and ask for forgiveness. Hamlet saw Claudius pretending to pray, or perhaps trying to pray, but there was no real praying going on.
5 Hamlet spares the life of Claudius because Claudius is praying. His father was killed before he could perform his last rights and thus is doomed to spend time in purgatory. Hamlet believes that if he kills Claudius while praying he will ascend to heaven. This shows Hamlets unwillingness to do the deed. He even states that he will kill him while he is performing some unholy and vile act. Yet 4 months has passes since his fathers death and he has still not succeeded in avenging the king.

1.) Polonius hopes to trick Hamlet into revealing his secret by appealing to his child like instincts. He asks Gertrude to :"be round with him" to tell him that she has shielded him from outrage at his insane actions and behavior. They are attempting this becasue Ophelia has clearly failed. So they must try a different route to the princes heart. Polonius then hides behind the curtain where he will die.
2.) Hamlet yells it after he kills polonius. He is insulting Polonius by calling him a rat and by saying his life is only worth one ducat. This could tie in with the army that hamlet meets later on, they tell him that the ladnn they are fighting for is only worth 5 ducats.
3.) In this quote hamlet insinuates that his morther was part of the killing of his father. However there are few explicit details to support this and this has never been brought up before. What is most interesting is that the ghost of his father never said anything about Gertrude being involved, in fact he asked Hamlet to look after his mother. This could signal that Hamlet is no longer following the Ghost's wishes but merely acting upon the whim of his own insanity.
4.) Gertrude says this because she is still attempting to maintain her innocence. Hamlet is accusing her of being involve with his fathers death, in his mind she must be for she moved so fast from brother to brother. She is taken aback by such accusations and defends herself.
5.) King Hamlet is described as a man blessed by all the ancient Greek gods.
Claudius is described as a mildewed ear of corn, one which stains all other corn around him. This again brings in the idea of ears, and Gertrude would be one of the nearby corns, one poisoned by the original corruption.
6.) Hamlet means to show that Gertrude has sided with the clearly weaker and ill-fated man, that the nature of Claudius causes him to corrupt and weakin those around him. Again he hints that she was involved in the murder of Old Hamlet
7.) Hamlet used these descriptions to describe his mothers relationship with Claudius. The nasty sty might also be referring to the decaying corpse of his fathers body. The body of the father being what brought the two together, as Hamlet believes that Gertrude corroborated with Claudius in the murder. The image of which is quite disturbing.
Mickey also informs me that" the nasty sty is more pleasing than the missionary. "
8.) The apparition of old hamlet stops Hamlet from berating his mother. The ghost tells him to get on with his almost "dulled" vengeance and go after Claudius.
9.) Hamlet makes many philisophical arguments about humanity, saying "do not spread fertilizer on weeds" and such, mostly negative comments. These are all fairly hypocritical as he is planing to kill his father in law, widow his mother, and ultimately destroy his country in order to seek revenge for his father who is already dead.
10.) In act I the ghost is clear and descriptive, although it disappears rapidly with the crowing of the cock. It wants revenge in both scenes however in the second scene the ghost is fleeting. Perhaps protecting Gertrude from Hamlet.

Act 3
Scene 1:
1. What do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern report to Polonius?
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern report that Hamlet is not mad, but he is disturbed over something. They do not know what disturbs him however, and doubt that it is his lost love with ophelia.
2. How does Claudius react when Polonius says, "…with devotion's visage, And pious action we do sugar o'er/ The devil himself"?
****
3. What plan do Polonius, Claudius and Ophelia now put into action?
Claudius, Polonius, and Ophelia make a plan so that Claudius and Polonius will hide as Ophelia will talk to Hamlet. Ophelia is supposed to test Hamlet's love, to see how he reacts to her when she returns his love letters, which is a form of insult.
4. What is the nature of Hamlet's soliloquy, lines 57-91?
Hamlet's soliloquy is discussing the pro's and cons of inaction, he weighs the pain and grief that killing claudius will have against the duty he has to avenge his father.
5. What is Hamlet's main argument against suicide?
Hamlet's main argument against suicide is that no-one knows what the afterlife will bring. He does not know "what dreams may come" This is why "conscience makes cowards of us all", for the ones who are brave do not fear the unknown and die quickly while those afraid linger on the earth.
6. Why does Hamlet treat Ophelia as cruelly as he does? What has changed him?
Hamlet treats Ophelia cruely first when she returns his love letters, but when he really goes off on her is when she lies about her father. "where is your father" "at home my lord" He is distraught that ophelia was able to lie while looking him in the eyes. THis is the last straw for him, his father dead, his mother abandoned his father, his uncle married his mother, and now ophelia lying to him:he is abandoned by everyone, and so his sanity abandons him.
7. What thinly veiled threat to Claudius does Hamlet voice, after he becomes of his hidden presence? (lines 148-150)
"those that are married already-all but one -shall live; the rest shall keep as they are."
He is attacking the institution of marriage, he implies that all those who are married will die except for one, his mother.
8. At the end of this scene, what does the King decide to do with Hamlet?
Scene 2:
At the end of the scene the king decides to send Hamlet to England to collect tribute. Although this may seem like an attempt to help hamlet by distracting him, it is in fact an attempt to get Hamlet away from himself. This shows that the king is fearful of what Hamlet is capable of, and what he might know.
9. What qualities in Horatio cause Hamlet to enlist his assistance?
Hamlet trusts in Horatio because he is honest, scholarly, and was the one which called upon hamlet to witness his fathers ghost. In hamlets mind Horatio is thus connected with his fathers spirit and the underworld.
10. What does Hamlet ask Horatio to do?
Hamlet asks Horatio to spy on Claudius as he reacts to the opening scene of Mousetrap. He is starting to believe accusations that he is crazy. He wants a second opinion to confirm his suspicions of Claudius.
11. Summarize what happens in the play-within-a-play.
In the play within a play, a man is poisened and his lover marries the poisoner. After that his nephew is vowing revenge, at this point claudius gets upset and leaves.
12. Why, in line 233, does Hamlet refer to the play-within-a-play as "The Mouse-trap"?
Hamlet refers to the play as mousetrap because he uses it to catch claudius acting like a rat.
13. What is the King's reaction to the play?
The king is so upset by the play that he leaves and the play ends. This confirms hamlets suspicions of the kings murder.
14. In lines 354-363, to what object does Hamlet compare himself? Why?
Hamlet compares himself to a flute, and attacks Guildenstern for attempting to
15. As Hamlet goes to his mother at the end of this scene, what does he admonish himself?

hamlet soliloquy

Hamlet soliloquy-
Should I act or not? which would bring more disgrace, to suffer and bear the burden of such outrageous fortune silently, or to fight back against such felonies. If i oppose these acts, i will end them. But inaction, to sleep, there's the problem. In not acting, There is the chance to dream, the chance to rid oneself of the problems of the world. But this dream is only a chance and there's the problem. In life we are always concerned with this dream. Those who bear the blows of oppressors, even if they are wrong, will grunt and sweat under a weary life. But the dread of something after. We should rather bear the ills born against us than risk further dread which we cant fore-see. The conscience makes cowards of us all, action is lost to the realms of thought only. Their paths turn awry and lose the name of action. Oh ophelia, remember my sins, you are a fairy in thy being.

act II stuff

1) What does Polonius tell Reynaldo in the opening of Act II? How does he plan to trap his son?
Reynaldo is told to follow Laertes and to see who he associated with. Polonius is afraid that Laertes is committing un-noble deeds and that it will come back to mar his reputation. Reynaldo is supposed to spread false rumors about Laertes, and to gauge the response of Laertes friends in order to determine which rumors are false and which are true.
2) What does this say about Polonius?
this shows that Polonius is more worried about his own reputation and political aspirations than his sons. Instead of confronting his son, he sends reynaldo to spy on him, furthermore he specifically instructs reynaldo to spread these rumors in a way, in which, no evidence will come back to him. This is in concurence with what Hamlet will say about polonius' character, he is a self-loving pimp, and a prostitute.
3) What particularly in Act II scene 1 has disturbed Ophelia?
Hamlet has appeared to Ophelia half naked and acting mad. She doesn't know why he has done this, and is disturbed so she discuses it with her father who tells her that Hamlet is professing his love for her. They must go to the king and arrange a marriage, this is in contrast to last act when polonius told her to stay away from hamlet, but now he sees a chance for political gain.
4) Why have Rosencrantez and Guildenstern been sent to Denmark?
Rosencrantz and guildenstern are sent to denmark by the king and queen. They are Hamlet's childhood friends, and so the king and queen hope they will be trusted. They are told to watch hamlet and to see if his madness stems truly from the death of his father, and if they can fix his illness. Deeper down the king fears that hamlet has somehow discovered the truth of his fathers death, and is coming to kill him.
5) What does Hamlet ask the players to recite? How does the allusion mimic Hamlet’s position?
hamlet asks the players to first recite Aenea's tale to dido, in which the mother watches as the son of Achiles avenges his father and slays Priam. this is almost a perfect parallel to what is happening to Hamlet, but it is more of a though on how his mother will feel. he is afraid that she will be traumatized or die in grief at the loss of so much love.
Identify the following speaker of the following lines and discuss to whom the lines are being delivered, and what the lines mean?
6) “No, my lord, but as you did command/ I did repel his letter, and denied his access to me” Ophelia- Ophelia is telling her father that she has done him well, she has rejected Hamlet's attempts at love.
7) “More matter less art” The queen demands that polonius stops his foolishness and gets to the point, he resoponds with more nonsense.
8) “That I, the son of a dear father murdered,/ Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell/ Must like a whore unpack my heart with words,
Hamlets soliloquy
9) “Your bait of falsehood take this carp of truth/ And thus do we of wisdom and of reach,/ with windlasses and with assays of bias,/ By directions find directions out.”
Hamlet's speech to polonius, he bashes on polonius and call him a pimp and stupid

10) “For if the sun breeds maggots in a dead dog, being a good kissing carrion-Have you a daughter?”
Hamlets crazy speech to Polonius, he knows polonius has a daughter but is attempting to act insane. Very successfully.
11) List three metaphors (1 direct, 1 implied, 1 extended) from the play.
Polonius' comparison of Hamlet's love to burst of fire is a direct metaphor, Hamlet's use of fishmonger is an implied metaphor, and the calling people prositutes is an extended metaphor.
12) What proof does Polonius have that he believe indicates Hamlet’s love for Ophelia?
Polonius believes that Hamlet is in love with ophelia because of Hamlet's naked attempt at their love. Hamlet however is only acting insane not in love, and this is another comment on Polonius' intelligence.
13) Explain the quote, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” How does this relate to Hamlet.
this is true of everything, nothing is inherently good or bad, however if you think something is bad it may be so.
14) What is a fishmonger? A fishmonger is someone who sells fish on the wharf, this relates to polonius because he is selling of his daughter... its also a a sexual innuendo.
15) Who was Jephthah? Jephtaph was a character from the bible who sacrificed his daughter in order to save himself. he hopes to achieve political gain through his sacrifice.

soliloquy rewrite

Oh why, Why! if only he would stop shooting that stupid cannon and turn it on himself. this world has no more joy for me. The garden of eden is unweeded, there is corruption in this place of innocence, corruption and unnaturalness. Two months Dead! just two months, not even! My father was such an excellent king. He was so loving and devoted to my mother, he wouldn't let the winds of heaven buffet her too roughly. Why must I remember him? She would hang on him as if the more she hung on him the more she needed him. AND WITHIN A MONTH!! Don't think of it!
Women are so weak. She followed his casket, all tears. A beast of reason would have mourned longer, and then she married my uncle? He was my brother's father yet no more like my father than i am to hercules. her tears are still on her cheeks! she married so fast. She flees to incestuous sheets, it cannot come to good. it will kill me for I must hold my tongue.

1) What is Laertes advice to Ophelia?
laertes advice to ophelia is to shield herself from hamlets love because hamlet has a duty to the state. This duty will most likely call him to refuse Ophelia's love and take a foreign princess for a wife.
2) How does “The canker galls the infants of the spring/ too oft before their buttons be disclos’d” fit into the ideology of the decaying garden?

3) What analogy does Ophelia give to her brother as an answer to his advice? What does she mean?
ophelia tells her brother off, saying that he is a hypocrite and should take care of his own whore-mongering and gambling problems before he tries to advise her.

4) List five of the “few precepts” that Polonius gives to Laertes.
polonius tells laertes to

5) In lines 105-109, what is the metaphor that Polonius uses to describe Hamlet’s words of love?
Polonius uses the metaphor that hamlets love is silver which is not sterling or it is impure. This relates to the theme of virginity because virgins were more pure than others. Furthermore he describes ophelia as a baby, a naive and Innocent child yet easily taken advantage of. He also threatens her saying that if she does fall for Hamlet's tenders, she will embarrass him.
6) List and explain one metaphor found in the lines 115-135.
describes these blazes as beautiful and attractive, tempting. Yet in one metaphor is that of "blazes" which are meant to symbolize Hamlet's promises. Poloniusreality they have no warmth and in the end the light fades as well. This is again to dissed Ophelia from hamlet because he fears he will be made a fool when hamlet leaves her.
7) What is Polonius’ command to Ophelia?
Polonius' command to Ophelia is that she should never talk to Hamlet, she should forget him and move on.
8) In scene 4, what is Hamlet talking about in lines 13-38?
Hamlet is talking about the downfalls of his nation, they have become so committed to their customs and their drunkenness that they become weak and susceptible to outside attack.
9) Why doesn’t Horatio want Hamlet to follow the ghost?
Horatio wants hamlet to follow the ghost because he believes the ghost is sent to inform them of the demise of the nation. Perhaps if hamlet follows hamlet he will be able to find out how the nation will fall.
10) What is Hamlet’s command to the three guards?
hamlet orders the three guards to stay put and not follow him as he talks to his dead dad.