Tuesday, December 8, 2009

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"?
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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?

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