Response Questions for Hamlet Introduction:  Shakespeare’s Hamlet is an extremely complex play; therefore, trying to cover all aspects of it would not do it justice in the short amount of time we have in a five-week semester; therefore, what we will do is focus on a specific theme that runs throughout the play, so for each act, these will be the topics that you should focus on for your essay.  You will use these same questions/themes that are posted below for each day’s discussions.  Today's readings are Act 1.  Your ideas should grow and develop as we read each act.   First I will give you some background information and then the themes that you can turn into thesis statements: Background  What I would suggest is that you Google “No Fear Shakespeare,” and under Hamlet, you will find the Elizabethan translation with the Modern translation right beside it.  I do not mind your using the modern translation to help you understand the play; however, the quotes that you use in your essay need to be the Elizabethan version. If any of you have ever read the King James Version of the Bible, it is written in Elizabethan English, and the language is rich and colorful.  Shakespeare wrote during the reign Queen Elizabeth, and then when she died, he wrote during the reign of King James who is the one who commissioned the King James Version of the Bible.  No one knows for sure, but if not Shakespeare, at least, his contemporaries of the time, would have had input on this particular translation of the Bible.  During Queen Elizabeth’s reign, England thrived, and the arts flourished, which can be attested to by the greats, such as Shakespeare and Kit Marlowe who wrote Dr. Faustus.  England saw an era of peace, which allowed the arts to grow.  Please keep in mind that not just the rich or educated attended plays, but the lower classes also attended, which means they understood the, at times, rather lofty language of Shakespeare.  It’s odd when you think about the fact that some people have a tendency to look down upon previous generation’s intelligence.  Play Hamlet is driven to kill Claudius because the ghost has told him that he is his murdered father, “old King Hamlet,” and he wants Prince Hamlet to seek revenge for his death by killing Claudius.  During Elizabethan time, people honestly believed in ghosts, so this would not have seemed outrageous to them, as perhaps it would to us today. Although you may not prefer Shakespeare’s writing, his themes are timeless. His plays are known worldwide and have been adapted by almost every culture.  In class, all I have to say is “Shakespeare,” and even students who are from another country or  US students who simply do not like to read know who he is.  His plays have lasted because he writes about human nature, and that is something that never changes and is always relevant.  I have posted for your entertainment, and I do suggest that you watch it for that reason, “The Three Little Pigs” done in Elizabethan E ...

1. Response Questions for Hamlet
Introduction:
Shakespeare’s Hamlet is an extremely complex play; therefore,
trying to cover all aspects of it would not do it justice in the
short amount of time we have in a five-week semester;
therefore, what we will do is focus on a specific theme that runs
throughout the play, so for each act, these will be the topics that
you should focus on for your essay. You will use these same
questions/themes that are posted below for each day’s
discussions. Today's readings are Act 1. Your ideas should
grow and develop as we read each act. First I will give you
some background information and then the themes that you can
turn into thesis statements:
Background
What I would suggest is that you Google “No Fear
Shakespeare,” and under Hamlet, you will find the Elizabethan
translation with the Modern translation right beside it. I do not
mind your using the modern translation to help you understand
the play; however, the quotes that you use in your essay need to
be the Elizabethan version.
If any of you have ever read the King James Version of the
Bible, it is written in Elizabethan English, and the language is
rich and colorful. Shakespeare wrote during the reign Queen
Elizabeth, and then when she died, he wrote during the reign of
King James who is the one who commissioned the King James
Version of the Bible. No one knows for sure, but if not
Shakespeare, at least, his contemporaries of the time, would
have had input on this particular translation of the Bible.
During Queen Elizabeth’s reign, England thrived, and the arts
flourished, which can be attested to by the greats, such as

2. Shakespeare and Kit Marlowe who wrote Dr. Faustus. England
saw an era of peace, which allowed the arts to grow. Please
keep in mind that not just the rich or educated attended plays,
but the lower classes also attended, which means they
understood the, at times, rather lofty language of Shakespeare.
It’s odd when you think about the fact that some people have a
tendency to look down upon previous generation’s intelligence.
Play
Hamlet is driven to kill Claudius because the ghost has told him
that he is his murdered father, “old King Hamlet,” and he wants
Prince Hamlet to seek revenge for his death by killing
Claudius. During Elizabethan time, people honestly believed in
ghosts, so this would not have seemed outrageous to them, as
perhaps it would to us today.
Although you may not prefer Shakespeare’s writing, his themes
are timeless. His plays are known worldwide and have been
adapted by almost every culture. In class, all I have to say is
“Shakespeare,” and even students who are from another country
or US students who simply do not like to read know who he is.
His plays have lasted because he writes about human nature,
and that is something that never changes and is always
relevant.
I have posted for your entertainment, and I do suggest that you
watch it for that reason, “The Three Little Pigs” done in
Elizabethan English by an extremely talented comedian.
Response Question One (Act I:
Themes:
Following are themes that you should note while reading the
play, which could also be turned into paper topics. For
instance, you could argue for or against Hamlet’s being mad.
Some scholars think that he was feigning (pretending) madness
while others think he was actually mad. You could take a stand

3. one way or the other and turn it into a thesis statement and then
find three points from the play that support it:
· Madness is a major theme in the play.
Background
There is no doubt that later in the play, poor Ophelia does go
completely insane; however, in Act I after Prince Hamlet has
spoken to the ghost who is supposed to be his dead father, he
tells Horatio and the guards that he is going to feign or pretend
to be mad so that he can find out whether his uncle is guilty of
killing his father or not. Until almost the end of play, he
displays strange behavior.
· The question you should ask yourself as you read the play is
whether Prince Hamlet is only acting mad or is he truly mad?
· Misogyny [dislike of women] is also a major theme in the
play:
Background
Prince Hamlet is disillusioned by his mother who marries his
uncle, which, by the way, during Hamlet’s era, a widow
marrying her dead husband’s brother was considered “incest.”
Not only has Claudius stolen his mother’s affection, but he has
also stolen the crown away from Prince Hamlet. Furthermore,
Ophelia, Hamlet’s love, is told by her father not to see Hamlet
anymore because he is above her station, and he probably would
never marry her, which would be a major problem if she should
become pregnant with Prince Hamlet's child. She complies with
her father's demands and does not see Hamlet again.
· Do you think that Hamlet is justified in his sometimes cruel
treatment of his mother and Ophelia, or are there other ways he
could have handled the situation? Consider also that during this
time era, Ophelia was probably around 14, which isn't as
scandalous as it would be today, but she is still young.
· Inaction versus Action:
Background
Although he is only in the background of the play,

4. Prince Fortinbra of Norway is a trying to win back Denmark,
which was lost to Old King Hamlet the year Prince Hamlet was
born. Fortinbra, which means fortune’s arm, has to be stopped
from attacking Norway at the beginning of the play, which
Claudius does handle well. When he can’t attack Denmark, he
decides to attack Poland, who has done nothing to Norway, but
he just wants to keep his men in fighting practice. At the end of
the play, when everyone is dead, Fortinbra returns from
conquering Poland, finds Hamlet’s entire clan dead, and
becomes king. Throughout the play, although he is completely
in the background, he is constantly taking action. On the other
hand, Hamlet does not seem to know when to take action. He
devises plots and schemes to try to prove whether or not what
the ghost has told him about Claudius having murdered his
father is true or not. Each time he has the opportunity to act, he
doesn’t, that is until he is in his mother’s room, and in a fit of
rage, he kills poor Polonius, Ophelia's father, by mistake. Some
scholars think that he is a thoughtful person who would make a
good king. Some say he is too indecisive. As you read the
play, you decide whether you think that he would make a good
king or not or even perhaps, whether or not Fortinbras was not
destined to become king because he is bold.
As you read the play, take a position on the above themes and
state it clearly and then give at least one to two quotations from
the play that support your position. When we have finished
reading the play, you should have a fairly good idea which one
of the major themes you would like to cover in an essay, what
you want to say, and you will have the quotes to support it. For
example, your thesis could be “In William
Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Prince Hamlet demonstrates that he
would be a good king [or bad king] because he does – and list
your three points.
· Do you think the ghost is Hamlet’s father, or do you think it is
evil. Why?
· Do you think that Hamlet’s idea to pretend to be mad so that
he can trick his uncle, King Claudius, into confessing a good

5. idea or a bad one? Explain your answer.
Response Question Two (Act II)
As the plot develops, we find that Hamlet is surrounded by
people that he cannot trust. Review the following questions and
answer
· Why does this act open with Polonius and Reynaldo? What
does this tellus about Polonius's character, and what theme or
motif does it introduce in the play?
· How does the interaction between Hamlet and Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern help to explain what's wrong with Hamlet? Why
are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Denmark?
· Why is the first player’s speech important to the play?
· What does he decide to do at the end of this speech?
Response Question Three (Act III)
Please respond to the first two questions for Act III:
1. What does Hamlet’s soliloquy, or the famous “to be or not to
be” speech, reveal about Hamlet’s character? [Soliloquy means,
he’s talking to himself again.]
2. When Hamlet e encounters Ophelia walking the great hall,
he speaks harshly to her. Why is he so cruel to her?
The following questions you don’t have to respond to but you
will need to understand them before writing an academic essay
covering this play:
1. What happens during the “play-within-a-play?” How do the
speeches and actions reflect what is going on in the state of
Denmark? How does the king respond? Is Hamlet’s technique
wise or effective? What does it prove?
2. How is Hamlet’s second major interaction with Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern different from his first encounter with them?
What does Hamlet mean when he says that they cannot play him

6. like a flute? Who are they really working or spying for?
3. Do you think that Gertrude knew that about the murder?
Please continue to develop your ideas as you read through Act
III. Make sure to research to see if other scholars may share
your opinion, as you will have to bring in outside sources on
this essay also. I would use Google.Scholar or the Tech Library
to make sure that you are reading scholarly material. I have
posted information regarding how to do scholarly research in
the Course Requirement link.
Response Question Four (Act IV)
Please answer the following questions about Act VI.
1. Would Hamlet made a good king? In Act VI, Fortinbras has
asked permission to attack Poland, mainly just to keep his
troops in fighting order. Hamlet finds it puzzling that people
would fight over a piece of worthless land. Whose point of
view is sounder? Before answering this through a twenty-first
century perspective, please consider the times that they lived in,
which was an era when a country were expected to wage war,
and it was how a great leader was judged. Consider how well
respected Hamlet’s father, the old King Hamlet, whom Claudius
murdered. The old King had defeated Fortinbras father, the
King of Norway, and was beloved by his people. Would
Hamlet’s attitudes have reflected the time period in which he
lived, and although I respect Hamlet’s attitude toward waging
war for war’s sake, nevertheless, did he have strong enough will
power and character to protect Denmark if he, instead of
Claudius, had been made king because Fortinbras was a man of
his time and without a doubt would have waged war against
Denmark to retake the land his father lost? In other words,
would Hamlet have made a good king? (In the Mel Gibson
movie version of Hamlet, Fortinbras is only briefly mentioned;
however, although he is only in the play for a few scenes, he is
a driving force in the play.)
2. Is Hamlet mad or is he just pretending? Before answering

7. this question, ask yourself why would he take this tactic? What
purpose does it serve? Compare Hamlet’s feigned (pretend)
madness to Ophelia’s real madness? Does she give hints in her
mad rant that makes one believe that she and Hamlet may have
been actual lovers? Why does Hamlet turn on her so viciously
and why does Hamlet, after not taking any action throughout the
play, thrust his sword blindly through the tapestry, killing
Polonius, Ophelia’s father? Also, instead of confronting
Claudius, he has a vicious fight with his mother? Why?
You don’t have to answer this question for the DQ, but it is one
you might consider for a paper topic:
How would you compare Laertes to Hamlet? Consider that
Laertes, unlike Hamlet, returns intent on killing the man who
has killed his father without hesitation. Why is Hamlet less
present in this act than he has been in previous scenes?
Response Question V (Act V)
1
This is your last response questions for Hamlet. It covers Act
V.
1. Would Horatio make a good advisor to Fortinbras? Consider
that he has been the “man of the golden men,” means simply
means that he is someone whom you could count on to always
give good advice and remain calm in a crisis. Horatio is the
person who warned Hamlet not to talk to the ghost; he advises
him not to fight Laertes.
2. How has Hamlet’s indecisiveness led to the death of his
entire family or has it? Hamlet is constantly criticized by
critics for his indecisiveness; however, unlike Laertes who
knows exactly who killed his father, Hamlet has the word of a
ghost; however, even after the play and he knows that Claudius
is guilty, he still hesitates killing Claudius but during a rage

8. against his mother, he accidentally kills poor Polonius, Ophelia,
his love’s, father. A case can be made either way, and I look
forward to reading your responses.
You don’t have to answer this question for the DQ, but it is one
you might consider for a paper topic:
How does poison function in this play? Let’s look at it, old
King Hamlet dies when Claudius pours poison in his ear. The
king is the heart of the kingdom, and when a king dies or is
deposed, the kingdom suffers. When Claudius pours poison in
the old king’s ear, it courses throughout his body and kills him.
Did Claudius, in essence, kill the kingdom itself or at least the
kingdom as they knew it under old King Hamlet’s reign? Is
poison an analogy for what happens during the play? Consider
that Hamlet’s entire family is dead at the end of the play.
Points to Remember
Remember, that a thesis paragraph contains your thesis
(argument), and I prefer that beginning writers also post their
three points in the thesis paragraph since at this point, I am
trying to help you understand that the thesis paragraph is the
roadmap of your essay. Refer back to the information and
example that I posted for the short story. The format will be a
three-point enumeration essay.
By now, you should have a clearer idea of which theme you will
choose for your essay. If not, you need to start narrowing in
your ideas. Remember, the more focused your thesis statement,
the better your essay will be. Today, please refer to the themes
that we have been discussing and apply them to Act V, Scene ii.
[Please note the way that I have structured the act and scene is
how you should use them as in-text citations in your essay. For
example Act V, i, 1-5 - - this is the Act, Scene, and Line
Number].