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Hamlet

Includes questions specifically asking about this Shakespeare play. Questions about the movie version should be placed under "Movies." Questions about Shakespeare should be placed under his category under Authors and Poets.

2,117 Questions

Why can't gertrude see the ghost?

The ghost might repressent the feeling of shame and betray that the old King Hamlet, h and his son feels. The queen can not see the ghost because she doesnt feel guilt, she doesnt think it was wrong to marry the kings brother 2 months after his death, and because everyone else can see the ghost they understand what is wrong with her actions where as she doesnt.

Did anyone steal Shakespeare's plays?

Shakespeare is believed to have collaborated on some of his plays. He may have collaborated with Greene on early plays like Titus Andronicus, or with Fletcher on later plays such as Pericles or Henry VIII. The play The Two Noble Kinsmen is explicitly said to have been a collaboration between Shakespeare and Fletcher.

Although Shakespeare apparently did write most of his plays on his own, he did not invent the stories of most of them (The Tempest and A Midsummer Night's Dream are exceptions). He got them from older plays (Hamlet), poems (Romeo and Juliet), Italian Stories (Othello), Roman Plays (The Comedy of Errors), and history books like Holinshed's Chronicles (Henry VI) and Plutarch's Lives (Julius Caesar). Although he did not originate the stories, he used his genius to put them into unforgettable dramatic form.

As for the suggestion that Shakespeare was a front man for some mysterious ghost writer like Bacon or Oxford, there is no evidence at all that such a thing happened, and considerable evidence that Shakespeare the actor and man from Stratford did in fact write at least part of the plays attributed to him.

What are the first words of Shakespeare's Hamlet?

"Who's there?"

"Nay, answer me; stand and unfold yourself"

The symbolic reasoning for the first lines of Hamlet being "Who's there?" points to the constant themes found throughout the play of hypocrites, spying, fear of the unknown and hysteria.

What events led to Hamlets death?

Hamlet love for his father plays a main part in his downfall. he struggles to come to terms with his fathers death and when he see's him he promises to avenge his murder. he does so privately because he can not trust anyone. because of this he is slowly driven to insanity.

Why is shakespeare use dumb show in Hamlet?

to show the importance of the actions

usually it uses actions more than speech just like the play of hamlet it consists of a dumb show

What idea does Hamlet get from having the players in the court?

It is, perhaps less of a theory of acting as a set of observations on the practice of the art. However at its root is the notion that the purpose of playing is "to hold, as 'twere, the mirror up to nature." Actors who do not seem natural in their acting are not doing it right, and the most grievous fault that Hamlet finds in actors is overdoing it, ("overdone" is a word he uses three times in the speech) bellowing and strutting, sawing the air with their hands and generally out-Heroding Herod. He also warns about the opposite fault, being too tame, but he is less concerned with that problem.

What is the first sign of madness?

Madness as in crazy:

hearing voices

doing what those voices tell you

hurting yourself intentionally without any idea you've done it

seeing things no one else sees

Madness as in the emotion:

eye brows go down

you feel like you want to punch someone in the face

grind your teeth

get violent

anger derives from sadness. it's a cover up.

shaking legs

everyone is different

What happened to Hamlet on the ship?

The incident in which Hamlet gets off the ship to England plays an important role in changing the entire plot. As he was being "escorted" to England by Guildenstern and Rosencrantz, he switches the letter that the King had given with the one he writes. The original message that the King had wanted to pass on contained an order to kill Hamlet in England. However, Hamlet switches the letter with a new one which orders for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to be executed.

After this, a pirate ship attacks the ship that Hamlet was on. We are not given much detail on such an occurrence but we find out that Hamlet got onto the pirate's ship as the pirates were attacking the ship that was supposed to take Hamlet to England.

Shakespeare does this in order to bring Hamlet back to Denmark and resume the plot. Although, the literary merit behind such a plot manipulation is widely debated as being either acceptable or flagrantly unacceptable.

Is Hamlet respected by his peers in the play?

Horatio is a fellow student of Hamlet's who clearly loves him. Laertes is a Dane of about Hamlet's age, although of less exalted birth. Hamlet respects him and calls him "a most noble youth", while Laertes says of Hamlet's apology to him, "I am satisfied in nature" although it is difficult to believe anything he says at this stage. Fortinbras is probably as close to a peer as Hamlet has in the play, and he says "he was likely, had he been put on, to have proved most royal". While we do not know what Fortinbras's basis was for such a statement it surely confirms that Fortinbras respected Hamlet.

What is the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare all about?

Hamlet is a world famous tradey written by William Shakespeare. Basicly, the story starts with Hamlet in greiving for his dead dad, yet everyone else is happy cause his mum just married his unkle that is now king. Hamlet dad`s ghost comes back and tells Hamlet, his unkle posined him to become king. Hamlet is unsure so he pertends to be mad to discover the truth about his fathers death, Hamlet also has actors perform a play were someone gets murdered in the same way the ghost said he died. During the play Hamlets unkle runs out this proves his guilt. So Hamlet wants to kill him. First he goes to his mother basicly saying "how could you marry him? did you know?" then there is a russelling behind the curtain Hamlet stabs it convinced its his Unkle but he just killed his girlfriends dad, his Unkle says that Hamlet has gone mad and sends him away. On Hamlets way he is saved and comes back to find that his girlfriend in depression for her dad killed herself. Her brother is angrey orders Hamlet to a fenching match to the death. Hamlets unkle convinces Hamlets girlfriend`s brother to possin the tip of the sword and to possin Hamlets drink. When the fencing match is going on Hamlets mum accidently drank from Hamlet`s cup, the fighters switch swords and both Hamlet and his oponat are posined with battle cuts, and in Hamlets last breath he kill his unkle. Hamlet dies in his best friends arms.

What does Hamlet tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern is the cause of his problem?

He says, "I lack advancement." He doesn't really mean it though; he is playing with them.

Was Ophelia hamlets girlfriend or wife?

Hamlet was her boyfriend. Polonius was her father. Laertes was her brother. Claudius was her father's employer and her boyfriend's father. Gertrude seems to have been a bit of a surrogate mother to Ophelia.

Who is named the next King of Denmark at the end of Hamlet?

Hamlets said in his last words "but i do prophesy the election lights on Fortinbras, he has my dying voice." so that means Fortinbras was named.

Why does hamlet speak to horatio in the manner he does?

Hamlet is under a lot of pressure to hide his emotions and put on an act for people. Ophelia pushes his buttons in such a way that he explodes and all of that emotion is set loose, causing him to speak to her in a vulgar manner. This scene was put in the play to show how well Hamlet can hide his true feelings, but also illustrate that it is a matter of time until he snaps.

What way did Hamlet kill polonius?

He stabs with a rapier through a tapestry. Hamlet, like many nobles, went around with a sword at all times. He hears Polonius, pretends to think he's a rat but really thinks he's the king, and stabs at the source of the noise, getting in a lucky blind hit and killing him almost instantaneously.

What does Hamlet want to do with the play The Murder of Gonzago?

Hamlet knew it showed the poisoning of a person in the same way the Ghost said his father was killed. Hamlet hopes Claudius will have a strong reaction to seeing that, which will prove Claudius's guilt.

How does Gertrude die in Hamlet?

Gertrude accidentally drinks from the poisoned cup, which Polonius had intended for Hamlet to drink from during his duel with Laertes.

(In some productions, Gertrude knows that the cup is poisoned and drinks it anyway, to atone for her involvement in her husband's murder, or to save her son's life, or both.)

What does Hamlet say to horatio about his parents marriage?

There is a play tonight before the king

One scene of it comes near the circumstance

Which I have told thee of my father's death.

I prithee, when thou seest that act afoot,

Even with the very comment of they soul

Observe my uncle. If his occulted guilt

Do not itself unkennel in one speech,

It is a damned ghost that we have seen,

And my imaginations are as foul

As Vulcan's stithy.

What similarities do the deaths of Macbeth and Hamlet have?

Hamlet and Macbeth are the same in the fact that they are both the tragic hero, and there greatest traits lead to there rise and fall. In the end of Macbeth the whole audience can tell the Macbeth has gone mad and will stop at nothing to remain king, showing that he has become a tyrant, althugh everyone is pulling for hamlet he still has turned into a murderous tyrant by the end of the play

What was Hamlet named after?

Etymology of HamletHamlet's name is filled with meaning and controversy. The name Hamlet occurs as early as the 10th century. His name is easily derived in form from Belleforest and the lost play from Amlethus of Saxo, and remaining in this form is then derived from its Latin form of the old Jutish Amlethoe. From this point the name can be divided into sections with common meanings. In terms of etymology the root name of Hamlet is an Icelandic noun, Amlooi, meaning 'fool.' However, this name is derived from the way that Hamlet acts in the play and is not in all actuality the true etymology of the name. The second way of translating the name is by analyzing the noun aml-ooi into 'raving mad' and the second half, amla into 'routine'. Later these names were incorporated into Irish dialect as Amlodhe. As phonetic laws took their course the name's spelling changed eventually leaving it as Amlaidhe. This Irish name was given to a hero in a common folk story. The root of this name is 'furious, raging, wild.' These are all meanings Shakespeare would have been aware of when deciding on the name for his longest play.[1]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Hamlet

How does hamlet behave toward ophelia when he first meet her in the lobby?

Hamlet was very high strung in that scene, his attitude quite rude and dismissive. The impression given was that Ophelia was not someone he wished to be around at that moment, or at all. He is very short with her to the point of being almost mean.

Which are true of the excerpt from the hamlet's to be or not to be soliloquy below?

Hamlet suggests that no one knows what happens after people die.

& hamlet suggests that people choose to endure suffering because they fear what would happen to them if they died. (apex)

He suggests that what keeps people from killing themselves is fear of what happens after death.

He compares the body to a "coil" that is "shuffl'd off" at death.


Hamlet suggests that people choose to endure suffering because they fear what would happen to them if they died.

Hamlet suggests that no one knows what happens after people die.

He suggests that what keeps people from killing themselves is fear of what happens after death.

He compares the body to a "coil" that is "shuffl'd off" at death.
apexx :) bt

Hamlet suggests that people choose to endure suffering because they fear what would happen to them if they died.

Hamlet suggests that no one knows what happens after people die.

~

  • He considers death to be a relief from the pain of living.
  • He is debating whether it's better to struggle through life or commit suicide

Both of the above answers are right, this is for the check all that apply answer. ~APEX

At the end of Hamlet does Horatio become king?

No, Fortinbras does as declared by Hamlet and Fortinbras. Fortinbras is on his way back from Poland and is expecting to see the king and say that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were executed, but instead he sees everyone dead and says it is his right to be king. Fortinbras then orders a funeral for Hamlet.

Is Hamlet selfish?

Oddly enough, yes! Despite his reputation for dithering, in stabbing the arras he commits the same sin that his role model Hercules often committed: impulsively killing someone. With a little more impulse control, Hamlet could likely have assassinated Claudius, used his reaction to the play as evidence, and ascended to the throne.