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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
Which term defines the famous speech by Hamlet in Shakespeare and play of the same name?
The word you are looking for is probably "soliloquy", although this word does not define all of the Famous Speeches Hamlet gives. It does define "O that this too too solid flesh would melt", "O what a rogue and peasant slave am I", "To be or not to be, that is the question", "Now is the very witching hour of night", and "How all occasions inform against me". But it does not describe what is probably Hamlet's second-most famous speech, "Alas! Poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio" which is of course part of a conversation with Horatio, or the very famous "What a piece of work is man" speech he gives to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Probably you are thinking of the word "soliloquy" which means a speech by a character which is not intended to be heard by any other characters on stage. A soliloquy might be thought of as an extended aside.
Which character helps hamlet observe claudius' reaction to the play?
Hamlet asks Horatio to observe Claudius.
What is the point of Hamlets long speech?
Hamlet is debating with himself throughout all of his soliloquies. Avenging his father is his purpose in life, but not killing Claudius when he could shows that he has a conscience. It shows that he is a tragic hero. These debates with himself humanize him and demonstrate that even though he eventually turns truly mad, there is still that great man inside him.
How does hamlet plan to use of the troupe of traveling players?
The players enable a number of things:
1. It makes the audience, who were fans of Kyd's Spanish Tragedy which also contained a play within a play, feel that they were on familiar ground.
2. It gives Hamlet an opportunity to comment of the state of theatre in England at the time.
3. It helps the plot along by giving Hamlet a device to test Claudius's guilt.
4. It enables Shakespeare to contrast the formal and stilted language of The Murder of Gonzago with the more natural language of Shakespeare's play.
5. It provides a device where the characters reveal a great deal about themselves while commenting on the play they are watching.
Why does hamlet visit ophelia in scene 1?
When you say, "the former Hamlet" you mean the late King Hamlet, right? She remembers him briefly in the play-within-a-play scene ("Nay, it is twice two months, my lord.") in which Hamlet uses her as a straight man to set up his cutting remarks to his mother, "What? Two months dead and not forgotten already?"
What does to be or not to be mean?
This is a quote from William Shakespeare's "Hamlet". The protagonist, Hamlet, speaks this line when he is contemplating committing suicide--basically, the question was "Do I want to live or die?". The rest of the monologue from which this quote is taken involves Hamlet deciding the possibility of life and punishment after death make suicide an unattractive option, despite the known hardships of remaining alive.
He is defining Hamlets Dilemma through Hamlets eyes. Basically the Pains of Living Vs. the unknowing of what death may hold for him. Hamlet is not very content with his situation at this point in "The Tragedy of Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark". He is wondering if it is worth it face the "Slings and arrows" or better to die even though he is unsure of what death brings, and the possibility of damnation.
It means "Shall I kill myself or not?"
Another AnswerThe above is the conventional wisdom, however, there is really no time in the play when Hamlet appears to be anywhere close to killing himself. And if he truly took the idea seriously, of killing himself, he simply could, at any time.In the course of the actual play events, when Hamlet enters the room, he is expecting Claudius to be there soon, so his line is more sensibly interpreted as Hamlet contemplating killing Claudius.
When Hamlet enters the room and looks around, he doesn't see Claudius, so he naturally takes it that Claudius isn't there yet, for their scheduled meeting. We are supposed to understand the characters as being like natural people.
If you were summoned to a meeting with somebody, but didn't see the other person when you entered the room and looked around, you would think the other person just wasn't there yet, of course. Anybody would think that. The audience knows Claudius is there, but there's no reason to imagine Hamlet knows that.
So, the sensible conclusion, based on the behavior of real people, is that as Hamlet says his "To be or not to be" speech he is waiting for Claudius to arrive, not knowing Claudius is already there, hiding. The thought behind the speech is whether Hamlet can bring himself to kill Claudius, when Claudius arrives.
So, "To be or not to be" means, is Hamlet's revenge to be carried out, when Claudius arrives? Hamlet is thinking about whether he'll be able to kill Claudius in just a few minutes. The speech is thematic on the point of Hamlet's Revenge, which is the driving force of the entire play.
As to "Hamlet's Dilemma," his dilemma is not on the point of his own life or death, but rather on the point of Claudius's life, or death at Hamlet's hands.
"To be or not to be" means, "Will I be able to carry out my revenge now, or not?"
Another AnswerHamlet is not faced with suicide - in fact there's only one suicide reference in the play (Act 1, Scene 2). This is about a general theme within the play - the power of the mind over the passions. Can Hamlet out think the sea of death that is before him, or should he, as he says in Act IV, Scene 5, should he simply let his "...thoughts be bloody". He does not say, "let my actions be bloody." Claudius, the man of business (the mind) is clearly outwitted by Hamlet time and again. That's because Hamlet is the best of both mind and body - careful thought with swift execution. By the time this part of the play comes, the thought of suicide does not exist for Hamlet. He's bent on revenge. "To be..." should be read "to be conscious"; or aware enough to succeed. Another AnswerThe quotation is about suicide but Hamlet is not seriously considering it. He knows or guesses that Claudius is listening in so he talks about suicide to give the impression that he is depressed. Nobody who had seen his father's ghost could seriously talk about death as "the undiscovered country from which no traveler returns.Who is the ghost in the play Hamlet?
MacBeth ends up seeing the ghost of his friend Banquo during his dinner party he throws in (and double check this) Act 4 i believe. Also, before MacBeth kills Duncan in Act 2 he sees a floating dagger as a hallucination. The ghost though, is Banquo.
What about Hamlet relates to your life?
Many people can relate their own life to Hamlet. He is often times depressed and very impulsive in his actions. Like many people, he also disapproves much of what his own mother does. Although he is educated, he is often edgy and very compulsive. These characteristics are very realistic of someone in more contemporary times.
Who says thy mother poisoned in hamlet?
She does. She says:
No, no, the drink, the drink,--O my dear Hamlet,--The drink, the drink! I am poison'd.
What does Hamlet vow at the conclusion of his How all occasions do inform against me soliloquy?
Hamlet vows to recommit all of his thoughts and energies to revenge.
What does polonius tell claduis and Gertrude?
Polonius tells Claudius and Gertrude that Ophelia and Hamlet have had a relationship which Polonius had Ophelia break off, and that this might be the cause of Hamlet's wild behaviour.
Why is prince Hamlet angry with his mother in William Shakespeare?
He is angry with her because she has married his uncle Claudius. He says that he feels that she did not wait a decent length of time after her father's death to remarry ("The funeral baked meats did coldly furnish forth the marriage table") but to tell the truth he would have been unhappy no matter how long she waited, as we find out in Act 4.
What does Hamlet realize after talking with the ghost?
HAMLET learns about the ghost from horatio and marcellus
Hamlet is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601. The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father, the King, and then taken the throne and married Hamlet's mother. The play vividly charts the course of real and feigned madness-from overwhelming grief to seething rage-and explores themes of treachery, revenge, incest, and moral corruption.
How did King Claudius Hamlet's uncle die?
Hamlet stabs him after Queen Gertrude dies from drinking the poision that was meant for Hamlet.
Why doesRosencrantz and Guildenstern agree to carry out the king's plans?
They have a great deal of respect for the king, who is the king after all. That seems to count for a lot with them. Very few people seem to share Hamlet's dislike for his stepfather, R & G included.
What does Gertrude's think of Hamlet behavior?
The only thing that Gertrude says is, "The lady protests too much, methinks," after Hamlet asks her, "Madam, how like you this play?" The "lady" that she is talking about is the Queen of King Gonzago in The Murder of Gonzago. Gonzago tells his Queen that he will die soon, and says that he hopes the Queen will find a second husband who loves her as much as he does. In response to that, the Queen (who Gertrude calls "the lady") goes on and on about how horrible it is for a widow to take a second husband. Gertrude's comment, "The lady protests too much, methinks," means that the Queen of Gonzago is being melodramatic and unrealistic.
In the first scene of hamlet what time of day is it?
I know for a fact that Hamlet was written in the 17th century and it takes place in the 800's. -hamletguru09 I know for a fact that Hamlet was written in the 17th century and it takes place in the 800's. -hamletguru09
What is the heros journey in Hamlet?
Hamlet was the "hero," and certainly in the tragic sense, but he is also perhaps an anti-hero. Although Hamlet is probably the closest thing that the play has to a hero, it is more accurate to say that the play is not so one-dimensional as to be a conventional "hero" story. After all, it is a tragedy.
Young Fortinbras had gathered a troop of lawless desperadoes to try and take back the land that his father lost..
can be found in Act 1 Scene 1 lines 99-111
What strategy does Hamlet use to reveal truth and set things right?
Hamlet's plan is to kill his uncle whose name is Claudius. He wants to kill him because he saw his fathers ghost who told him that his brother poisoned him therefore Hamlet's father wants Hamlet to avenge him by killing his brother Claudius.
At what point does Hamlet discover that his meeting with Ophelia is being spied on?
Ophelia asks intriguing questions so hamlet then realises that she is asking them because someone is around and listening Ophelia hands back the love letters and he refuses to take them. he then tells her top go to a nunnery and that he doesn't love her anymore. he then asks where her father is and she replies with, "at home, my lord". he doesn't believe her and takes her in a headlock and searches around the foyer for the spies
I think in a duel with Ophelia's brother. But Ophelia's brother died too, because of a poisoned sword. Maybe i should start from the beginning.
Ophelia's brother chalenged Hamlet. Hamlet's uncle saw this as an oppurtunity to get rid of Hamlet. So he got Ophelia's brother to put poison on his sword. And just un case that didn't kill him, Hamlet's father also put poison in Hamlet's drink.
But then Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, tried to drink the poison in a toast to her son. Hamlet's uncle tries to stop her, but it's too late.
Meanwhile, the swords are switched in battle. Ophelia's brother dies, but forgives Hamlet in his last moments. When Hamlet's mother dies, Hamlet's uncle is revealed to be the murderer. Hamlet challenges him to a duel. They both die.
What does Hamlet want to find out in Act 5?
By Act 5, Hamlet knows just about everything he needs to know. He reports to Horatio that he discovered the secret orders given to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern which proved that the King was trying to kill Hamlet. He does not yet know about Laertes' complicity in this, but doesn't try to find out either. When he finds out that Ophelia is dead, he does not inquire after the details of her death. He has made a decision to go with the flow ("There's a special providence in the fall of a sparrow.")
