0
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
Is Ophelia younger than Laertes?
The text does not say for certain. Certainly Ophelia is treated like a child whereas Laertes is treated like someone more mature, but this may not be a true indication of their respective ages. Polonius and Laertes (and Hamlet for that matter) treat Ophelia as if she has no mind of her own, no capability of acting on her own. And indeed this appears to be the case, but it may be because she has always been treated like that, not because she is young.
What did common people think killed Old Hamlet?
The play did not indicate what people thought about Old Hamlet's death, the cause, I mean.
In the play she is only referred to as Ophelia. One might look at the naming customs in Scandinavia, but the characters in the play do not as a rule have Scandinavian names, except Hamlet himself and his mother (based on the names Amleth and Geruth in the original by Saxo). Claudius, Laertes, Polonius--these are classical names, not Germanic. Shakespeare changed the names from his sources to suit himself, and probably did not give any thought as to whether the characters would conform to English or any other naming convention.
Tragic force is the event/force which starts the falling action in a tragedy. Not to be confused with tragic/fatal flaw.
Where is ophelia's mother in the play Hamlet?
Good question. She's like a Disney heroine, isn't she? Like Ariel in the Little Mermaid, Belle in Beauty and the Beast, or Jasmine in Aladdin--no mother, and no explanation of where she went.
How did Ophelia feel about Polonius's death in Hamlet?
She was blown away by it. Polonius was her father, and she had relied on him almost totally to tell her what to do.
What fuels Hamlet's resentment toward Claudius in scene II?
Hamlet: Farewell, dear mother.
Claudius: Thy loving father, Hamlet
Hamlet: My mother--father and mother is man and wife, man and wife is one flesh, and so, my mother.
In some productions, he kisses Claudius on the lips at this point, just like freaking Bugs Bunny. Now that's contempt.
Why must the king not put the strong arm on Hamlet?
The king had decided not to put strong arm Hamlet because he knew how Hamlet was loved by the people of Denmark and would not want to do anything to warrant their annoyance
Does ophelia want to get revenged from Hamlet for killing her father?
No, not at all. Hamlet's part in her father's death came as a great sorrow to her. She was sad and confused but not angry.
Her brother Laertes got her share of the family vengeful spirit.
How does hamlet's speech pattern change when the others enter the room to view the play?
As the written play commands, Hamlet's speech pattern changes when other people enter the room. His words become much clearer, and he is more boisterous.
What does the king tell Hamlet after he sends cornelius and voltimand to Norway?
Claudius deals with Laertes first, before turning to Hamlet. He asks why he is still depressed. Hamlet, after a discussion with the Queen, makes a speech about how genuine his grief is. Claudius then tells him that he is mourning too much and should stop, that he is the heir to the throne, and that he won't be leaving Denmark to go back to university.
Fortinbras of Norway takes the throne after Claudius and Hamlet die
How much is a 1896 published Shakepeares Tragedy of Hamlet book worth today?
Depends. If it's in excellent condition, you could get a nice fee (probably a couple hundred). A fair copy sells for between 10-30. I have a 2 copies from the 1890's. If it was published the US, it would fetch more. That was right around when American publisher's started printing their own versions of the plays. Also, does it have notes in the back or a glossary. Those are more rare in earlier versions and thus, make it more unique. I'm just an amateur, but I hope this helps.
How had Hamlet discovered claudius orders to have Hamlet beheaded?
While on board a ship for England, Hamlet took a sneak peek at the sealed orders given to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Which is the best production of the play hamlet?
Nobody will ever agree on the answer to this question. There have been many many stage and screen productions of this play--some people like some of them more than others. Your best option is to get hold of a half-dozen film versions (the one starring David Tennant, the one starring Kenneth Branagh, the one starring Lawrence Olivier, the one starring Campbell Scott, the one starring Mel Gibson and the one starring Ethan Hawke would be a good selection), watch them and make up your own mind.
Both are attempting to draw out someone's secrets under the guise of friendship.
What did Shakespeare base Hamlet off of?
Belleforest's Histoires Tragiques (1570) contains an account of the Hamlet legend. This in turn is drawn from Saxo Grammaticus's Gesta Danorum from the early 13th century. Shakespeare, however, may not have based his story on Belleforest, but on an earlier play of Hamlet which has since been lost (which scholars call the Ur-Hamlet). Some people say that the German play Der Bestrafte Brudermord dated 1710 is a translation of the Ur-Hamlet.
Belleforest inaccurately documented his source, calling Saxo Gramatticus's book Histoire des Danois or Historica Danica. Some people have used a patchwork of these inaccurate names to identify Saxo's work.
The language that Hamlet uses when talking to Polonius is filled with?
Double meanings
Resource: Just took a Brit Lit quiz and got this one right
The premise or main idea of Hamlet is?
At the very beginning of the play Hamlet (the prince of Denmark) is informed by his father's ghost that Hamlet's uncle and step-father (Claudius and current king of Denmark) murdered him (the old king) and married his (Hamlet's) mother, a combination of crimes that he (Hamlet) is horrified to realize. The rest of the play is concerned with Hamlet determining how best to achieve his revenge. He first seeks to confirm Claudius' guilt, after all ghosts aren't considered reliable sources. Having done this via a play-within-a-play-sort-of-trap Hamlet thought to kill Claudius while he was confessing at the altar but at the last moment decided that this was too good of a death for such crimes and thought up a protracted pretense of madness that tore the family apart and left a few innocent people dead. During this time Claudius gets his act together and think up a clever way to do-away-with Hamlet. It gets real complicated at the end and everybody ends up dead.
