Question

Hamlet has his moment and kills Polonius, believing it to be Claudius. This is his act of revenge, for all purposes, and now he must tell his mother that he has killed his uncle. In response to his mother, he states: “I must be cruel only to be kind: Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind." (Act III, scene iv) He wanted revenge, so he put good behind him, acting “cruel to be kind” to his father’s memory. The second half of the line implies that there’s worse to come: “worse remains behind”.
What does this act and line from the play show the audience in regard to Hamlet’s character development?

Question 3 options:

Hamlet finally made a decision and acted on it, which he had not been able to do up to this point.


Hamlet was afraid of Polonius, so he killed him while hiding behind a curtain so he would not retaliate against him.


Polonius was the main driving force behind Hamlet’s anger, so killing Polonius was a turning point in Hamlet’s character.


Hamlet killing Polonius was accidental, and killing him was kindness due to the type of wound he endured.

Question 4 (1 point)
What literary device is used in Ophelia’s song from the play:

“He never will come again / His beard was as white as snow,/All flaxen was his poll/ He is gone, he is gone”

Question 4 options:

Personification


Simile


Allusion


Metaphor

Question 5 (1 point)
Hamlet tells Horatio and Marcellus in Act I, scene v, that he is going to “put an antic disposition on”. What does this line tell the audience of Hamlet’s planned personality changes:

Question 5 options:

He plans to join an acting troupe composed of talented players.


He will pretend to love Claudius and forgive his mother even though he hates them both.


He plans to tell Bernardo about how burdened he feels now that he has been prompted to revenge.


He plans to pretend that he has gone mad.

Question 6 (1 point)
When Hamlet is speaking to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Act II, scene ii, he says, “I am but mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw.” What message is he attempting to convey to his old 'friends' and the audience?

Question 6 options:

He wants to go hunting with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern so that he can practice killing animals before he has to kill Claudius.


He is angered by the fact that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been sent by the King and Queen as spies.


Hamlet is saying that his madness changes like the weather, and that he is only mad some of the time.


The high winds in Denmark suggest the fact that chaos still reigns after the murder of the former King.

Question 7 (1 point)
Hamlet’s character is best understood through _____ because ______.

Question 7 options:

Gertrude’s eyes; his mother’s perception of him has the largest influence of the play.


His soliloquies; his inner thoughts and feelings only come out in this way.


His mad scenes; his insanity is a situation that causes his ultimate downfall.


His discussions with Ophelia; she is the driving force behind his actions.

Question 8 (1 point)
In Act III, scene iii, Claudius confesses his crime in a soliloquy, and Hamlet has an opportunity to sneak up behind him while he is praying and kill him, but once again Hamlet does not act, saying:

“Now might I do it pat, now he is praying, And now I'll do 't.
[He draws his sword.]

And so he goes to heaven, And so am I revenged. That would be scanned: A villain kills my father, and for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send To heaven.”

Why does Hamlet hesitate?

Question 8 options:

Hamlet is afraid to see Claudius' blood spilled on the floor of the church/chapel.


Hamlet is still not entirely sure if Claudius actually killed his father.


Hamlet does not want to murder Claudius while he is praying because he does not want him to die while he is confessing his sins, which may result in him going to Heaven.


Hamlet has lent his dagger to one of the actors for the performance of The Murder of Gonzago, and therefore he has nothing to kill him with.

Question 9 (1 point)
In Act III, scene iv, moderate insight is given into Queen Gertrude's character when she says:

“O Hamlet, speak no more:/Thou turn'st mine eyes into my very soul,/And there I see such black and grained spots/As will not leave their tinct.”

What is Gertrude revealing about herself here?

Question 9 options:

She feels guilty for her sins and yet she cannot face the reality of what she has done.


She feels like her marriage to Claudius has had a negative effect on her complexion.


She cannot bear Hamlet's feigned madness any longer.


She is angry with Hamlet for trying to get her to admit to a crime that she had no part in.

Question 10 (1 point)
All of the following thematic ideas appear in the play Hamlet except...

Question 10 options:

Appearance versus reality


Sanity versus insanity


Triumph of love over hatred


Revenge and redemption

Answer 1

Did you get the answers?

Answer 2

Question 3: What does this act and line from the play show the audience in regard to Hamlet’s character development?

Hamlet finally made a decision and acted on it, which he had not been able to do up to this point.

Polonius' assassination shows how Hamlet's character has developed and Polonius' cause of death.

Question 4: What literary device is used in Ophelia’s song from the play?

Simile.

A simile compares two things usually using "as" or "like." In this case, the simile is "his beard was as white as snow." The beard is being compared to the snow.

Question 5: What does this line tell the audience of Hamlet’s planned personality changes?

He plans to pretend that he has gone mad.

Hamlet plans to pretend that he has gone mad in order to confuse the king and his attendants.

Question 6: What message is he attempting to convey to his old 'friends' and the audience?

Hamlet is saying that his madness changes like the weather, and that he is only mad some of the time.

This basically means that he is trying to tell them that he is not actually mad and that he is just pretending.

Question 7: Hamlet’s character is best understood through ______ because _________.

Hamlet's character is best understood through his soliloquies because his inner thoughts and feelings come out in this way.

Hamlet has to pretend being mad to hide his intentions and carry out his mission of killing Claudius. Only his inner thoughts and feelings allow us to see his real character.

Question 8: Why does Hamlet hesitate?

Hamlet does not want to murder Claudius while he is praying because he does not want him to die while he is confessing his sins, which may result in him going to Heaven.

Since his father is a ghost, he doesn't think this is an even exchange.

Question 9: What is Gertrude revealing about herself here?

She feels guilty for her sins and yet she cannot face the reality of what she has done.

Gertrude doesn't want to face her sins, which is why she tells Hamlet, "speak no more."

Question 10: All of the following thematic ideas appear in the play Hamlet except...

Triumph of love over hatred

All of the other thematic ideas are present in the play.