Hamlet Discussion Questions
Act I
You can use these to start the discussion, or you can ask your own questions
or comment on other features of the play.
- What is "rotten in the state of Denmark," as Marcellus tells
us?� What do we learn about the situation in Scene I? In
Scene II?
- In what ways is Scene II a contrast to Scene I?� What
do we learn about Gertrude, Claudius, and Hamlet in this scene?
- What is the function of the Polonius-Ophelia-Laertes family in this play?
What parallels exist between their situation and that of the ruling family?
- What does Hamlet learn from the Ghost's speech?�
Act II
- Why does this act open with Polonius and Reynaldo?� What does this tell
us 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?
- The First Player's speech is often cut in performances
of the play.� Explain why it is important and why it should
not be cut.
- Hamlet's "O what a rogue and peasant slave am I" is the first
of his soliloquies. What is he saying, and how does this set of words help
to move him to action?
- What does he decide to do at the end of this speech?
Act III
- What is the subject of Hamlet's second soliloquy, the famous "To
be or not to be" speech?
- Why is he so cruel to Ophelia immediately thereafter?
- What happens in the "play-within-a-play"?� How do the speeches
and actions reflect on events in the kingdom of Denmark?� How does the
king respond?
- In what way is Hamlet's second major interaction with Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern (III.ii.375-415) different from his first encounter with them?
- Why does Hamlet decline to take action against Claudius in III.iii?
- What happens in III.iv (the closet scene)?� Why
is this death so important for the play, or what does the death of this figure represent?
- Based on what you've seen in III.iv,
do you think Gertrude knew about the murder?
Act IV
- Is Hamlet really mad in this play, or is merely
pretending to be mad? (Find lines that support your answer.)
- A foil is a character who is like the protagonist in some respects but
who has contrasting qualities that "reflect" or illuminate the
traits of the main character.� Who are Hamlet's foils, and in what ways
do their characters shed light on his?
- Do Hamlet and Fortinbras meet in IV.iv? Why
is this significant?
- Why is Ophelia mad?� Does anything she say make sense?� What happens to her at the end of Act
IV? What does her madness and death symbolize about the kingdom?
- Look at the scene with Laertes and Claudius (IV.vii).� What
plans do they have for Hamlet?� How does this scene establish Laertes as
a foil for Hamlet?
- Why is Hamlet less present in this act than in the previous three?
Act V
- Why does this scene begin with two clowns trading jokes?� Do their jokes
make any sense in the context of the play?�
- Where do Hamlet and Laertes fight in V.ii?
- Who is Osric, and why is he included in the
play?
- Does Hamlet realize that he might not come out of this fight alive? See
V.ii.225-238.
- What is the outcome of the fight scene at the end?
- When Gertrude drinks from the cup, Claudius asks her not to drink and
she refuses.� Has she ever disobeyed Claudius before?
- Who is alive at the end of the play, and how do the others meet their
ends?
- Why is Fortinbras's presence important?
D. Campbell