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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. As they wait for the ghost, Hamlet describes the King's nightly tradition. What does Hamlet think about this tradition?

2. As Hamlet and the others wait to see the ghost in Act 1, Scene 4, what do they hear in the distance?

3. When he is giving Laertes advice, what does Polonius say about friends?

4. In Act 1, Scene 2, what two events does Claudius describe?

5. The tone of the conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia in Act 3, Scene 1 changes abruptly when Ophelia does what?

Short Essay Questions

1. Polonius sends Reynaldo to Laertes with very specific instructions. What does Polonius tell Reynaldo to do, and how does Polonius tell him to do it?

2. Early in the play, Laertes gives Ophelia advice about her love life. What does she say in response?

3. In Act 3, Claudius becomes convinced that Hamlet is insane. What does he decide to do with Hamlet?

4. After Laertes leaves in Act 1, Scene 3, Polonius and Ophelia have a private talk. What specific instruction or order does Polonius give Ophelia?

5. Does the Ghost at the beginning of the play talk to the watchers?

6. When Hamlet rants about love and marriage to Ophelia, he is talking about more than just his own relationship with her. What else is Hamlet talking about?

7. Who does the Ghost in Act 1, Scene 1 look like?

8. In Act 2, Scene 1, how does Ophelia describe Hamlet's behavior?

9. At the end of Act 1, Scene 1, what does Horatio say he will do next?

10. At the end of Act 1, Scene 5, what does Hamlet tell his friends about his future behavior?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the use of irony, dramatic and otherwise, throughout the play. How does Shakespeare use irony to make his scenes more effective?

Essay Topic 2

At the start of the play, Hamlet is mourning his father's death and his mother's hasty re-marriage. It is hard to remember, sometimes, that Hamlet has actually lost something else quite valuable: the throne. Hamlet never consistently expresses unhappiness at losing the throne, though he is reassured he can have it after Claudius's death. How would the play be different if Hamlet wanted to kill Claudius to gain control of the kingdom?

Essay Topic 3

There are so many characters in a Shakespeare play that it is sometimes easy to lose track of them. Find a scene in which an important character is mostly silent -- for example, the scene where Polonius and Claudius spy on Hamlet and Ophelia. Why is that character still in the scene? How is the audience's sense of the scene changed by knowing that character is present? How does the character make its silent presence felt?

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