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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. When Laertes returns after his father's death, what does he want?
2. At the end of Act 4, Scene 5, what does Claudius offer to do for Laertes?
3. Who are the Norwegian soldiers attacking?
4. How does Gertrude die?
5. Hamlet's attitude towards Rosencrantz and Guildenstern changes over the course of the play. By Act 4, Scene 2, what does he say about them?
Short Essay Questions
1. How does Hamlet avoid going to England?
2. Whose burial does Hamlet witness in Act 5?
3. When Claudius hears about Polonius's death, what is his first thought?
4. In Act 4, Scene 5, Claudius is almost overthrown by a violent mob. Who does the mob want to be king in his place?
5. In the last scene of Act 3, Polonius is killed. At the end of the scene, what happens to his body?
6. At the end of the play, we learn of the death of two minor characters. Who are they, and how do we learn of their death?
7. After Polonius's death, what does Gertrude tell Claudius about Hamlet?
8. Who is the first person in Elsinore to find out that Hamlet is on his way back to Denmark instead of going to England? How does that person find out?
9. What plan do Laertes and Claudius come up with in Act 4, Scene 7 to kill Hamlet?
10. In Act 4, Scene 3, what does Claudius reveal to the audience about his plans for Hamlet in England?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Choose a speech by any character that is at least 20 lines long. In an essay, explain the context of the speech within the play, then analyze the speech. Identify its major themes or points and discuss the use of language in the speech. Is there specific imagery used? What effect does that imagery have? Why is there a speech at that point in the text? What purpose does it serve, and why is it long instead of just a couple of lines?
Essay Topic 2
Discuss the use of irony, dramatic and otherwise, throughout the play. How does Shakespeare use irony to make his scenes more effective?
Essay Topic 3
The question of suicide comes up repeatedly in the play. Hamlet mentions it on multiple occasions and Ophelia's death is potentially a suicide and questionable enough that her funeral rites are "maimed." Discuss the play's treatment of suicide, focusing on the following points:
-- How is suicide presented? Is it a good thing or a bad thing?
-- Are there universal truths about death and suicide, as Hamlet seems to suggest in the "To be or not to be" speech? Or does the play contradict that by adding in Ophelia's suicide?
-- Do you think Ophelia does commit suicide? Why or why not?
-- Do you think Hamlet is essentially committing suicide at the end of the play? Why or why not?
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This section contains 807 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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