Unlock the depth of Shakespeare’s Hamlet with insightful notes that cover key themes, character breakdowns, and major quotes. Perfect for students who want a clear and concise guide to help with essays, exams, and class discussions. Simplify your study of this classic tragedy with notes designed ...
,1. Hamlet is known for his hesitation before avenging his father. This is directly contrasted with Laertes’
impatience to take revenge. Compare the hesitation of Hamlet with the impatience of Laertes, and then
explain which approach you think is best. (OES)
2. Throughout Hamlet, Hamlet himself is obsessed with thoughts of death, an important theme in the play.
Discuss how he feels about death. Then consider the deaths of two characters, and discuss whether or
not these deaths, support his ideas. (OES)
3. Many characters do not appear to be what they are in Hamlet. Discuss Hamlet’s obsession with the
theme of appearance and reality throughout the play. Comment on Hamlet and on at least three other
characters. (OES)
4. Comment on Hamlet’s relationship with Laertes, Ophelia, Horatio and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern,
showing what each relationship reveals about Hamlet. (OES)
5. Each of the parents in Hamlet takes a different approach to being a parent. Compare and contrast
Gertrude, Old Hamlet and Polonius as parents. (OES)
6. “In the first Act Marcellus says, ‘Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.’ This rot is evident at political
as well as personal level.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? In your answer, comment
on the political questions of who rules Denmark, and the relationships between Denmark and other
countries, and on the personal questions of the relationships between Claudius and Gertrude, and
Hamlet and Ophelia. (OES)
7. Show how the theme of evil and corruption is developed by Shakespeare’s use of imagery throughout
the play. (BB)
8. Would you agree that Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern get their just desserts in the play, or do
you feel sorry for them? Justify your answer by tracing their various roles in the play, and commenting
upon them. (BB)
9. Throughout the play, Hamlet claims to be feigning madness, but his portrayal of a madman is so
intense and so convincing that many readers believe that Hamlet actually slips into insanity at
certain moments in the play
Critically discuss the extent to which you agree with this statement. (EHL)
10. Hamlet says: “The time is out of joint. O cursed spite, That ever I was born to set it right”.
Explain in what way the “time is out of joint” in Denmark, and why, in your opinion, Hamlet delayed in
setting things right. (EHL)
11. By the end of the First Act in Hamlet, Shakespeare has already given the audience an idea of the natures
and value systems of the main characters in his play.
Using at least three characters (other than Prince Hamlet) as examples, discuss how he has done this.
12. Hamlet: I am but mad north-north-west; when the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.
[Act II Scene 2]
Throughout Act I and II, Hamlet acts mad at certain intervals and yet calm and collected at others.
Analyse whether Hamlet really is descending into madness or whether he merely acts insane in order to suit
his needs. (EHL)
13. In Act 1 Scene IV Marcellus remarks towards Horatio, ‘Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.’
Critically discuss the theme of decay and corruption as it is introduced in Act One of Hamlet.
14. The problem of making moral choices is a significant issue in the play. Critically assess the validity of
this statement. (PP)
15. ‘A tragic hero is a character who comes to misfortune through a fatal character flaw.’
Discuss to what extent the quotation is true about Hamlet. (PP)
16. At Elsinore, things are not what they seem. Discuss the theme of appearance and reality in Hamlet,
paying particular attention to those characters who pretend to be who they are not.
, Hamlet is known for his hesitation before avenging his father. This is directly contrasted with
Laertes’ impatience to take revenge. Compare the hesitation of Hamlet with the impatience
of Laertes, and then explain which approach you think is best.
PLANNING
INTRODUCTION: In the drama Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, Hamlet is known for his
hesitation before avenging his father. This essay will compare the hesitation of Hamlet with the
impatience of Laertes and explain which approach is best.
Hamlet Laertes
• Angry about father’s murder, but wishes he • Rushes home from France to avenge his
was not responsible for revenge (“The time father.
is out of joint, O cursed spite/That ever I was • He is a man of action, does not stop to
born to set it right”) consider the consequences.
• He is a thinker, considers moral questions.
• Plots to find out whether Ghosts’ accusations • Marches on Claudius with his supporters.
are true, using ‘madness’ and the play. • Does not even know who murderer is.
• Wants all the information before acting – • When Claudius says that it was Hamlet who
RIGHT to hesitation before killing someone. killed Polonius, he accepts this blindly and
immediately plots against Hamlet.
• Rushes into action without caring about
whether or not it is right.
• Hesitates to kill Claudius at prayer because • Says he will spill Hamlet’s blood even if he
God may have forgiven him his sins. has to kill him in a church.
• Very aware of larger spiritual implications of • No sensitivity to larger issues.
his actions and those of the king.
• Constant thinking about death and • Does not want to wait for anything.
questioning the truth about man and the soul • Will only listen to Claudius if Claudius does
keeps him from acting. not tell him to wait.
CONCLUSION: Laertes’ passion and anger are attractive and make him seem brave because
vengeance calls for swift action. He is easily manipulated because of his impatience, and in the
end he regrets killing Hamlet. By contrast, Hamlet’s hesitation shows depth of understanding and
sensitivity that is not matched by any other character in the play. He is not a coward, but hesitates
because he understands that what he is thinking about doing is immense. Finally, he does kill
Claudius, but his hesitation leads to the deaths of Polonius, Ophelia, Laertes and Gertrude, as
well as to his own death.
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