Honesty? 4. In addition to dramatic irony, Shakespeare also uses verbal irony, in which a character says one thing
and means another. Reread lines 125-132 in Scene 2. Identify examples of verbal irony in Hamlet's lines
to Ophelia. Explain their true meanings.

5. Hamlet command "Get thee to a nunnery" (Scene 1, line 122) can be interpreted in two ways. Either
he wants Ophelia to retreat to a convent, safe from the corruption of the world, or he believes she is so
tainted that she must work as a prostitute. Choose the interpretation that is best supported by his
behavior toward her in this scene, and explain your choice. What has caused him to feel this way?
6. How does the actors' play in Scene 2 portray the marriage between Hamlet's mother and father?
What could potentially be Hamlet's purpose for choosing this scene?
7. How does Hamlet's refusal to kill Claudius in Scene 3 while he is praying relate back to what the Ghost
said about the circumstances of his own death in Act I, Scene 5 (pg. 257, lines 75-80)?
8. In Scene 4, Hamlet uses a mirror to force his mother to look at the truth of her actions. The mirror is a
symbol, standing for a theme greater than itself. What might the mirror represent?
9. In tragedies, the tragic hero is committed to paths of action that will lead to tragedy, often for others
the murder of Polonius a turning point for Hamlet as a character?