Ules ce 365
Plot Comprehension Questions - Answer the following questions in complete sentences. Include textual evidence.
1. What does Polonius change his mind about in Act 2's opening scene? Why does this change occur?
2. What are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's relationship with Hamlet?
3. What does Polonius cite as the reason for Hamlet's "madness," and what do he and Claudius conspire to do because
of it?
4. What is Polonius wondering (in general) in his aside in Scene 2 ("How say you by that? Still harping on my
daughter...")?
5. Why does Hamlet want to "players" (actors) to perform "The Murder of Gonzago"?
6. In Act 2, what is an example of Hamlet put on a certain "persona" to mask his true feelings?
Plot Analysis Questions - Answer the following questions in complete sentences. Include textual evidence.
1. What is Gertrude referencing when she says regarding Hamlet's behavior, "I doubt it is no other than the main" (S.
2)?
2. Based on Polonius' seemingly ever-changing opinions, do you think he is manipulative (or only thoughtless)?
3. What do you think Gertrude means by her statement, "more matter, with less art" and why is this a clever response
to Polonius' famous saying, "Brevity is the soul of wit" (Scene 2)?
4. Hamlet's statement to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern-"there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so"
(Scene 2) is a very famous line that many people have related to the philosophy of moral relativism. How would this
line display that philosophy, and how does Hamlet's struggle with philosophical questions of morality relate to what
is going on at this point in the play?