1) upon seeing the full title of the play (the tragical history of hamlet, prince of denmark) what can we infer about hamlet?
a. he is a real, historical figure.
b. his father has been murdered.
c. he will die at the end of the play.
d. he will be the king of denmark at the end of the play.
2) what was shakespeare's motivation for writing hamlet?
a. the plague had caused the closing of the theaters and he wanted to gain back lost money upon their reopening.
b. he thought that hamlet's story needed to be told so that his good name could be cleared in history.
c. queen elizabeth was aging with no heirs and england was questioning who would succeed to the throne, and succession is the main idea in hamlet.
d. shakespeare's twins had just been born. since he named the boy hamnet, he wanted to pen a play in his son's honor.
3) hamlet's hammartia or tragic flaw could include all of the following except
a. an inability to make up his mind
b. uncertainty from not knowing the truth
c. a melancholy love sickness which leads to temporary insanity
d. having his reason submerged by excessive and powerful passions
4) what is a soliloquy?
a. comparing things without using "like" or "as"
b. a series of related events that make up a story
c. the first half of a play
d. a speech was given by a character alone on the stage that reveals thoughts
5) character foils
a. characters who have opposite traits.
b. characters who are related through the family.
c. characters who kill one another.
d. characters who fall in love.
6) which of the following is the best example of a thematic statement for the play hamlet?
a. hamlet may have begun pretending to be mad, but the lines between sanity and madness began to blur as the play developed.
b. playing roles is confusing.
c. "brevity is the soul of wit"
d. unnatural deeds can be the source of all conflict.
7) who is a character foil for hamlet?
a. polonius
b. horatio
c. laertes
ophelia
8) how is claudius related to hamlet before marrying gertrude?
a. he is hamlet's legitimate father.
b. he is the brother of hamlet's father, and therefore hamlet's uncle.
c. he is a close family friend, and of no relation, though kindly called "uncle"
d. he is the brother of gertrude, and therefore hamlet's uncle.
9) in her encounters with her brother and her father, ophelia comes across as
a. rebellious, headstrong, and stubborn
b. flighty, insincere, and silly
c. courageous, brave, and noble
d. sweet, innocent, and submissive
10) the ghost asks hamlet to avenge his death by killing gertrude and claudius.
a. true
b. false
11) hamlet pretends to be insane in order
a. enlist ophelia's sympathy
b. prompt claudius to send him away
c. test his friends rosencrantz and guildenstern
d. conceal his attempts to get information regarding claudius's guilt
12) what reason does polonius give for hamlet's madness?
a. he loves ophelia.
b. he is upset about the marriage of claudius and gertrude.
c. he is distraught over his father's death.
d. he is a moody teenager.
13) who does claudius ask to keep an eye on hamlet?
a. ophelia
b. horatio
c. marcellus
d. rosencrantz and guildenstern
14) why is hamlet so upset with himself in the “o, what a rogue and peasant slave,” soliloquy in act ii, scene ii, lines 559-617?
a. he was never given the opportunity to achieve his dreams of becoming an actor.
b. he can’t put thoughts and words into action while a group of actors can.
c. the love between his father and mother is gone.
d. he is tormented by the question of whether or not to kill himself.
15) claudius killed king hamlet by pouring poison in his ear.
a. true
b. false
16) hamlet does not kill claudius while claudius is praying because
a. hamlet is afraid claudius has a weapon
b. hamlet changes his mind
c. hamlet does not want claudius to go to heaven
d. the ghost tells him not to do so
17) the characteristic of polonius that most directly led to his death is
a. his nosiness and meddling
b. his poor judgement
c. his insincerity or shallowness
d. his cruelty to ophelia
18) gertrude is surprised to see the ghost when he appears in her chambers.
a. true
b. false
19: laertes and hamlet are alike in that
a. both are quick to act
b. both have feigned madness
c. both seek revenge for their father's deaths
d. both have escaped captivity to return to denmark
20) who tells claudius and laertes about the circumstances surrounding ophelia's death?
a. horatio
b. queen gertrude
c. marcellus
d. a messenger
21) hamlet knew yorick personally.
a. true
b. false
22) how do claudius and laertes plan to kill hamlet?
a. laertes will stab him in a duel
b. claudius will give him a drink with poison
c. laertes will poison the tip of his sword and stab hamlet
d. all of the above