Questions on Hamlet

Shakespeare’s Hamlet Discussion Questions

Please choose FIVE questions and answer them thoroughly and completely in paragraph format (at least FIVE sentences for every question). Each answer should be at least 100 words in length (for a total of over 500 words). My questions do NOT count in your word count.

1. Deception is a major theme of the play. What are some examples of characters deceiving others? Can you find any specific references to deception in the play? What is the purpose of the deception?
2. Suicide is another important issue that comes up in Hamlet, especially in two of Hamlet’s soliloquies: the “O, that this too too sallied flesh would melt” soliloquy (1.2.129–159) and the “To be,
   or not to be, that is the question” soliloquy (3.1.56–88). What is Hamlet’s view of suicide?
3. After talking with the Ghost, Hamlet says that he is going “to put an antic disposition on” (1.5.171). In other words, Hamlet says that he is going to act like he is insane. Why? Does Hamlet’s feigned insanity ever seem to be more than just an act? What do you think of Hamlet’s mental state in the play?
4. How do you interpret Gertrude’s character? Why does Gertrude marry Claudius so quickly after the death of her former husband?
5. What do you think of Ophelia and Hamlet’s relationship with her? Do you think Hamlet really loves, or loved, Ophelia?
6. Hamlet is sometimes regarded as the most intelligent character in all of literature. What is it about Hamlet that could make us regard him as being so intelligent? Try to find specific passages in the play that you think may reflect Hamlet’s intelligence.
7. Some readers view Hamlet as an idealist who has high expectations for people, but because of their behavior, Hamlet is often disappointed by the people around him. Can you find any passages where Hamlet suggests his high expectations? How do these expectations conflict with the reality?
8. In Act 1, Scene 4, Lines 13 to 38, Hamlet puts forth a theory about human behavior. Some individuals, Hamlet says, might be “as pure as grace” but may have “one defect” that corrupts their characters. It sounds like Hamlet is referring to a “tragic flaw.” Does this idea apply to Hamlet? If so, what is the tragic flaw in Hamlet’s character? Does the idea apply to other characters in the play?
9. Much has been said about the Ghost in Hamlet. Is the Ghost “real”? Why is Gertrude unable to see or hear the Ghost when it appears to Hamlet as he is confronting his mother about her behavior? How does Hamlet’s attitude toward the Ghost change?
10. Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras seek to avenge their fathers in the play, helping to make Laertes and Fortinbras foils for Hamlet. How do the ways that Laertes and Fortinbras approach revenge contrast with Hamlet’s approach?
11. For what reasons does Hamlet become alienated from other characters in the play, including Gertrude, Ophelia, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? How might this sense of alienation contribute to Hamlet’s view of himself and others?
12. Hamlet’s outlook on life seems to change in Act 5, after Hamlet returns to Denmark, and Hamlet explains his new outlook to Horatio in Act 5, Scene 2. What does Hamlet say to Horatio in this scene that indicates a change for Hamlet?