Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

 This activity is to help you become involved actively with reading the play by helping you to determine a definite purpose for reading.  Before you read these scenes in Act I, take a few minutes to respond in writing to the questions below.  Don't worry about correct answers here. Use your own experience, what you know, or what you may have heard about the play to speculate about what you think might happen.  Sometimes, as for scenes i, ii, and iii below, you may be asked to speculate about issues that parallel the action of the play.  After reading a scene, you may find that the characters reacted differently than you thought. Don't worry about these differences; just make note of them because you will have opportunities to share these differences in other activities.

Journal-Act I 1. Based upon what you have seen or heard, what do you expect Hamlet to be about? 2. What do you think of a person who would assassinate his brother, seize the throne, and then marry his widowed former sister-in- law? 3. As heir to the throne, how do you think this series of events would affect your relationships with both your mother and uncle?

4. What advice would you expect an older brother to give his teenage sister about boys and dating before the brother went off to college? 5. What advice would you expect a father to give his son before sending him off to college? 6. If the ghost is indeed the spirit of Hamlet's father, what do you think it will tell Hamlet? After Reading Act I: Now that you have finished reading Act I, which of your speculations were most accurate? How do you account for them? Which ones were least like the action of the play? Why do you think you speculated as you did?

Journal-Act II (bless you!) 1. Now that Hamlet has decided to pretend to be mad, so he can develop a plan to avenge his father's murder, what do you think he might do to convince Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, and Polonius that he's mad? 2. Based upon what you know about Claudius, what do you think he might do to discover the source of Hamlet's strange behavior? After Reading Act II (bless you!) Now that you have finished reading Act II (bless you!), which of your speculations were most accurate? How do you account for them? Which ones were least like the action of the play? Why do you think you speculated as you did?

Act III  Although Rosencrantz and Guildenstern fail to learn the source of Hamlet's strange behavior, what do you expect them to report to Claudius?  How do you think Hamlet has instructed the players to alter "The Murder of Gonzago" so it will trick Claudius into revealing himself as the murderer of King Hamlet?  Immediately after Claudius dismisses the play, what do you suppose he will do to Hamlet for humiliating him publicly and threatening his position as king?

 Claudius tells Gertrude that he will no longer tolerate Hamlet’s strange behavior. When Gertrude summons Hamlet to her chambers, what does she tell him and how does he respond? Which of your speculations were most accurate? How do you account for them? Which ones were least like the action of the play? Why do you think that you speculated as you did?

Act IV 1. How do you suppose Claudius will respond to learning that Hamlet has killed Polonius? 2. What would Hamlet have to gain by continuing to pretend to be mad when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern come to request the body of Polonius. 3. How might Hamlet’s response to the request for Polonius’ body differ if it came from Claudius? 4. Compare Fortinbras’ role as prince and heir to the throne of Norway of Hamlet’s.

5. Based upon what you’ve seen of Ophelia, how do you suppose she might react to the news of her father’s death after being separated from her brother and losing Hamlet’s love? 6. Claudius has sent Hamlet to England with a letter ordering the English to kill him. Laertes wants revenge upon Hamlet for killing his father. How might Claudius use Laertes to secure the throne? Which of your speculations were most accurate? How do you account for them? Which ones were least like the action of the play? Why do you think that you speculated as you did?

Act V  If you were Laertes, what might you write in a personal journal upon learning of Ophelia’s suicide?  If you were Hamlet, what might you write in a personal journal upon learning of Ophelia’s suicide?  In what ways do you expect the final outcome of the play to be different from Claudius and Laertes’ plan to have Laertes kill Hamlet with a poisoned sword during the duel? Which of your speculations were most accurate? How do you account for them? Which ones were least like the action of the play? Why do you think that you speculated as you did?