1. Act 2
AIM: How do the following ideas (deception, personal interactions, parental relationships [parents and their children], the relationship b/w parents and their children’s friends, and love) function in one’s life and affect one’s choices?
Act I      
Scene 1 - 0:01:35      
Scene 2 - 0:12:45    
Scene 3 - 0:27:35      
Scene 4 - 0:35:00      
Scene 5 - 0:39:50
Act II      
Scene 1 - 0:51:20     
Scene 2 - 0:57:35
Act III      
Scene 1 - 1:32:25      
Scene 2 - 1:44:45      
Scene 3 - 2:06:10    
 Scene 4 - 2:12:20
Act IV      
Scene 1 - 2:25:50     
Scene 2 - 2:28:35     
Scene 3 - 2:29:50      
Scene 4 - 2:33:15      
Scene 5 - 2:41:05      
Scene 6 - 2:55:30      
Scene 7 - 2:57:00
Act V      
Scene 1 - 3:08:10    
Scene 2 - 3:23:40
Do Now: On your handout you have randomly been assigned a topic to consider. Answer the questions associated with your topic and be prepared to participate in the discussion.

2. 1. Deception We all deceive at some point in our lives
1. Deception We all deceive at some point in our lives. Our motivations for deception can be either positive or negative. Do you agree with this statement? 2. Personal Interactions The expressions “being in somebody’s business” and “being concerned” have similar meanings, yet they have very different connotations. What does each of those expressions mean to you? How can you tell when someone is being nosy versus when someone is showing concern? 3. Parental Relationships To what extent do parents have the right to "spy" or check up on their children? What circumstance might allow a parent to “spy”? What can a young person do to prevent or combat a parent’s desire to “spy”? 4. Parents vs. Friends Imagine that you are a parent and you feel disconnected from your teenager. At what point should a parent enlist the help of their child’s friend and become involved in “their business”? What is the appropriate level of involvement that a parent should have in his/her child’s life? 5. Love How do you imagine someone who experienced unrequited love might feel? How do you imagine it would feel to be the recipient of affection from someone whom you did not care about?

3. Don’t forget to annotate for yourself!

7. 1. For what reason does Polonius send Reynaldo to France?
To send Laertes money and letters
To spy on his son’s behavior

8. FILM CLIP
We will watch a scene that Ophelia will refer to in the next lines of Act 2 Scene 1.
Recall- What was Polonius’s warning/directive to Ophelia?
Watch for it…
What do you notice about how Hamlet is dressed?
How would you describe his behavior?
Turn & Talk
Act 2, Scene 1 (Hamlet and Ophelia)

9. Hamlet came to my room and was acting VERY strange!
His shirt open, no hat, socks falling down, he was pale and seemed nervous.
Is he crazy over his love for you?

10. Description of his behavior…

11. We must tell the King! Have you had a fight (words) with Hamlet?
Ophelia (obedient) did as she was told and rejected all Hamlet’s letters and refused to see him.

12. 2. For what reason is Ophelia “affrighted”?
3. What conclusion does Polonius come to about the encounter between Ophelia and Hamlet?
“Affrighted” Scared, afraid
She was frightened by Hamlet’s behavior and his appearance.
Hamlet must have gone MAD (crazy) due to Ophelia’s rejection.

13. How do one of the following ideas (deception, personal
QuickWrite?! NOT AGAIN!
Closing: QUICKWRITE
How do one of the following
ideas (deception, personal
interactions, parental relationships
[parents and their children], the
relationship b/w parents and their
children’s friends, and love) function in Act 2, Scene 1?
(Consider how this impacts other aspects of the play: central ideas, character development, plot, etc.)

14. Summary of Act 2.2 (Beginning)
The ghost’s demand for Hamlet to seek revenge upon Claudius is the pivotal event of Act 1. It sets the main plot of the play into motion and leads Hamlet to the idea of feigning (pretending) madness, which becomes his primary mode of interacting with other people for most of the next three acts, as well as a major device Shakespeare uses to develop his character. Within the castle, Claudius and Gertrude welcome Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two of Hamlet’s friends from Wittenberg. Increasingly concerned about Hamlet’s erratic behavior and his apparent inability to recover from his father’s death, the king and queen have summoned his friends to Elsinore in the hope that they might be able to cheer Hamlet out of his melancholy, or at least discover the cause of it. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern agree to investigate, and the queen orders attendants to take them to her “too much changed” son (II.ii.36). Turning to the subject of Hamlet, Polonius declares, after a wordy preamble, that the prince is mad with love for Ophelia. He shows the king and queen letters and love poems Hamlet has given to Ophelia, and proposes a plan to test his theory. Hamlet often walks alone through the lobby of the castle, and, at such a time, they could hide behind an arras (a curtain or wall hanging) while Ophelia confronts Hamlet, allowing them to see for themselves whether Hamlet’s madness really emanates from his love for her. The king declares that they will try the plan. Gertrude notices that Hamlet is approaching, reading from a book as he walks, and Polonius says that he will speak to the prince. Gertrude and Claudius exit, leaving Polonius alone with Hamlet.

15. Polonius attempts to converse with Hamlet, who appears insane; he calls the old man a “fishmonger” and answers his questions irrationally. But many of Hamlet’s seemingly lunatic statements hide barbed observations about Polonius’s pomposity and his old age. Polonius comments that while Hamlet is clearly mad, his replies are often “pregnant” with meaning (II.ii.206). He hurries away, determined to arrange the meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia. As Polonius leaves, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter, and Hamlet seems pleased to see them. They discuss Hamlet’s unhappiness about recent affairs in Denmark. Hamlet asks why they have come. Sheepishly, the two men claim they have come merely to visit Hamlet, but he sternly declares that he knows that the king and queen sent for them. They confess this to be true, and Hamlet says that he knows why: because he has lost all of his joy and descended into a state of melancholy in which everything (and everyone) appears sterile and worthless. Rosencrantz smiles and says he wonders how Hamlet will receive a theatrical troupe that is currently traveling toward the castle. The trumpets blow, announcing the arrival of the actors (or “players”). Hamlet tells his friends they are welcome to stay at Elsinore, but that his “uncle-father and aunt-mother” are deceived in his madness. He is mad only some of the time and at other times is sane. Polonius enters to announce the arrival of the players, who follow him into the room. Hamlet welcomes them and entreats one of them to give him a speech about the fall of Troy and the death of the Trojan king and queen, Priam and Hecuba. Impressed with the player’s speech, Hamlet orders Polonius to see them escorted to guestrooms. He announces that the next night they will hear The Murder of Gonzago performed, with an additional short speech that he will write himself. Hamlet leaves Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and now stands alone in the room.

16. Questions for Comprehension
Do Now: If you were Hamlet, what would be your next move?
Why is the appearance of the ghost considered a pivotal event? Identify TWO reasons.
How do Claudius and Gertrude react to Hamlet’s erratic behavior? What do they attempt to do?
What does Polonius believe to be the cause of Hamlet’s “madness”?
It motivates Hamlet to get revenge (puts plot into motion).
Leads Hamlet to pretend he is mad.
They are concerned. They send for R & G to cheer him up AND to try to learn what is bothering him.
Polonius thinks Hamlet’s madness is due to his love for Ophelia & her rejection of him (unrequited love)

17. What does Hamlet tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern about himself?
According to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who will be traveling to the castle?
Describe the plan that Hamlet creates to determine whether or not Claudius murdered King Hamlet?
Hamlet tells R & G he is deeply sad (Denmark is a prison) but nothing else.
The players (a traveling acting troupe)
Hamlet will write a scene that looks just like the murder of his father for the players to perform. Hamlet will watch Claudius’ reaction to the play. If he looks guilty, Hamlet will take actions.

18. Read and Answer Questions
Summary Act 2.2
Read and Answer Questions

19. Conjures up emotions even without cause
Aim: How does Shakespeare’s figurative language contribute to central ideas such as revenge and action vs. inaction?
Soliloquy
Image
Weak and powerless
Player
pale
Emotional
Conjures up emotions even without cause
Allusion- Hecuba, after seeing the murder of her husband and children, was enslaved by the Greeks and cried and cried and cried
What would the player do if he had the motivation Hamlet had to be upset?
Hyperbole,
Imagery

20. Hamlet
Mopes around
Not bothering to plan revenge
Has motivation (father he loved was murdered!)
Am I coward?
Calls me villain, hits me in the head, plucks at my nose…I take all of this from him (Claudius)
I am a coward otherwise I would have fed the vultures with this coward’s rotting flesh
Action vs Inaction
Hamlet or Claudius?

21. Read Lines 576-609—First half of Hamlet’s Soliloquy
Questions for Analysis:
Lines 576–585 of Act 2.2 (“Now I am alone. / O what a rogue” to “With forms to his conceit – and all for nothing! / For Hecuba!”)
1. How does Hamlet describe himself in line 577? What image of Hamlet does this description create?
2. Hamlet compares himself to the player who recited a speech earlier in the scene. How does Hamlet describe the player in lines 578–584?
3. What tension does Shakespeare develop in the conversation between Hamlet and the player?
Hamlet sees himself as weak and powerless “peasant slave”
The player is passionate and can call up any emotion without any motivation.
Hamlet has motivation but is doing nothing about it while the player has no cause for such passion but is able to act. (Action vs. Inaction)

22. Lines 586–593 (from “What’s Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba” to “The very faculties of eyes and ears.”)
4. Paraphrase the two questions Hamlet asks about the player on lines 586–589 (from “What’s Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba” to “the cue for passion / That I have”).
5. What figurative language does Hamlet use in line 589 to describe how the player would act if he had Hamlet’s passion? What does this language imply about the player?
How can he cry so over someone he does not know?
How would he act if he REALLY had a motivation to be upset?
Hyperbole “Drown the stage with tears”

23. Lines 593–607 (from “Yet I, / a dull and muddy-mettled rascal” to “I should have fatted all the region kites / With this slave’s offal.”)
6. Why does Hamlet say he is like “John-a-dreams, unpregnant of [his] cause” in line 595? How does this contrast with Hamlet’s description of the player?
7. How do Hamlet’s descriptions of himself and the player develop a central idea in the play? Cite evidence from the text.
8. What images does Hamlet use in lines 598–602 (from “Am I a coward? / Who calls me villain?” to “As deep as to the lungs. Who does me this?”) to illustrate that he is a coward?
9. How does Hamlet say in lines 603–604 that he should respond to the treatment described in lines 599–602? Why does Hamlet say he should respond this way?
He can say nothing for his father who was killed.
 Strong contrast to the passion of the player he described earlier.
Contrast between the two develop the CI Action vs. Inaction
H. has motive but lacking courage
Player has less motive but more passion so he acts powerfully.
H. Describes how someone might bully him (slap him in the face, call him villain, etc.)
Hamlet says he should take it because he is “pigeon-livered” and “lacks gall.”

24. Quick Write:
How do two central ideas develop and interact in this soliloquy? How does the use of figurative language support the development of one of these ideas?

25. Ghost told him to get revenge.
-still uncertain if ghost is good or bad.
Scene will be skillfully done—guilty creatures watching the play will be so struck they will immediately confess their evil deeds.
Example of ________________
Personification
Murder will be known!
The devil is the most powerful in such situations (weakness), perhaps he is tricking me.
The Plan
Hamlet wants/needs stronger evidence!
Alliteration
The play is the key to learning the King’s guilt
Rhyme

26. Lines 616–623 (from “Fie upon ’t. Foh. / About, my brains
Lines 616–623 (from “Fie upon ’t! Foh! / About, my brains! – Hum, I have heard” to “will speak / with most miraculous organ.”
1. In the first lines of the passage, “about” is used to mean “around.” Why does Hamlet say “Fie upon ’t! Foh! About, my brains!” lines 616–617? In other words, how is Hamlet trying to change his thinking?   
2. What does Hamlet mean by, “For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak with most miraculous organ” (lines 622–623)? How does Shakespeare’s use of personification impact your understanding of these lines?
Hamlet wants to stop thinking about his father’s death.
Murder has its way of being found out; it cannot be “kept quiet.”

27. Lines 623–627 (from “I’ll have these players / play something like the murder of my father” to “If he do blench, / I know my course”) and answer the following questions.
What is Hamlet planning to do?   
4. Blench means “shrink; flinch; quail.” What does Hamlet mean by “if he do blench, I know my course” (lines 626–627)? In other words, what confirmation does Hamlet want before he takes action?
Lines 627–632 (from “The spirit that I have seen / May be a devil” to “with such spirits / Abuses me to damn me”) and answer the following questions.
5. What are Hamlet’s fears about the ghost of his father?
Write a scene for the actors to perform that will look like the murder of his father. While Claudius watches the play, Hamlet will watch him. If Claudius appears guilty, Hamlet will have his proof to take action.
Hamlet will look to see if Claudius appears guilty while watching the play.
He is uncertain if the ghost is from hell (means to do him harm) or from heaven (meant to help him).

28. Refer to Hamlet’s second soliloquy (Act 1
Refer to Hamlet’s second soliloquy (Act 1.5, lines 99–120) and reread lines 99–102 (“O all you host of heaven! O Earth! What Else? / And shall I couple hell? O fie, hold, hold, my heart, / and you, my sinews, grow not instant old, / But bear me stiffly up”).
6. How do lines 627–632 of this soliloquy develop a central idea of revenge, also addressed in lines 99–102 of Act 1.5 (“shall I couple hell…”)?
7. How do lines 627–632 change your understanding of Hamlet’s actions thus far in the play, specifically relating to his decision about whether to take revenge against Claudius? In other words, what has prevented Hamlet from taking action thus far?
Hamlet does not know what to believe and so he wants more proof before he will get his revenge. He has set up a plan to get that proof.
Hamlet is afraid to take action towards getting revenge because he is uncertain if the Ghost is honest or not. He is being very cautious and wants more proof before committing murder to get revenge.

29.  8. How does Shakespeare’s use of language make the final couplet more striking in lines 633–634?  
Think back to Act 2.2 when Hamlet asks the players to add lines to the play:
Based on today’s lesson, what might be in the lines that Hamlet is adding to the play?
 Quick Write:
How does Hamlet’s decision to stage a play impact the action of the drama?
He uses Rhyme and Alliteration to make the lines more striking.
Lines that would make Claudius uncomfortable.
Lines that will reveal what the Ghost told Hamlet.
Actions that resemble the murder of King Hamlet.
If Hamlet gets his reaction, he will then need to set forth to take revenge. If he does not have the proof, he will either need to find another means to get the info he wants, or the play would not move forward at all.

30. Act 2 Review Hamlet “confronts” Ophelia.
Polonius Speaks with King and Queen re: Hamlet’s behavior.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrive Hamlet’s 3rd Soliloquy.
Act 2 Review

31. Hamlet Act 2: What do you remember
Hamlet Act 2: What do you remember? Write 1 thing you remember from Act 2 on the post-it.

32. Hamlet Act 2: What do you remember?
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern arrived and agreed to spy on Hamlet for Claudius.
Polonius explains that Hamlet’s “madness” is due to his unrequited love towards Ophelia.
Polonius confronted Hamlet in the lobby. Hamlet insulted Polonius while pretending to be mad.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern try to get information about Hamlet’s condition. Hamlet stated that life holds no meaning.
The theatrical troupe arrived and Hamlet is impressed by their performance.
Hamlet will get a confession from Claudius by using the play to get a confession.

33. Scene 1
1. For what 2 reasons does Polonius send Reynaldo to France? 2. How can Hamlet be characterized in this act? 3. Why have Rosencrantz and Guildenstern been called to Denmark?
1. To send money and letters to Laertes.
2.  To spy on Laertes.
Envious- wishes he could act as the Player does
Weak and powerless- he has done nothing to get revenge
Mopey- he is just wallowing in his grief
Gertrude and Claudius sent for them to cheer up Hamlet.
They also hope R & G will be able get information about Hamlet’s recent behavior.

34. 4.  What has Fortinbras requested of Denmark?
5.  What does Polonius think is the cause of Hamlet’s madness?  
6.  What does Polonius plan to prove his theory about Hamlet’s madness?
Fortinbras has agreed not to attack Denmark but will use his army to attack the Poles. He asks Denmark for permission to cross through Denmark to attack Poland.
Polonius shows G & C the love letters and favours Hamlet sent Ophelia and claims it is Ophelia’s rejection of Hamlet’s love that has caused this behavior.
Polonius suggested setting up a “coincidental” meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia where he will spy on their interaction from a hiding place and report back to the King and Queen.

35. Scene 2
7. How does Hamlet characterize himself in his soliloquy? 8. What is the purpose of the first half of Hamlet’s soliloquy in Act 2, Scene 2?
Hamlet sees himself as weak and powerless as he has not even begun to plan his revenge for his beloved father.
He also describes himself as a coward because he has not taken any action.
The purpose of the 1st half of the soliloquy is for Hamlet to compare himself to the Player. Hamlet has motivation yet takes no action, where the Player has NO motivation but can act on his feelings.

36. 9. What reasons does Hamlet himself give for not acting to get revenge
9. What reasons does Hamlet himself give for not acting to get revenge? 10. What is Hamlet’s plan at the end of Act 2?
Hamlet is worried that he cannot trust that the ghost is good and therefore decides he needs more proof before he will kill Claudius.
He also says that he is a coward which is why he has done nothing yet.
Hamlet will create a scene for the traveling actors to perform for the royal court. The scene will resemble the death of King Hamlet (as told by the ghost). Hamlet will observe Claudius watching the play and look for a sign of his guilt. If Claudius appears guilty, Hamlet will have the proof he needs to take action.

37. Emphasis for the assessment:
Review
****Annotations****
Worksheets from class
SOAPSTone -You will be asked about elements of this strategy in regards to Act 2.
**You will need to have a copy of your Act 2 test with you in class.
**This is NOT multiple choice