Question: What message do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern carry to the King and Queen? What is their response?

Answer: They tell them Hamlet wishes the King and Queen to see a play that night. They both accept.

Question: Hamlet’s famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy is in Scene One. Which of the following paraphrases his main points?

Answer: He is pondering whether a miserable life is better than the unknown of the death.

Question: Describe Hamlet’s tone when he speaks to Ophelia.

Answer: He is rude and aggressive.

Question: What do the King and Polonius decide about Hamlet’s condition after eavesdropping on Hamlet and Ophelia?

Answer: They decide he is not love-sick; rather; he has some other trouble deep in his soul.

Question: Why does Hamlet give instructions to the players?

Answer: He does not want the parts to be over-acted. He wants it to appear as natural and as real as possible, so it will hit home to the King.

Question: What was the King’s reaction to the play, and what did Hamlet and Horatio decide his reaction meant?

Answer: The King got up and called for the lights. They were convinced that the ghost had been correct.

Question: What message does Rosencrantz deliver to Hamlet from the Queen?

Answer: She wants to see him.

Question: The King has Rosencrantz and Guildenstern prepare to do what?

Answer: They prepare to take Hamlet to England.

Question: Why doesn’t Hamlet kill the King when the King is kneeling?

Answer: Hamlet wants the King to die without a chance for a last confession. If he is praying, he may not be in enough sin to get eternal punishment.

Question: How does Polonius die?

Answer: Polonius is hiding in the Queen’s room while she and Hamlet are talking. He makes a noise. Hamlet runs through the tapestry, thinking it may be Claudius, and kills Polonius.