Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Act III Hamlet

Retest on American Poets

Elizabethan Beliefs

Continue to read and discuss Act III in small groups.  Post your responses to the following questions.Act III
  • What is the subject of Hamlet's second soliloquy, the famous "To be or not to be" speech?
  • Why is he so cruel to Ophelia immediately thereafter?
  • What happens in the "play-within-a-play"?  How do the speeches and actions reflect on events in the kingdom of Denmark?  How does the king respond?
  • In what way is Hamlet's second major interaction with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (III.ii.375-415) different from his first encounter with them?
  • Why does Hamlet decline to take action against Claudius in III.iii?
  • What happens in III.iv (the closet scene)?  Why is this death so important for the play, or what does the death of this figure represent?
  • Based on what you've seen in III.iv, do you think Gertrude knew about the murder?

No comments:

Post a Comment