1. At the beginning of this Act, the entire castle is in turmoil because no one knows everything that's happening. How do you think this inner chaos is effecting the country and matters outside the palace?
2. Why do you think that Claudius is so quick to bury Polonius, without a proper ceremony or anything?
3. Obviously Ophelia has gone mad because her father died, but I believe that it was just the snapping point. She's been teetering on the edge of sanity for quite some time now, like every other character. What do you think is at the bottom of Ophelia losing her sanity and what do you think that Shakespeare is trying to say by having her be the first one to openly lose her mind?
4. Do you think that the pirates that attacked Hamlet's ship were sent by Claudius? What do you think of the foreshadowing presented in Hamlet's letters to both Horatio and Claudius?
5. At this point in the story, how do you feel about Horatio? What is his relationship to Hamlet like and why is it important?
6. Claudius and Laertes's believe that they have come up with a foolproof plan to kill Hamlet. Do you think that it's going to work, or will it fail like so many plans in Shakespeare's work do?
xoxo, Cantore Slug
As for question #5
ReplyDeleteHoratio is the only one Hamlet can trust around him, everyone else in the play either doesn't trust him or thinks he's insane.
-Spencer