Hamlet Act 2 Questions for analysis PDF

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This file is for comprehension checking. Also, some of these questions could be used in group work. All the answers to the question are vary....

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Act II What Happens? Scene 1 1. What job has Polonius hired Reynaldo to do? By what means does Polonius recommend that Reynaldo accomplish this task? 2. Describe Hamlet’s appearance when he entered Ophelia’s room. 3. How does Polonius react to Ophelia’s story? How does it change the attitude he had toward Hamlet and Ophelia in Act I?

Scene 2 1. Why did the King ask Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to come to Denmark? Why are they particularly qualified for the job they have been asked to do? 2. Give a clear account of the news brought by the ambassadors who have returned from Norway. 3. What evidence does Polonius introduce to help his case against Hamlet? What trap does Polonius set for Hamlet? 4. Describe Hamlet’s “antic disposition.” What does Polonius say that indicates that he has some doubt about Hamlet’s madness? 5. What new fact about Hamlet’s interests is brought to light by his meeting with the players? What does Hamlet want the players to do? What does Hamlet hope to accomplish by using the players in this way? 6. Hamlet takes stock of himself in the last speech of the act. What is the result of his self-estimate? Do you agree with him?

What Does It Mean? The Action 1. Out of Polonius’s meeting with Reynaldo, the King’s with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Hamlet’s with the players grow three similar tasks. How are they parallel? In what ways do they differ? Explore the various ways in which these incidents are presented to the audience. 2. Each of the two scenes in Act II reveals a new facet of Hamlet’s character. Describe the development of the act from this point of view, beginning with Ophelia’s disclosure to her father that Hamlet has visited her, and Polonius’s decision to inform the King about this visit. 3. The mystery and expectation of Act I give way in Act II to the use of specific rational methods for exposing the rot in Denmark. Is Act II any less passionate because of this emphasis on contrivance? How are the strong feelings of Polonius, Claudius, and Hamlet revealed, and how do they contribute to the furthering of the action?

Characters 1. What do we learn about Ophelia in this act? 2. What kind of man is Polonius? Is he a good talker? What kind of language does he use, and what do others think of it? Is Polonius a good father? A good courtier? A good Dane? A good Christian? Hamlet has nothing but contempt for him. Formulate an argument to convince Hamlet of the old man’s worth. 3. Explain the meaning, by illustration from Act II, of Polonius’s remark to Reynaldo that he can “by indirections find direction out.” 4. A picture of Hamlet as lover, poet, lunatic, devoted fan of the theater, actor, and private detective emerges from Act II. Use appropriate quotations from this act to prove this statement. 5. Compare the picture of Hamlet as outlined in question 4 to the picture you have of the following characters, treating them with respect to Hamlet’s own interests and skills: young Fortinbras, Laertes, Horatio, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Who compares most favorably with Hamlet? Who least?

Plot 1. In Act II, are the three plots invented to disclose the truth arranged (a) from most to least interesting, (b) least to most important, (c) most to least important, (d) in no special order? Defend whichever of the above statements you think valid. Consider the victims of the plots as well as those who contrive them. 2. The traveling players innocently come to Elsinore to perform. How do they become crucial to the plot of the play?

Imagery “Denmark’s a prison,” Hamlet tells his boyhood friends. What is the meaning of this metaphor? Where else is it picked up?

Language “More matter, with less art,” Gertrude tells Polonius when she becomes annoyed with him. What bothers her in his presentation of his findings about Hamlet?

General Questions 1. The two methods of playwriting listed on the players’ handbill were “scene individable, or poem unlimited.” If the first is a play in which all the characters are noble, the time is 24 hours or thereabouts, and the action takes place on only one set, and the second is a play which presents time, place, character— everything—as it needs to be fully developed, what kind of play is Hamlet? Be specific, and use quotations from the text to prove your points. 2. How has Polonius’s passing remark in Act I that Hamlet’s words of love to Ophelia were merely “springes to catch woodcocks” become central to the action of the play?...