Hamlet Review Act II

1. What change of mood occurs in Scene i?

2. How do you explain Hamlet’s behavior toward Ophelia, as she describes it in Scene i?

3. Fortinbras is mentioned again in Scene ii, line 72. Why is he discussed repeatedly throughout the play, even though he takes no direct part in the action?

4. How does Hamlet receive Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Scene ii?

5. Why is Hamlet excited about the Players’ arrival?

6. Compare the characters of Queen Gertrude and Ophelia. Consider how the women are different and how they are alike, citing details from the texts to support your answer. Do these women wield any power in Elsinore? Explain your answer.

7. What kind of man do you think Polonius is? Find one or two lines that support your opinion.

8. Contrast Horatio with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as longtime friends of Hamlet.

9. In Act II scene ii, Polonius says of Hamlet, “That he is mad, ‘tis true.” Do you believe that Hamlet is truly mad at this point in the play? Give your reasons.

10. One of the play’s most famous quotations is “for there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.” What does this mean?