Hamlet, Part 7- Plot and Character

Francisco and Bernardo, two castle guards in Elsinore, Denmark, stand alert on the castle steps at night. This is part of the plot’s

exposition.
climax.
falling action.
resolution.

exposition

Hamlet stages a performance about a murder to discern Claudius’s guilt. This is part of Hamlet’s

exposition.
rising action.
climax.
falling action.

rising action

Claudius: Follow her close; give her good watch, I pray you. [Exit HORATIO.]
O! this is the poison of deep grief; it springs
All from her father’s death. O Gertrude, Gertrude!
When sorrows come, they come not single spies,
But in battalions. First, her father slain;
Next, your son gone; but he most violent author
Of his own just remove: the people muddied,
Thick and unwholesome in their thoughts and whispers,
For good Polonius’ death; and we have done but greenly,
In hugger-mugger to inter him: poor Ophelia
Divided from herself and her fair judgment,
Without the which we are pictures, or mere beasts

How does the excerpt reveal character development?

Claudius exhibits sincere mourning for his friend Polonius.

Claudius exhibits sensitivity toward Ophelia and regret for his actions.

Claudius shows his resolve to help Ophelia by suggesting medical attention.

Claudius shows his regret for previous behavior by seeking forgiveness.

Claudius exhibits sensitivity toward Ophelia and regret for his actions.

Which statement best describes Gertrude’s development between Act I and Act IV?

She becomes less tolerant of young people’s behavior.
She becomes more romantic about her husband.
She becomes less confident in her assertions.
She becomes more interested in politics

She becomes less confident in her assertions.

Gentleman: She speaks much of her father; says she hears
There’s tricks i’ the world; and hems, and beats her heart;
Spurns enviously at straws; speaks things in doubt,
That carry but half sense: her speech is nothing . . .

Horatio: ‘Twere good she were spoken with, for she may strew
Dangerous conjectures in ill-breeding minds.

Gertrude: Let her come in. [Exit Gentleman.]
To my sick soul, as sin’s true nature is,
Each toy seems prologue to some great amiss:
So full of artless jealousy is guilt,
It spills itself in fearing to be spilt.

How does Gertrude’s reaction advance the plot of the play?

by introducing her maternal kindness toward Ophelia

by resolving readers’ concerns about Ophelia’s madness

by reaching a height of conflict as Gertrude decides to punish Ophelia

by suggesting that Ophelia’s madness is a sign of greater troubles

by suggesting that Ophelia’s madness is a sign of greater troubles

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, what plot events undermine Queen Gertrude’s confidence?

Ophelia and Hamlet’s flirtations

Hamlet’s and Laertes’s accusations

Laertes’s and Hamlet’s departures from Denmark

Claudius and Laertes’s discussions about revenge

Hamlet’s and Laertes’s accusations

Ophelia:

Larded with ‘sweet flower;
Which bewept to the grave did go
With true-love showers.
Claudius: How do you, pretty lady?

Ophelia: Well, God ‘ild you! They say the owl was a baker’s daughter. Lord! we know what we are, but know not what we may be. God be at your table!

Which words describe Ophelia in the excerpt? Check all that apply.

muddled

controlling

illogical

deceitful

melancholy

muddled illogical melancholy

Which word best describes Laertes in Act IV of Hamlet?

disciplined
passionate
humble
clever

passionate

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, what plot event causes Ophelia’s mental decline?

King Hamlet’s ghostly visit

Hamlet’s theatrical production

Polonius’s violent death

Claudius’s scheming against Hamlet

Polonius’s violent death

In Act IV of Hamlet, why does Shakespeare include the plot event in which Horatio reads and reacts to Hamlet’s letter about an encounter with pirates?

to establish Hamlet’s humility in defeat
to establish Hamlet’s preoccupation with revenge
to establish Horatio’s steadfast loyalty to Hamlet
to establish Horatio’s cunning motives

to establish Horatio’s steadfast loyalty to Hamlet