Hamlet Characters and Relationships
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Questions and Answers

Who joins Bernardo, the watchman, on his watch of the castle?

Marcellus and Horatio

What do Marcellus and Bernardo want to show Horatio?

A ghost

What proves to Horatio that the ghost is that of King Hamlet?

His Armor

How does Horatio explain the appearance of King Hamlet?

<p>He says it is a warning sign</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is Fortinbras?

<p>Prince of Norway</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who is now married to King Hamlet's wife?

<p>Claudius</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does King Claudius say he is mourning over?

<p>the death of his brother</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Prince Hamlet contemplate doing because he is so upset?

<p>killing himself</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Fortinbras want from Claudius?

<p>lands that belonged to Norway</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Claudius and Gertrude want Prince Hamlet to do?

<p>stay close to them</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Laertes warn Ophelia about?

<p>falling in love with Hamlet</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Laertes's main objection to Ophelia's feelings?

<p>Hamlet has obligations with his country</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Polonius say about Ophelia's relationship with Hamlet?

<p>he forbids her from seeing him anymore</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Hamlet overhear while waiting for the ghost to appear?

<p>the revelry of the king</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why do Horatio and Marcellus follow after Hamlet and the ghost?

<p>to protect Hamlet</p> Signup and view all the answers

How did Hamlet's father die?

<p>he was poisoned</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who does the ghost of Hamlet's father say killed him?

<p>Claudius</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the ghost of King Hamlet say about Gertrude, his wife?

<p>he tells Hamlet to leave her alone</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Hamlet tell Horatio and Marcellus about his plan?

<p>that he may pretend to be crazy</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Hamlet do to upset Ophelia?

<p>he acts frantic and chaotic</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?

<p>Hamlet's friends</p> Signup and view all the answers

Whom does Fortinbras swear he will not attack?

<p>The Danes</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does Polonius plan to prove Hamlet's love for Ophelia?

<p>spy on him personally</p> Signup and view all the answers

What play does Hamlet want the players to perform?

<p>The Murder of Gonzago</p> Signup and view all the answers

How will Claudius react to the play, according to Hamlet?

<p>He will appear guilty</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why does Claudius want to be left alone?

<p>so that he and Polonius can watch Hamlet and Ophelia interact</p> Signup and view all the answers

What do Polonius and Claudius hear him talking about with Ophelia?

<p>deciding if he should commit suicide</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Ophelia give Hamlet?

<p>the gifts he gave her</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why does Hamlet call women dishonest?

<p>because they wear make-up and deceive men</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Claudius say he will do about Hamlet?

<p>send him to England</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Hamlet ask Horatio to do during the Play?

<p>watch Claudius's reactions</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does Hamlet tease Ophelia?

<p>he makes inappropriate sexual jokes</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Hamlet do during the performance?

<p>he explains everyone's behavior</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Claudius's reaction to the play?

<p>he yells and leaves</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who sends for Hamlet after the play?

<p>Gertrude</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Claudius want Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to do with Hamlet?

<p>take him to England</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who plans to spy on Gertrude and Hamlet?

<p>Polonius</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Claudius feel guilty for?

<p>killing his brother</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why does Hamlet refrain from killing Claudius when he has the opportunity to?

<p>Claudius is praying</p> Signup and view all the answers

When does Hamlet plan to kill Claudius?

<p>when Claudius behaves badly</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why does Polonius want to eavesdrop on Hamlet?

<p>find out why Hamlet is angry and upset</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Hamlet accuse his mother of?

<p>betraying his father</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why does Hamlet kill Polonius?

<p>because he mistakes Polonius for Claudius</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why does Gertrude think Hamlet is mad?

<p>because he appears to be talking to himself</p> Signup and view all the answers

What message does the ghost bring to Hamlet?

<p>to remember that he has not yet gotten revenge</p> Signup and view all the answers

Whom does Gertrude rush to see after Polonius is killed?

<p>Claudius</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Gertrude compare herself to?

<p>a violent ocean</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Claudius's main concern?

<p>keeping his power</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Hamlet accuse Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of?

<p>being spies for Claudius</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Hamlet allow Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to do?

<p>accompany him back to Claudius</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who reveals the location of Polonius's body?

<p>Hamlet</p> Signup and view all the answers

What orders does Claudius send to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?

<p>that Hamlet be killed</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is Fortinbras doing when he comes across Hamlet, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern?

<p>he is on his way to attack Poland</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is Hamlet surprised by the nature of the conflict between Poland and Norway?

<p>because the conflict seems so insignificant</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Hamlet resolve to do after meeting Fortinbras?

<p>achieve his revenge</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does Ophelia handle the news of Polonius's death?

<p>she goes crazy</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Horatio urge Gertrude to do?

<p>console Ophelia</p> Signup and view all the answers

How do the peasants feel about Laertes upon his return?

<p>they feel that he ought to be king</p> Signup and view all the answers

What advice does Claudius give to Laertes?

<p>that he should seek revenge on whoever is responsible for Polonius's death</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Hamlet's letter to Horatio say?

<p>That he is returning to Denmark with news</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why doesn't Claudius punish Hamlet?

<p>Because too many people adore Hamlet</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is Laertes happy about Hamlet's return to Denmark?

<p>Because he plans to kill him</p> Signup and view all the answers

When does Laertes plan to kill Hamlet?

<p>At a fencing match</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Laertes and Claudius plan to do if Hamlet wins the duel?

<p>Poison him with a cup of wine</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does Ophelia die?

<p>She drowns in a river</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why are the gravediggers arguing about Ophelia?

<p>Because they hear she has killed herself</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the gravedigger say to Hamlet when he asks whose grave he is digging?

<p>He says that it's his own grave</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Hamlet notice about the funeral procession?

<p>The procession seems irregular and suggests a suicide</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Hamlet say to Laertes upon realizing that it is Ophelia's funeral?

<p>That he loved Ophelia in ways that no one could understand</p> Signup and view all the answers

What finally appeases Laertes at Ophelia's funeral?

<p>Claudius reminds Laertes that they have a plan to kill Hamlet</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Hamlet tell Horatio about death?

<p>That it is inevitable</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does Gertrude die?

<p>She accidentally drinks wine that Claudius poisoned</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does Hamlet find out about Claudius's plan?

<p>Laertes makes a dying declaration</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the dying Hamlet tell Horatio to do?

<p>Live and pass along his story</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who rules Denmark at the end of the play?

<p>Fortinbras</p> Signup and view all the answers

Prince of Denmark, title character, protagonist.

<p>Hamlet</p> Signup and view all the answers

King of Denmark, Hamlet's uncle, antagonist. Villain of the play. driven by his sexual appetites and his lust for poer but occasionally shows signs of guilt and human feeling

<p>Claudius</p> Signup and view all the answers

Queen of Denmark, Hamlet's mother. Loves Hamlet but is a shallow, weak woman.

<p>Gertrude</p> Signup and view all the answers

The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius's court, a pompous, conniving old man. the father of Laertes and Ophelia.

<p>Polonius</p> Signup and view all the answers

Hamlet's close friend, who studied with the prince at the university in Wittenberg. loyal and helpful to Hamlet throughout the play. After Hamlet's death, remains alive to tell Hamlet's story.

<p>Horatio</p> Signup and view all the answers

Polonius's daughter, a beautiful young woman with whom Hamlet has been in love. Even in her lapse into madness and death, she remains maidenly, singing songs about flowers and finally drowning

<p>Ophelia</p> Signup and view all the answers

Polonius's son and Ophelia's brother, a young man who spends much of the play in France. Passionate and quick to action, Laertes is clearly a foil for the reflective Hamlet.

<p>Laertes</p> Signup and view all the answers

The young Prince of Norway, whose father the king was killed by Hamlet's father. Now wishes to attack Denmark to avenge his father's honor, making him another foil for Prince Hamlet.

<p>Fortinbras</p> Signup and view all the answers

The specter of Hamlet's recently deceased father. Hamlet speculates that the ghost might be a devil sent to deceive him and tempt him into murder, and the question of what the ghost is or where it comes from is never definitively resolved.

<p>The Ghost</p> Signup and view all the answers

Two slightly bumbling courtiers, former friends of Hamlet from Wittenberg, who are summoned by Claudius and Gertrude to discover the cause of Hamlet's strange behavior.

<p>Rosencrantz and Guildenstern</p> Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Characters and Relationships

  • Hamlet: Prince of Denmark, protagonist, deeply affected by his father's murder and mother's remarriage.
  • Claudius: King of Denmark, Hamlet's uncle, murderer of Hamlet's father, antagonist.
  • Gertrude: Queen of Denmark, Hamlet's mother, shallow and weak, remarries Claudius quickly.
  • Polonius: Lord Chamberlain, a shrewd but pompous old man, father of Laertes and Ophelia.
  • Horatio: Hamlet's close friend, loyal and rational.
  • Ophelia: Polonius's beautiful daughter, Hamlet is deeply in love with her but tragically loses her.
  • Laertes: Polonius's son, passionate and rash, seeks revenge for Polonius's death.
  • Fortinbras: Prince of Norway, seeking revenge, also a foil to Hamlet.
  • Rosencrantz and Guildenstern: Bumbling courtiers, summoned to spy on Hamlet.
  • The Ghost: The specter of Hamlet's deceased father, urging Hamlet to avenge his murder.

Key Plot Points

  • Hamlet's father is murdered by Claudius.
  • The ghost reveals Claudius as the murderer.
  • Hamlet feigns madness to uncover the truth.
  • Hamlet stages a play about murder to trap Claudius.
  • Claudius is exposed, and sends Hamlet to England to be killed.
  • Polonius eavesdrops on Hamlet, and is accidentally killed by Hamlet.
  • Hamlet is betrayed and sent to his death, but survives.
  • Ophelia mourns her father's death and subsequently dies.
  • Laertes and Claudius plot Hamlet’s death.
  • Hamlet kills Claudius and dies.
  • Gertrude dies by drinking poisoned wine.
  • Fortinbras becomes King.

Key Conflicts

  • Hamlet vs. Claudius (revenge)
  • Hamlet vs. His own emotions and inner turmoil.
  • Polonius vs. Hamlet and Ophelia.
  • Laertes vs. Hamlet (revenge)
  • The warring nations of Norway and Poland
  • The moral decay of the Danish court
  • The ghost's quest for vengeance vs. Hamlet's rational doubts about his actions.

Major Events

  • The appearance of the ghost and the murder mystery
  • Hamlet plots revenge using the play.
  • The accidental death of Polonius.
  • Hamlet's encounter with Fortinbras.
  • The fencing match and ultimate deaths of Hamlet, Laertes, and Gertrude.
  • Ophelia’s death.

Key Themes

  • Revenge
  • Madness
  • Corruption
  • Mortality
  • Appearance vs. Reality
  • Family relationships
  • Moral decay
  • Inevitability of death

Other Important Details

  • The play is set in Denmark.
  • Horatio stays alive to tell Hamlet's story
  • Political intrigue drives many of the events.
  • Laertes, Fortinbras, and Claudius are foils to Hamlet,
  • Hamlet's use of the play-within-a-play is a major plot device.

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Description

This quiz explores the key characters and their relationships in Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'. Delve into the motivations and connections between Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, and others, to better understand the intricate dynamics of this tragic play.

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