Hamlet
William Shakespeare
Brief Questions with Answers
About the playwright and his age
Q.1. Who is William Shakespeare?
Ans. William Shakespeare is the greatest poet and dramatist of the Elizabethan Age.
Q.2. Which period is known as the Elizabethan Age?
Ans. The period from 1558 to 1603 is known as the Elizabethan Age.
Q.3. When and where was Shakespeare born? [NU. 2016]
Ans. William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, in the village of Stratford-on-Avon in the country of Warwickshire in England.
Q.4. What was Shakespeare's father?
Ans. Shakespeare's father, John Shakespeare, originally a farmer's son, was a trader in leather and agricultural products.
Q.5. Who was the mother of Shakespeare?
Ans. Mary Arden, daughter of Robert Arden, a prosperous farmer, was Shakespeare's mother.
Q.6. Where was Shakespeare educated in his early life?
Ans. At seven Shakespeare was sent to the Grammar School of his native village, Stratford, where he learnt Latin Grammar, Greek, logic and rhetoric.
Q.7. When did Shakespeare leave Stratford for London?
Ans. Around the year 1585. Shakespeare left Stratford and came to London in search of opportunity.
Q.8. How did Shakespeare start his career in London?
Ans. Shakespeare first started his work in London as a general helper, an odd job man about the theatre, but soon he became an actor.
Q.9. What were the theatres of which Shakespeare became a shareholder?
Ans. Shakespeare was closely associated with two theatres, The Globe and The Blackfriars, and in course of time he became a shareholder of each of them.
Q.10. What do you know of Shakespeare's compositions taken together?
Ans. Shakespeare wrote thirty-seven plays in all, 154 sonnets, and six poems.
Q.11. When did Shakespeare die?
Ans. After a few years of a quiet life at Stratford-on-Avon, Shakespeare's health broke down completely in 1616 and he died on the anniversary of his birth, April 23, 1616.
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Q.1. When was Hamlet written and published?
Ans. Hamlet was written probably in 1601 and it first appeared in print in a quarto edition of 1603.
Q.2. What was the original title of the play Hamlet?
Ans. The original title of the play, Hamlet was The Tragical (Tragicall) Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denniarke.
Q.3. What is the modern title of Hamlet?
Ans. The modern title of Hamlet is The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark or simply Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. (Leopard Books, 1995)
Q.4. What are the sources of the play, Hamlet?
Ans. The probable sources of Hamlet are Ur-Hamlet by Thomas Kyd, Historia Danica by Saxo Grammaticus and the Histoires Tragiques by Francois de Belleforest.
Q.5. What is the setting of the play, Hamlet? [NU. 2018]
Ans. The setting of Hamlet is the royal castle at Elsinore on the rocky sea-washed Danish coast during winter.
Q.6. How does the action of Hamlet begin?
Ans. The action of Hamlet begins when Bernardo, an officer, arrives on the platform of the castle rampart at midnight to relieve Francisco from his guard duty.
Q.7. Why has Horatio joined the guards' watch?
Ans. Horatio has joined the guards watch to verify his theory that the Ghost which appears at midnight is a hallucination.
Q.8. When does the Ghost appear?
Ans. Just as Bernardo begins to describe the Ghost's previous visits, it appears when it is 12 at midnight.
Q.9. How does Bernardo describe the Ghost?
Ans. Bernardo describes the Ghost as dressed in armour and looking like the late King Hamlet of Denmark.
Q.10. What happens when Horatio questions the Ghost?
Ans. When Horatio questions the Ghost, it disappears.
Q.11. Who is Claudius?
Ans. Claudius is the present King of Denmark, the antagonist and uncle of Hamlet.
Q.12. What impression do you form of Claudius from his first speech to his court?
Ans. In his first speech, Claudius appears as a man of decisive action in managing state affairs and in dealing with the aggressive behaviour of Prince Fortinbras of Norway.
Q.13. Why is Fortinbras of Norway preparing for war against Denmark?
Ans. Prince Fortinbras of Norway, as reported by King Claudius, is preparing for war against Denmark to recover Norwegian lands won by the late King Hamlet.
Q.14. How does Claudius justify his hasty marriage to Gertrude? [DU. (affi) 2017]
Ans. Claudius justifies his hasty remarriage to Gertrude as an act of patriotism to ensure the safety of Denmark.
Q-15. How does Queen Gertrude console Hamlet in his bereavement?
Ans. Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, beseeches him to stop his mourning for his father's death and consoles him saying that all lives must eventually come to an end.
Q.16. Why is Hamlet driven to the thoughts of suicide?
Ans. In his first soliloquy Hamlet reveals that his despair, caused by the hasty remarriage of his mother to Claudius, has driven him to the thoughts of suicide.
Q.17. What prevents Hamlet from committing suicide?
От,
Why didn't Hamlet commit suicide? [DU. (affi) 2016]
Ans. Hamlet would have committed suicide, if self-murder were not a violation of canon law.
Q.18. What is the significance of the expression, "Frailty, thy name is woman'!"
Ans. Hamlet leaps from the single example of his mother's impulsive behaviour, her remarriage with Claudius, and condemns all women of all times saying, a woman is an embodiment of weakness.
Q.19. What is Hamlet's reaction to the information of the Ghost's appearance?
Ans. After learning about the mysterious appearance of the armoured Ghost, Hamlet, alone in a soliloquy expresses his fear that his father has been the victim of some foul play.
Q.20. On what topic does Polonius lecture his son Laertes?
Ans. Polonius lectures his son Laertes on a gentleman's code of behaviour.
Q.21. What does Polonius say about borrowing money?
Ans. Polonius says that his son should neither borrow money nor lend it, because if he lends money, he will lose both the money and the friend.
Q.22. What, according to Polonius, is the result of borrowing money?
Ans. Borrowing money, according to Polonius, makes one extravagant in one's habits and so one would never be able to save any money.
Q.23. Why does Polonius appear to be a ridiculous figure in giving advice to his son?
Ans. Polonius appears to be a ridiculous and shallow-minded school teacher in giving a long series of valuable advice to his son without considering time, place and person.
Q.24. On what ground does Polonius ask his daughter Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet?
Ans. Polonius urges Ophelia his daughter to stay away from Hamlet as he, being a prince, may not choose a wife in the same way as other men.
Q.25. What does the Ghost urge Hamlet to do?
Ans. The Ghost urges Hamlet passionately to avenge his father's murder.
Q.26. Who, according to the Ghost, is responsible for his sudden death?
Ans. The Ghost tells Hamlet that although his sudden death was blamed on a serpent sting, he, in fact, was murdered by Claudius, the present King.
Q.27. What does the Ghost tell Hamlet about the manner of his being killed by Claudius?
Ans. The Ghost tells Hamlet that his uncle Claudius poured poison into the King's ears as he lay sleeping in the orchard.
Q.28. Why does the Ghost warn Hamlet to spare his mother?
Ans. While the Ghost of Hamlet's father asks him to avenge his murder, he warns him to spare his mother because her sense of guilt and heaven will punish her.
Q.29. How does Hamlet react to the Ghost's message?
Ans. When the Ghost leaves after delivering the message, Hamlet in an emotional soliloquy says that the Ghost's call for revenge has wiped out everything else in his mind.
Q.30. Why is Ophelia distressed and frightened?
Ans. Ophelia is distressed and frightened, as she reports to her father, by the sudden appearance in her room of a dishevelled Hamlet.
Q.31. What is Polonius's estimate about Hamlet?
Ans. Ophelia's description of Hamlet's abnormal behaviour causes Polonius to think that Hamlet is mad with love-sickness because Ophelia has rejected his attentions.
Q.32. Who act as King's spies against Hamlet?
Ans. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, boyhood friends of Hamlet, act as King's spies against him.
Q-33. What are the names of the ambassadors, sent to Norway by the King?
Ans. Cornelius and Voltimand are sent as ambassadors to Norway for a compromise over Fortinbras's threat of invading Denmark.
Q.34. What play does Hamlet decide to be performed with the company of players?
Ans. Hamlet arranges with the first player for the company to perform the play, The Murder of Gonzago.
Q-35. How does Hamlet plan to entrap King Claudius?
Or.
How does Hamlet plan to prove Claudius' guilt?
Ans. Hamlet outlines his plan to have the players perform The Murder of Gonzago before the King and his court, and watch his reaction to a particular scene to establish his guilt.
Q.36. Why do Claudius and Polonius hide behind a curtain?
Ans. Claudius and Polonius hide behind a curtain to eavesdrop on the conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia.
Q-37. What does Hamlet reflect on in his third soliloquy."To be or not to be"?
Ans. Hamlet, in his third soliloquy "To be or not to be reflects on the notion of suicide as a possible means of escape from life's problems.
Q.38. What is the meaning of "To be or not to be-that is the question"?
Ans. The vital question of life is whether it is better to continue to live on earth or to put an end to this earthly existence.
Q.39. What does Ophelia propose to return to Hamlet?
Ans. Ophelia proposes to return some gifts that he gave her.
Q.40. What questions of Hamlet surprise Ophelia?
Ans. Hamlet's questions 'whether she is honest' and 'whether she is fair' surprise Ophelia.
Q.41. What comment did Hamlet make on 'beauty' and 'honesty'? [DU. (affi) 2015]
Ans. Hamlet comments that beauty has the power to transform honesty to vice, but honesty has little force to make beauty virtuous.
Q.42. Why does Hamlet advise Ophelia to go to a nunnery?
Ans. In order to save Ophelia from the cruel hands of the wicked, Hamlet advises Ophelia to join a nunnery which is free from corruption.
Q.43. What does Ophelia recall about Hamlet's position?
Ans. Ophelia alone in a soliloquy recalls Hamlet's nobility and princely nature which has been ruined by his madness.
Q.44. How does Ophelia lament for Hamlet's madness?
Ans. Ophelia curses herself as the most depressed and unhappy of all women who tasted Hamlet's honey-like and musical words of love but now they are out of tune because of his madness.
Q.45. What role is played by Hamlet during the performance of the play. The Murder of Gonzago?
Ans. Hamlet plays the role of the director during the performance of The Murder of Gonzago before the King and the Queen.
Q.46. What instructions does Hamlet give to the players regarding acting?
Ans. Hamlet instructs the players on how to deliver the dialogues of The Murder of Gonzago, discusses the techniques of acting and warns them against exaggeration of any action.
Q.47. What request does Hamlet make to Horatio during the performance of The Murder of Gonzago?
Ans. Hamlet requests Horatio to observe his uncle's (Claudius's) reaction to one particular speech.
Q.48. How does Hamlet propose to test the truth of the Ghost's message?
Ans. Hamlet proposes to Horatio that if Claudius reacts in a guilty fashion to one particular speech during the performance of The Murder of Gonzago, they will take the Ghost's message to be true or otherwise false.
Q-49. Why does Hamlet sit at Ophelia's feet during the performance of The Murder of Gonzago?
Ans. During the acting of The Murder of Gonzago Hamlet sits at Ophelia's feet rather than next to the Queen, partly to show that his madness is caused by disappointed love, but mainly because he cannot watch the King's face if he sits next to the royal pair.
Q-50. What does the dumb-show represent?
Ans. The dumb-show represents very closely the crime, committed by Claudius, his act of murdering his brother.
Q-51. What is "The Mouse trap"? [NU. 2018]
Ans. When Claudius questions Hamlet about the name of the play-within-the play', he answers that its name is The Mouse trap.
Q.52. How is Claudius proved guilty of murdering his brother?
Ans. While watching similar crime, committed by himself during the acting of The Murder of Gonzago, Claudius suddenly rises and cries out for light, and thus he is proved guilty.
Q-53. What does Claudius reveal in his first soliloquy?
Ans. In his first soliloquy, Claudius reveals that he is tormented by a guilty conscience and agonizes over murdering his brother.
Q.54. To whom does Claudius compare himself in his crime?
Ans. Claudius compares his crime of murdering his brother and taking possession of his wife, to Cain's murder of his brother Abel.
Q.55. What is Claudius's realisation during his prayer?
Ans. Claudius, during his prayer, realizes that a repentant sinner is forgiven but he wonders if he can be forgiven as long as he retains his 'crown, his ambition and his queen'.
Q.56. Why does Hamlet fail to kill the king at prayer?
Ans. Hamlet, a man of religion and morality, thinks that if he kills the King at prayer and sends him to heaven it is not a revenge but a reward. So he fails to kill him.
Q.57. How is Polonius killed by Hamlet?
Or,
How does Polonius die? [NU. 2017]
Ans. Hamlet draws his sword, thrusts it through the tapestry and kills Polonius who, overhearing the hot exchange of words between mother and son from behind the curtain, echoes her calls for help.
Q-58. Does Hamlet kill Polonius willingly?
Ans. No, at a frightened moment Gertrude's calls for help are echoed by Polonius hiding behind the arras. Hamlet instantly draws his sword and stabs the figure behind the arras, thinking it to be the King.
Q-59. How does the Ghost express its soft feelings for the Queen?
Ans. When the Ghost of Hamlet's father appears finally in Act III. Scene 4. it not only reminds Hamlet of his promise of revenge but also prompts him to help his mother in her distress.
Q.60. What is the king's motive in sending Hamlet to England?
Ans. The king's motive in sending Hamlet to England is an intrigue to have him killed there.
Q.61. In what sense are Fortinbras and Hamlet contrasted?[NU 2016]
Or.
How was Fortinbras a foil to Hamlet? [D.U. (affi) 2014.2017]
Ans. Fortinbras, Prince of Norway, is a man of decisive action but Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a man of inaction. Thus, Fortinbras is a foil to Hamlet.
Q.62. Why is Hamlet overwhelmed by Fortinbras's attack on Poland?
Ans. Hamlet is overwhelmed by Fortinbras' large-scale attack on Poland all in the name of honour.
Q.63. What action of Fortinbras makes Hamlet reproach himself?
Ans. Hamlet reproaches himself for his own inaction when he sees Fortinbras prepared to sacrifice twenty thousand men (an army of "landless resolutes") to invade Poland for a little plot of land.
Q.64. What does Hamlet discover in the ship's cabin of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern on his way to England?
Ans. On his way to England Hamlet enters the ship's cabin of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern at night out of curiosity and discovers the sealed packet containing Claudius's instructions to the English King to put him to death.
Q.65. What does Hamlet do after he discovers Claudius letter to the English King?
Acting quickly, Hamlet writes new instructions requesting the English King to execute the agents (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern) who have brought the commission.
Q.66. What does Hamlet do when the pirates attack his ship?
Ans. When the pirates attack Hamlet's ship. Hamlet boards the pirates' ship without delay and was taken prisoner.
Q.67. How do the pirates behave towards Hamlet?
Ans. Hamlet is treated well by the pirates and he returns to Denmark on the condition that he do them a good term.
Q.68. How does Claudius plot against Hamlet in collaboration with Laertes?
Ans. Instigating Laertes against Hamlet as the killer of his father, Claudius formulates a plot with Laertes to murder Hamlet in a fencing match.
Q.69. How many gravediggers does Hamlet meet and why is he shocked?
Ans. Hamlet comes across two gravediggers in the churchyard but he is shocked to hear one of them digging earth and singing without any feeling.
Q.70. Why are the gravediggers introduced in the play?
Ans. The gravediggers are introduced to relieve the audience from the tragic tension of the play.
Q.71. What is comic relief? [NU. 2015]
Ans. In a tragedy, a humorous incident, action, or remark that relieves emotional tension, is called 'comic or dramatic relief.
Q.72. What does Hamlet comment on seeing the gravedigger tossing up a skull?
Ans. On seeing the gravedigger tossing up a skull, Hamlet comments that whatever a man may have been in life, in his death he is just a collection of bones to toss around.
Q.73. Who was Yorick?
Ans. Yorick was the King's jester who died 23 years ago. He was Hamlet's childhood favourite who played games with him.
Q.74. Why is Ophelia given the modified funeral rites?
Ans. Ophelis, as stated by the priest is given modified funeral rites in keeping with her controversial death.
Q.75. Why does Laertes jump into Ophelia's grave?
Ans. Laertes is deeply shocked and unable to restrain himself any longer, he leaps into Ophelia's grave and begs to be buried with his sister.
Q.76. What does Hamlet do to see Laertes jump into Ophelia's grave?
Ans. Seeing Laertes jump into Ophelia's grave Hamlet also leaps into it and they grapple with each other until they are separated by the King's attendants, and they come out of the grave.
Q.. What does Hamlet declare in anger in the graveyard?
Ans. In his anger, Hamlet declares that he loved Ophelia profoundly and that forty thousand brothers could not love her as much as he loved her.
Q.78. What is the last intrigue of Claudius against Hamlet?
Ans. The last intrigue of King Claudius against Hamlet is his arrangement of a fencing-match between Hamlet and Laertes.
Q.79. How does the Queen die?
Ans. During the fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes in the final Scene the Queen picks up the cup of poisoned wine and drinks from it; a little later she faints and falls.
Q.80. How are both Hamlet and Laertes wounded during the fencing match?
Ans. In the third round of the fencing match Laertes wounds Hamlet with the poisoned sword. In confusion both change the swords, and Hamlet then wounds Laertes with the same poisoned sword.
Q.81. What truth does Laertes reveal before his death?
Ans. Before dying, Laertes reveals the truth, the treachery of Claudius, saying to Hamlet "The King, the King's to blame"
Q.82. How does Hamlet kill the King at last?
Ans. Knowing the treachery of Claudius from Laertes, Hamlet turns quickly to the King and strikes him with his poisoned sword and also makes him drink poisoned wine left by his mother.
Q.83. How does Laertes redeem himself to Hamlet?
Ans. Laertes redeems himself by confessing to Hamlet Claudius's part in the treachery. He absolves Hamlet of all blames and they forgive each other.
Q.84. Who remains alive in the last scene of the drama "Hamlet'? [NU. 2014)
Ans. In the last scene only Horatio remains alive to tell Hamlet's tragic story to the world.
Q.85. Who becomes the King of Denmark at the end of the play Hamlet? [N.U. 2014]
Ans. Fortinbras, Prince of Norway, who has just returned from his Polish conquest becomes the King of Denmark at the end of the play Hamlet.
Q.86. What kind of funeral is given to Hamlet's dead body?
Ans. Hamlet, the tragic hero, is given a military funeral with all the due honours at the orders of Fortinbras, the young Prince of Norway, who ascends the vacant throne of Denmark.
Q.87. How is Hamlet betrayed by Ophelia?
Ans. Ophelia betrays Hamlet by returning Hamlet's gifts to her and by acting as a decoy of her father.
Q.88. At which university in Germany had Hamlet been studying?
Or,
What was the name of Hamlet's university? [DU. (affi)2014, 2016]
Ans. Hamlet had been studying at Wittenberg University in Germany.
Q.89. What were the last words Hamlet uttered while he was dying? [D.U. (affi) 2015]
Ans. The last words spoken by Hamlet while he was dying were "The rest is silence".
Q.90. Why does Claudius not punish Hamlet after the murder of Polonius?
Ans. Claudius does not punish Hamlet after the murder of Polonius because of his love for Hamlet's mother and because of Hamlet's popularity with the Danish people.
Q.91. What is the name of the play-within-the play in Hamlet? [NU. 2015, DU. (affi) 2016)
Ans. The name of the play-within-the play in Flamlet is The Murder of Gonzago. Hamlet calls it "The Mouse trap when King Claudius wants to know its name.
Q.92. What is aside? [NU. 2015)
Ans. An aside in a drama is a convention by which actues speak briefly to the audience, supposedly without being beard by the other actors.
Q.93. What is soliloquy? [DU (affi) 2014]
Ans. A soliloquy is a dramatic device in which a character in a play, alone on stage, speaks his or her thoughts aloud.
Q.94. Who says "something is rotten in the state of Denmark"? [NU. 2016]
Ans. Marcellus says, "something is rotten in the state of Denmark at the end of scene IV of Act I in Hamlet.
Q.95. Who is Fortinbras? [NU. 2017]
Ans. Fortinbras is the young Prince of Norway in Hamilet.
Q.96. Who informs Hamlet of the appearance of the ghost? [NU. 2017]
Ans. Horatio, Hamlet's most intimate friend, informs him of the appearance of the ghost.
Q.97. Where did the ghost first appear in Hamlet? [DU. 2014]
Ans. The ghost first appeared on the platform attached to the palace "Elsinore' at midnight.
Q.98. What is an epilogue? [DU. (affi) 2015]
Ans. An epilogue is a concluding section added to a novel, play or long poem. In drama, the epilogue is usually a plea by one of the actors for the goodwill of the audience and favour of the critics.
Q.99. Who is Horatio? [DU (affi) 2016]
Ans. Horatio is the most intimate friend and confidant, and a fellow-student of Hamlet at the Wittenberg University.
Q.100. Who are the boyhood friends of Hamlet? [DU. (af) 2017]
Ans. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are the boyhood friends of Hamlet.
