Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

William Shakespeare

Assessment Manual

THE EMC MASTERPIECE SERIES

Access Editions

SERIES EDITOR
Robert D. Shepherd

EMC/Paradigm Publishing
St. Paul, Minnesota
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For EMC/Paradigm Publishing, St. Paul, Minnesota

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Assistant Editor

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Editorial Design and Production

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President, Executive Editor Production Manager
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Managing Editor Art Director
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Editor Compositor
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Editor
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Associate Editor
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Copyeditor
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Editorial Consultant

Assessment Advisory Board

Dr. Jane Shoaf James Swanson

Educational Consultant Educational Consultant
Edenton, North Carolina Minneapolis, Minnesota
Kendra Sisserson
Facilitator, The Department of
Education, The University of
Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

ISBN 0–8219–1634–3

Copyright © 1998 by EMC Corporation

All rights reserved. The assessment materials in this publication may be photocopied for classroom use
only. No part of this publication may be adapted, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmit-
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 Table of Contents

Notes to the Teacher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

ANSWER KEY
Answers for Act I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Answers for Act II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Answers for Act III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Answers for Act IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Answers for Act V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS
Graphic Organizers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Graphic Organizers Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

VOCABULARY AND LITERARY TERMS REVIEW

Vocabulary Review, Acts I–II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Vocabulary Review, Act III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Vocabulary Review, Acts IV–V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Vocabulary Worksheet, Acts I–II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Vocabulary Worksheet, Act III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Vocabulary Worksheet, Acts IV–V. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Cumulative Vocabulary Exam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Literary Terms Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Literary Terms Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Vocabulary and Literary Terms Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

EXAM MASTERS
Exam, Acts I–II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Exam Answer Key, Acts I–II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Exam, Act III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Exam Answer Key, Act III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Exam, Acts IV–V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Exam Answer Key, Acts IV–V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
© 1998 EMC Corporation

EVALUATION FORMS
Evaluation Form, Writing Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Evaluation Form, Writing Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Evaluation Form, Writing Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Evaluation Form, Compositions/Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Evaluation Form, Analytic Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Evaluation Form, Holistic Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Evaluation Form, Writing: Revising and Proofreading Checklists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Evaluation Form, Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Evaluation Form, Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 1

 Notes to the Teacher

About The EMC Masterpiece Series Access Editions

The EMC Masterpiece Series Access Editions have been designed to make great works of literature
accessible to all levels of students. Each Access Edition contains a complete literary masterpiece as
well as a unique integrated study apparatus crafted to guide the student page by page through
the entire work. This feature does away with the inconvenience of switching between a literary
work and a study guide, since both are included in each Access Edition.

Each EMC Masterpiece Series Access Edition contains the following materials:
• The complete literary work
• A historical introduction including an explanation of literary or philosophical trends
relevant to the work
• A biographical introduction with a time line of the author’s life
• Art, including explanatory illustrations, maps, genealogies, and plot diagrams, as
appropriate to the text
• Study apparatus for each chapter or section, including Guided Reading Questions;
Words for Everyday Use entries for point-of-use vocabulary development; footnotes;
Responding to the Selection questions; Reviewing the Selection questions (including
Recalling, Interpreting, and Synthesizing questions to ensure that your students con-
duct a close and accessible reading of the text); and Understanding Literature questions
• Source materials used by the author of the work (where appropriate)
• A list of topics for creative writing, critical writing, and research projects
• A glossary of Words for Everyday Use
• A handbook of literary terms

FOOTNOTES HORATIO. What, has this thing appear’d again

Footnotes explain 10. Touching. Concerning

11. watch the minutes of this night. Stand guard throughout the night
tonight?
BARNARDO. I have seen nothing.

obscure references, 12. approve our eyes. Confirm what we have seen
13. fortified. Barnardo speaks metaphorically. Attempting to convince
MARCELLUS. Horatio says ’tis but our fantasy,
And will not let belief take hold of him
Why has
Marcellus asked
Horatio is like assailing a fort.
unusual usages, and 14. yond same star . . . pole. Polaris, the North Star, also known as the
Pole Star. This star has long been used by mariners to guide their way.
25 Touching10 this dreaded sight twice seen of us;
Therefore I have entreated him along,
Horatio to come and
stand watch with
him?
15. illume. Illuminate With us to watch the minutes of this night,11
terms meant to enter 16. beating. Tolling
17. In the same figure like. With the same appearance as
That if again this apparition come,
He may approve our eyes12 and speak to it.
students’ passive 18. scholar. Student
19. Mark it. Look at it carefully.
20. harrows. Digs into or disturbs, like a harrow, or plow
30 HORATIO. Tush, tush, ’twill not appear. Does Horatio
believe that
BARNARDO. Sit down a while,
vocabularies 21. usurp’st. Takes possession of without the right to do so. The term
usurp is used to describe the unjust seizure of power from a monarch or And let us once again assail your ears,
Marcellus and
Barnardo have actu-
leader. It is therefore ironic that the term should be used here, given that That are so fortified13 against our story, ally seen a ghost?

© 1998 EMC Corporation

the ghost is that of the rightful king of Denmark. What we have two nights seen.
22. Denmark. King of Denmark. The ruler or lord of a country or
territory was often referred to in Shakespeare’s day by the name of the HORATIO. Well, sit we down,
country or territory, just as today we speak of “the White House” when And let us hear Barnardo speak of this.
Guided Reading we mean the executive branch of government.
23. sometimes. In recent times 35 BARNARDO. Last night of all,
When yond same star that’s westward from the pole14
24. I charge thee. I demand of you

Questions guide Had made his course t’ illume15 that part of heaven
Where now it burns, Marcellus and myself,

students through The bell then beating16 one—

Enter GHOST.

the work by raising 40 MARCELLUS. Peace, break again! thee off! Look where it
comes again!
Whom does the
ghost resemble?

important issues in BARNARDO.

dead.
In the same figure like17 the King that’s

key passages MARCELLUS. Thou art a scholar,18 speak to it, Horatio.

BARNARDO. Looks ’a not like the King? Mark it,19
Why does
Marcellus think that
Horatio should speak
Horatio. to the ghost?
HORATIO. Most like; it harrows20 me with fear and
wonder.
Words for Everyday 45 BARNARDO. It would be spoke to.

Use entries define and MARCELLUS. Speak to it, Horatio.

HORATIO. What art thou that usurp’st21 this time of What was the

give pronunciations for night,

Together with that fair and warlike form
dead king like,
according to
Horatio?
In which the majesty of buried Denmark22

W
difficult terms meant to Words
For
en • treat (en trēt´) vt., beg
ap • pa • ri • tion (äp´ə rish´ ən) n., strange figure that
Did sometimes23 march? By heaven I charge thee24
speak!
enter students’ active Everyday
Use
appears unexpectedly, especially a ghost
as • sail (ə sā l´) adj., attack with arguments 50 MARCELLUS. It is offended.

vocabularies 4 HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK ACT I, SCENE i 5

2 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Notes to the Teacher

Responding to the Selection is a reader

Responding to the Selection response activity designed to connect the
How would you feel if you were Hamlet and had heard news such students emotionally to the literature and allow
as that delivered by the ghost? What would you do if you were in
Hamlet’s position? them to relate the work to their own lives.

Reviewing the Selection

Reviewing the Selection takes students through
Recalling and Interpreting the work step by step, building from their indi-
1. R: What have Barnardo and Marcellus seen twice before during vidual responses a complete interpretation of
their watch?
the work.
2. I: Why does Marcellus ask Horatio to join in the watch?
3. R: What has young Fortinbras of Norway recently done? Recalling questions address comprehension of
4. I: Why are the people of Denmark preparing for war? key facts from the selection.
5. R: According to Horatio, what happened in Rome shortly before
Julius Caesar was assassinated?
6. I: What possible explanation occurs to Barnardo for the appearance Interpreting questions evoke interpretations
of the ghost at this time? based on evidence from the selection.
Synthesizing
7. What unnatural events have occurred recently in Denmark? What
does Hamlet vow to set right? What factors in Hamlet’s character lead
to this decision?
8. Hamlet wonders aloud whether the ghost is a heavenly or diaboli-
cal spirit. Which do you think it is? Why? Give evidence from the text
Synthesizing questions tie together interpretations
to support your answer. of parts of the selection and prompt students to
make informed generalizations that relate the
Understanding Literature (QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION) selection to larger themes or literary trends.
1. Central Conflict and Inciting Incident. A central conflict is the
primary struggle dealt with in the plot of a story or drama. The incit-
ing incident is the event that introduces the central conflict. What
central conflict is introduced in act I of Hamlet? What incident intro-
duces this conflict?
2. Mood. Mood, or atmosphere, is the emotion created in the Understanding Literature questions provide
reader by part or all of a literary work. What is the predominant mood
of the opening of Hamlet? What descriptions, events, and pieces of study of literary movements, genres, and tech-
dialogue create this mood? niques as they relate to the literary work.
3. Irony. Irony is a difference between appearance and reality. How
would you describe Claudius’s manner in scene ii of act I? What is
ironic about the way in which Claudius presents himself?

How the Assessment Manual Is Organized

This Assessment Manual is divided into five parts: the Access Edition answer key, which provides
answers to the Reviewing the Selection and Understanding Literature questions in the text; a
© 1998 EMC Corporation

selection of activities that allow students to use graphic organizers to further their comprehen-
sion of the work; a vocabulary and literary terms review, which tests students’ knowledge of
the Words for Everyday Use and literary terms defined in the work; the exam masters, which
contain three full exams that test students’ overall comprehension of the work through both
objective and essay questions; and evaluation forms for self-, peer, and teacher assessment of
creative writing, critical writing, and research projects.

How to Use the Access Edition Answer Key

The Access Edition answer key contains answers to the Reviewing the Selection and Understanding
Literature questions included in the Access Edition. In some cases, where no specific answer is
required, possible responses are given. You will notice that no answers are provided for the Guided
Reading Questions found throughout the Access Edition. This is because the answers to the
Guided Reading Questions can be easily found in the text in the passages marked by gray bars.

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 3

 Notes to the Teacher

How to Use the Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers enable students to represent in a visual way information about the plot or
characters in a book. The activities in the second section of this manual ask students to use
graphic organizers, such as gradient scales, cluster charts, Venn diagrams, sequence charts, story
maps, and Freytag’s Pyramid, to examine certain aspects of the literary work.

You can use the graphic organizers in this book in a variety of ways to supplement your lesson
plan. For your convenience, they are designed as blackline masters. They can be assigned for stu-
dents to complete as they read the work as a way to promote active reading, after students have
read the book as a way to explore the book in more depth, or as a study aid before the test as a
way to review ideas presented in the book. These activities can also be incorporated into a
midterm or final exam.

Vocabulary and Literary Terms Review

The vocabulary review tests students’ comprehension of the Words for Everyday Use defined in
the Access Edition. Because active vocabulary is learned most effectively in context, the vocabu-
lary review is conducted contextually; the review exercises involve sentence completion that
draws from the Words for Everyday Use. The vocabulary assessment includes vocabulary hand-
outs, pre-tests, and separate vocabulary tests. A vocabulary section is included in each of the
exams in the exam masters section. The literary terms review tests students’ comprehension of
the literary terms defined in the Understanding Literature section of the Access Edition. Students’
understanding of these terms is also tested in each of the exams in the exam masters section.

How to Use the Exam Masters

The exam masters section contains three exams: one which tests students’ recall and interpreta-
tion of acts I and II of the play, one which tests them on act III, and one which tests them on acts
IV and V. These tests can be used separately, or they can be combined in any fashion you choose.
You may decide to use multiple choice and/or matching as check tests in conjunction with dis-
cussion, for example. Or you may decide to incorporate graphic organizers into the exams.

Each test is worth 100 points and consists of objective questions in the form of multiple choice
and matching, as well as quote identification, short essay, and long essay questions. Answers, or
possible responses, are given for all exam questions. Note: You can use ScanTron answer sheets © 1998 EMC Corporation
to correct the objective part of the test.

How to Use the Evaluation Forms

The Assessment Manual contains evaluation forms to help you assess student performance across
the entire range of language arts skills. The forms include writing evaluation forms, a project eval-
uation form, and a revision and proofreading checklist that can be used for writing instruction.

4 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

Access Edition
Answer Key
 Answer Key
Act I
Answers for Reviewing the Selection, page 50
Recalling and Interpreting
1. R: They have seen the ghost of the late King Hamlet.
2. I: Marcellus has asked Horatio to join in the watch to confirm what they have seen.
Marcellus also hopes that, because Horatio is a learned man, he will know how to
speak to the ghost to find out what it wants.
3. R: Fortinbras has raised a band of “lawless resolutes” with the purpose of invading
Denmark to recapture land lost by his father to the late King Hamlet.
4. I: The people of Denmark are preparing for war because of the threat posed by
Fortinbras.
5. R: Horatio says that prior to the assassination of Julius Caesar, there were many dis-
turbances in the natural order. The dead “Did squeak and gibber” in the streets.
There were comets, dews of blood, “Disasters in the sun,” and an eclipse of the
moon.
6. I: Barnardo says that the appearance of the late king’s ghost might have something
to do with Fortinbras’s planned invasion of Denmark, because the late king was
involved in wars between Norway and Denmark.
7. R: Hamlet, the king of Denmark, has recently died. His widow, Gertrude, has mar-
ried King Hamlet’s brother, Claudius. Claudius and Gertrude now rule as king and
queen.
8. I: Hamlet is extremely unhappy about these events. When Claudius refers to Hamlet
as his son, Hamlet responds bitterly that Claudius is “A little more than kin, and less
than kind” and says that he is “too much i’ the sun,” meaning that being Claudius’s
“son” is what upsets him. Hamlet still dresses in mourning black and has shown so
much grief that Claudius and Gertrude feel it necessary to speak to him about his
overzealous sorrow.
9. R: They ask Hamlet to stop grieving so inconsolably for the loss of his father and ask
him to return to Wittenberg, where he has been a student.
10. I: In response to his mother’s request that he not return to Wittenberg, Hamlet says,
© 1998 EMC Corporation

“I shall in all my best obey you, madam,” but the soliloquy that follows (“O that this
too too solid flesh would melt”) makes plain that Hamlet has no intention of casting
off his grief or his rage at the hasty marriage of his mother to Claudius.
11. R: Laertes tells his sister to think of “the trifling” of Hamlet’s “favor” as no more than
“a fashion” or “a toy in blood.” He explains that Hamlet, being heir to the throne,
cannot choose for his mate whomever he wishes, for the fate of Denmark depends
on his choice. In short, he tells her to be wary of Hamlet and not to compromise her
reputation.
12. I: Laertes’s advice implies that young men in general, and Hamlet in particular, are
driven by their passions and cannot be depended on.
13. R: Polonius detains his son in order to give him extensive advice on proper behavior.

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 7

 Answer Key
Act I (cont.)

14. I: Polonius is a long-winded, meddlesome fool whose good advice is undercut by his
lack of self-awareness. His foolishness is evident when he first chides Laertes for not
already being aboard the ship, and then detains him further.
15. R: Polonius tells his daughter that she must stop seeing Hamlet. He says that
Hamlet’s “tenders of affection” are “unholy suits” whose purpose is to “beguile”
Ophelia. He is afraid that his daughter’s actions might compromise both her honor
and his own.
16. I: Responses will vary. Students may criticize Polonius’s autocratic way of dealing with
his daughter, but you may wish to point out to them that in Shakespeare’s day,
absolute obedience to a father’s command was considered proper. Furthermore,
given the intrigues of Renaissance courts (and Elsinore in this play is much more a
Renaissance court than the medieval one of the old Amleth story), Polonius does
have reason to be cautious.
17. R: The ghost reveals to Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius before he had a
chance to confess his sins and must suffer the fires of purgatory as a result. It further
reveals—and this fact is important for understanding the extreme anger Hamlet dis-
plays later in the play—that Claudius has “With witchcraft of his wits” seduced and
“won to his shameful lust / The will of my most seeming virtuous queen.” The
ghost’s comments, and Hamlet’s subsequent reactions, indicate that Claudius and
Gertrude had an adulterous relationship before the death of the king.
18. I: Responses will vary. This is a much debated question. Most critics agree that
Hamlet pretends madness in order to confuse the king and deflect attention away
from his intent to commit murder. In the original story on which Shakespeare based
his play, Amleth’s motivation is clearer. He is a child, and there is a real threat that
the usurper king might kill him. Shakespeare, however, made Hamlet older than
Amleth and also made Hamlet so beloved by the queen and the common people
that Claudius was afraid to act against him. This caused critics to debate the reason
for Hamlet’s feigned madness for centuries. Some scholars—T. S. Eliot, for exam-
ple—have claimed that there simply is no sufficient explanation for this pretense in
the play. Others have argued that Hamlet does not just feign madness but that he

© 1998 EMC Corporation

is, in fact, mad and under the influence of an evil spirit. This last view is not widely
accepted.

Synthesizing
Responses will vary. Possible responses are given.
19. The unnatural events are fratricide, regicide, adultery, and incest. (According to the
laws of the church during Elizabethan times, marrying one’s brother- or sister-in-law
was considered incest.) Hamlet vows to set these right by taking revenge on Claudius
and ascending the throne himself. Hamlet’s duty to and love for his father, his
passionate disposition, and his understanding that he was “born to set it right” all
contribute to his decision.
20. Responses will vary. Students might argue that the ghost is diabolical, or at least not
heavenly, as his call for revenge urges Hamlet to commit a terrible act. They may

8 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Answer Key
Act I (cont.)

also point out that the ghost shows little concern for Hamlet’s welfare, but only
insists that Hamlet must take revenge. Others might say that the ghost is probably
not a diabolical spirit, since it speaks in an authoritative, kingly manner and explicitly
requests that Hamlet not exact revenge on Gertrude.

Answers for Understanding Literature, page 51

1. Central Conflict and Inciting Incident. On a literal level, the central conflict is
between Hamlet and Claudius. Another conflict, however, rages within Hamlet—the
conflict between his tendency to brood and deliberate and the demand that he take
immediate action. The central conflict is introduced when the ghost appears to
Hamlet and reveals Claudius’s treachery.
2. Mood. The mood of the opening is ominous. It is bitterly cold. The sentries are
nervous, having twice before seen a ghost, and the whole country is tense and
preparing for war. When the ghost appears, it is a sight that makes “night hideous,”
and it tells of horrific deeds. This feeling of foreboding is intensified when Horatio
speaks of the unnatural portents that preceded the murder of Caesar in Rome.
3. Irony. In act I, scene ii, Claudius presents himself as an able king dealing adroitly
with a crisis of state. He also presents himself as a caring husband and a concerned
and loving stepfather. This presentation of himself is ironic, given that the audience
and Hamlet have just been told that Claudius has committed fratricide, regicide, and
adultery.
4. Foil. Both are the sons and namesakes of Scandinavian kings who are now dead. In
both cases, an uncle now rules in the dead king’s place. Both sons wish to take
revenge for an outrage committed against their fathers.
5. Theme. The ghost of King Hamlet is condemned to walk the earth during the night
and to spend its days in flames because the king was killed without having had the
chance to confess and receive absolution for his sins. Hamlet is asked to take
revenge on Claudius because Claudius has murdered Hamlet’s father and seduced
his mother. Whether it is morally right for Hamlet to undertake this revenge is
debatable. Some students might argue that Hamlet has every right to take revenge
© 1998 EMC Corporation

given the extremity of the crimes committed against his father. Others will say that
Hamlet should leave such exacting of justice to the law or to God.

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 9

 Answer Key
Act II
Answers for Reviewing the Selection, page 90
Recalling and Interpreting
1. R: Polonius sends Reynaldo to spy on his son. He tells Reynaldo to falsely claim that
Laertes has committed immoral acts in order to hear what people who know Laertes
will say about his conduct.
2. I: Polonius is a deceitful, underhanded man. He distrusts everyone, and thinks his
son capable of all kinds of vices. Polonius may distrust his son because he, himself,
committed many misdeeds as a youth.
3. R: Ophelia comes to see her father because Hamlet has burst into her chamber with
his clothes awry and with a “piteous” expression on his face. Her description of
Hamlet’s appearance and actions lead both Polonius and Ophelia to conclude that
Hamlet has been driven mad over his unrequited love for Ophelia.
4. I: Responses will vary. Some students will see Hamlet’s actions toward Ophelia in this
act as a sign of his distress that Ophelia seems to be ending their relationship.
Others will see his actions as an attempt to pretend madness in order to carry out
his plan for revenge.
5. R: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were childhood companions of Hamlet who also
studied with him at Wittenberg. Claudius and Gertrude bring them to court so that
they can get close to Hamlet and find out what is troubling him.
6. I: In both cases, parents send people to spy on their sons.
7. R: Norway has stopped Fortinbras’s planned invasion of Denmark and has sent
Fortinbras’s forces to battle Poland instead. The king of Norway requests that
Claudius grant Fortinbras safe passage through Denmark on his way to Poland.
8. I: Claudius does behave in a wise and kingly manner. By sending the ambassadors
he averts the danger of war, and his desire to consider the king of Norway’s request
before acting on it shows judiciousness.
9. R: Polonius says that Hamlet has gone insane because of unrequited love for
Ophelia. Polonius suggests that he and Claudius hide and eavesdrop on a conversa-
tion between Ophelia and Hamlet to test this theory.
10. I: Students may disagree as to whether spying on Hamlet is morally correct. Such © 1998 EMC Corporation
deceitfulness would ordinarily be considered wrong, but governments frequently
engage in spying and, in this play, Claudius and Polonius are the highest officials of
the government of Denmark. Given that Hamlet is the likely successor to the throne,
his state of mind is a legitimate concern of the government. Despite these argu-
ments, most students will conclude that Polonius’s suggestion is immoral, citing the
fact that neither Claudius nor Polonius has Hamlet’s best interests in mind.
11. R: Hamlet calls Polonius “Jephthah, judge of Israel.” He then tells Polonius what a
treasure he had.
12. I: As a footnote in the text points out, Jephthah inadvertently sacrificed his only
daughter in exchange for victory at war. Hamlet may perceive Polonius as sacrificing
Ophelia’s happiness for his own reasons. In this way, both Polonius and Jephthah

10 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Answer Key
Act II (cont.)

restrict their daughters from living normal lives. Hamlet, by calling Polonius
“Jephthah,” advises Polonius that he is aware of the way Polonius is meddling in
their relationship.
13. R: Hamlet says that Denmark is a prison. He then says that the world has many pris-
ons and that Denmark is the worst of these. Hamlet demands that Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern be truthful about why they have come to Denmark.
14. I: Hamlet’s mood in act II is depressed and despondent. At least, this is the appear-
ance that Hamlet projects. He does not treat his old companions with genuine
warmth and welcome because he realizes that Gertrude and Claudius intend to use
these two men to spy on him.
15. R: Hamlet calls the air “a foul and pestilent congregation of vapors.” He calls the
earth “a sterile promontory.” He says that humans are a “quintessence of dust” and
that neither men nor women delight him.
16. I: Responses will vary. Some students may think that Hamlet says these things merely
to confuse Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and to keep up his pretense of extreme
melancholy, or depression. If Hamlet genuinely has such opinions, then he is indeed
melancholy, most likely because he is disturbed by the murder of his father, the
adulterous relationship between his mother and uncle, and Ophelia’s apparent rejec-
tion of him.
17. R: Hamlet asks the player to recite a scene in which Aeneas tells Dido about
Hecuba’s response to seeing her husband murdered by Pyrrhus. Hamlet is embar-
rassed by the fact that the player, to whom Hecuba is only a mythic character,
shouts with passion and even weeps aloud at the plight of Hecuba, whereas he,
Hamlet, having real cause to feel pain and outrage, says and does nothing. Hamlet
concludes that he is a coward and lacks the “gall” to be motivated to action. He
resolves to find out whether Claudius is guilty, and devises a plan to test the king.
18. I: The speech recounts the bloody revenge taken by Pyrrhus for the death of his
father, Achilles. Hamlet probably wants to hear this speech because the situation of
Pyrrhus parallels his own. He might hope to become inspired by the story to act as
Pyrrhus does. Hamlet reacts as he does because he is ashamed that he has not yet
avenged his father.
© 1998 EMC Corporation

Synthesizing
Responses will vary. Possible responses are given.
19. Students should note that Hamlet is deeply despondent over the death of his father,
over the adulterous relationship of his mother and Claudius, and possibly over
Ophelia’s rejection of him. As revealed in Hamlet’s final soliloquy in act II, he is angry
at himself for not having taken action yet, but has hesitated because he fears the
ghost may have lied. Students will likely note that Hamlet is not insane: as Polonius
senses, he has his wits about him and there is “method” in his madness. As evidence
that Hamlet is sane, they may say that Hamlet’s apparently nonsensical lines have
real meaning, and his thoughtful soliloquies show that he is capable of analyzing his
situation. (Other students may take a more extreme view, advanced by some critics,
that Hamlet truly is insane and has been tempted by a demon.)

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 11

 Answer Key
Act II (cont.)

20. Most students will say that Hamlet pretends madness in order to distract everyone
while he plots revenge against Claudius. Some might suggest that Hamlet wants to
spy on Claudius, and that he hopes that if Claudius considers him insane, the king
will be less cautious and may accidentally reveal his guilt. Hamlet says that he plans
to stage the play because the ghost may be a “dev’l” tempting him to do evil, and
he wants proof that Claudius really did kill King Hamlet. The question of why
Hamlet delays in taking his revenge is much debated. Reasons include Hamlet’s
uncertainty about whether Claudius is truly guilty, and his fears of damnation.
Hamlet himself concludes that he is a coward who lacks the “gall” to incite himself
to action. Another explanation for the delay is that Hamlet simply is not a man of
action like his father or Fortinbras, but rather a scholarly person who tends to reflect
rather than act.

Answers for Understanding Literature, page 92

Responses will vary. Possible responses are given.
1. Foil. Pyrrhus, like Hamlet, has had a father murdered and wants to take revenge for his
father’s death. Unlike Hamlet, Pyrrhus exacts his revenge quickly. He is an archetypal
hero, a man of action, whereas Hamlet is not. Hamlet compares himself to the player,
saying that the player, who has no personal reason for showing emotion over what is
merely a mythic tale, nonetheless speaks with great passion and weeps for Hecuba,
whereas Hamlet has great personal cause for outrage, but, to his shame, he says and
does nothing.
2. Soliloquy. Hamlet calls himself a “rogue” and “peasant slave,” asks himself whether
he is a coward, suggests that he lacks “gall / To make oppression bitter,” and
describes himself as one who “unpacks” his heart with words rather than actions.
Hamlet curses himself because he has not yet taken revenge on Claudius. Students’
assessments of Hamlet will vary. At the end of act II, Hamlet resolves to test whether
Claudius murdered his father by presenting a play that might stir the king to reveal
his guilt.
3. Psychodrama. Hamlet has a melancholic personality. His soliloquies are often reflec-
tive and bitter. Even before he learns from the ghost about the murder of his father
and about his mother’s adultery, he contemplates suicide, saying that he wishes that © 1998 EMC Corporation
“the Everlasting had not fix’d / His canon ’gainst self-slaughter.” Throughout act II,
he expresses extreme despondency and a distaste for all that life has to offer—love
and marriage; childrearing; the earth and air; Denmark, which he calls a “prison”;
and the company of men and women.
4. Protagonist and Antagonist. The protagonist of this play is Hamlet. The major
antagonist is Claudius. The external conflict between the two men is one of the
major conflicts in the play. The other major conflict rages within Hamlet, who is torn
between the need to take revenge and his own reluctance to act. In this internal
conflict, Hamlet often acts as his own antagonist, cursing himself and wishing him-
self dead.

12 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Answer Key
Act III
Answers for Reviewing the Selection, page 142
Recalling and Interpreting
1. R: Most students will agree that in the “To be, or not to be” soliloquy, Hamlet is
contemplating suicide. He refers to suicide as “a consummation / Devoutly to be
wished.” An alternate reading of the soliloquy is that Hamlet is considering the con-
sequences of acting versus not acting. According to this view, “to be” means “to
act,” and Hamlet’s statement that a man “might his quietus make / With a bare
bodkin” refers not to killing oneself with a dagger, but to killing the person who is
the cause of one’s troubles. However, this interpretation is difficult to support, and,
as you might point out to students, it violates Occam’s Razor, the principle that sug-
gests that the simplest explanation is most often the correct one.
2. I: Hamlet says that despite their suffering, people refrain from killing themselves
because of their moral conscience, their “dread of something after death.” He goes
on to say that conscience renders people unable to take any sort of action. In delib-
erating, Hamlet says, people cause “the native hue of resolution” to become “sick-
lied o’er with the pale cast of thought.” Thinking too much, and worrying about
what is morally correct, weakens people’s resolve to act.
3. R: Hamlet asks Ophelia whether she is honest, or chaste. He also asks if she is fair,
meaning physically attractive. He then tells her that she should enter a nunnery,
where she will not be a “breeder of sinners.”
4. I: Hamlet violently rejects women, love, romance, and marriage. He might feel this
way because he is hurt by Ophelia’s rejection of him, and especially because he has
witnessed his mother’s unfaithfulness to his father. Earlier, in act I, Hamlet accuses
women of being morally weak, saying “Frailty, thy name is woman.” This is evidence
that his disgust for Gertrude’s actions has influenced the way he regards all women,
including Ophelia.
5. R: Claudius concludes that “His affections do not that way tend” (i.e., that Hamlet is
not in love with Ophelia) and that he is upset about something else “O’er which his
melancholy sits on brood.”
6. I: Claudius says that he fears Hamlet could be dangerous. He decides to send
© 1998 EMC Corporation

Hamlet to England on the pretext of “the demand of our neglected tribute.” (At the
time the play is set, England owes payments to Denmark.) Claudius also tells
Polonius that perhaps travel will help Hamlet “expel / This something-settled matter
in his heart”—that is, that travel might stop Hamlet from brooding and bring him
back to his former self.
7. R: Hamlet says that “the purpose of playing… was and is, to hold as ’twere the mir-
ror up to nature.” In other words, actors should imitate real life.
8. I: Hamlet hopes that the play will imitate reality so successfully that the king will
reveal his guilt.
9. R: Hamlet asks Horatio to watch Claudius for any sign of guilt.

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 13

 Answer Key
Act III (cont.)
10. I: Hamlet thinks highly of Horatio’s judgment, saying that Horatio’s blood (meaning
passion) and judgment are well balanced. He also admires Horatio’s even temper—
his ability to bear good or ill fortune “with equal thanks.”
11. R: Hamlet makes lewd comments and suggests that Ophelia has a lover.
12. I: Hamlet apparently believes Ophelia is unchaste and suspects she has a lover. He
might believe this because Gertrude’s actions lead him to distrust all women, and
because Ophelia has rejected him without explaining why. In any case, Hamlet is
bitter and angry because Ophelia has scorned him. (Note: Some critics suggest that
Hamlet and Ophelia have had sexual relations and that Hamlet, after learning of
Gertrude’s adultery, becomes disgusted not only with her but also with Ophelia and
himself for their immorality. Such a view can be supported, but is open to debate.)
13. R: The actual name of the play is “The Murder of Gonzago.” Hamlet calls the play
“The Mouse-trap.”
14. I: Hamlet calls the play “The Mouse-trap” because he is using it to capture Claudius,
who is in his eyes not a royal lion but a mere mouse. Most critics concur with
Hamlet and Horatio that Claudius’s reaction reveals both his guilt and the truthful-
ness of the ghost.
15. R: Hamlet commands Guildenstern to play a recorder.
16. I: Hamlet demands that Guildenstern play the recorder in order to make the point
that Guildenstern, who does not have the ability to play as simple an instrument as
a recorder, certainly does not have the skill that it would take “to play upon” Hamlet
—that is, to manipulate Hamlet and make him “speak,” or reveal his plans.
17. R: He cautions himself not to allow his anger to become monstrous, and says he
must not be like Nero, who killed his mother. Before he goes to see Gertrude, he
resolves to “speak daggers to her, but use none.”
18. I: Hamlet is in a black, foul, murderous mood. He says that he could “drink hot
blood / And do such bitter business as the day / Would quake to look on.”
19. R: Claudius is attempting to pray. Hamlet does not kill him because he assumes that
Claudius is confessing his sins to God and asking forgiveness, and that if Claudius
dies at this point, he will go to heaven with his sins absolved. Hamlet wants
Claudius to die in a sinful state and be sent to hell. © 1998 EMC Corporation
20. I: Hamlet’s decision is ironic because while Claudius appears to be praying, he is
actually unable to pray for God’s forgiveness and be absolved of his sin. If Hamlet
were to kill him at this point, he would go to hell.
21. R: Polonius hides behind an arras, or a hanging tapestry, in Gertrude’s bedchamber.
He intends to eavesdrop on the conversation between Hamlet and Gertrude. He
shouts for help when he hears Gertrude cry out, fearing the enraged Hamlet intends
to kill her. Hamlet, thinking he is Claudius, kills him with a sword.
22. I: The underhanded Polonius often spies on people, and as Hamlet says, he learns
the lesson that “to be too busy is some danger.” Some students may agree with
Hamlet that Polonius gets what he deserves. Others may say that although Polonius
is dishonest and meddlesome, he does not deserve such a harsh fate.

14 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Answer Key
Act III (cont.)

23. R: Hamlet accuses his mother of behaving like a harlot and being false to her mar-
riage vows. After he kills Polonius, and Gertrude asks him what he has done, he says
he has done a deed almost as bad “As kill a king, and marry with his brother.”
Hamlet asks Gertrude to compare portraits of Claudius and the late King Hamlet,
Gertrude’s former husband, saying that her current husband, “like a mildewed ear,”
has “blast[ed] his wholesome brother.” Gertrude is shocked when Hamlet suggests
Claudius killed King Hamlet. She says that Hamlet has turned her eyes into her very
soul, where she sees “such black and grained spots / As will not leave their tinct”—
in other words, that she recognizes sins or blemishes so black and ingrained in her-
self that they will not fade. She begs Hamlet to speak no more, because his words
are “like daggers,” and finally says that Hamlet has broken her heart in two.
24. I: Gertrude probably feels guilty because she committed adultery with her husband’s
brother, Claudius, and then married him. However, her shocked reaction suggests
she did not know that her first husband was murdered, and that she had nothing to
do with that crime. Her statement that Hamlet has split her heart in two might refer
to the fact that she loves Claudius and does not want to give him up, yet with the
same heart she also loves her son and regrets her betrayal of his father. Her heart is
divided because she cannot reconcile the two loves.
25. R: The ghost appears, saying that it has come to whet Hamlet’s “almost blunted
purpose.” In this metaphor, the ghost uses imagery pertaining to a knife or dagger
(the words whet and blunted) to refer to the kind of revenge he wishes Hamlet to
exact upon Claudius.
26. I: Gertrude concludes that her son is mad and experiencing hallucinations. She
exclaims in disbelief, “This is the very coinage of your brain.” Hamlet responds that
it is not his madness, but her sins, that summon the ghost. At the end of the scene,
Hamlet tells his mother that he is sane, and is only pretending madness. However, it
is unclear whether Gertrude is convinced.
27. R: Hamlet says that because he has killed Polonius, he will be sent to England.
28. I: Hamlet regards Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as fanged snakes ordered to bring
him harm. He says in regard to them that he will make “the enginer / Hoist with
his own petar.” In other words, Hamlet plans to blow them up with their own
© 1998 EMC Corporation

bomb—he will use their own strategy against them. So far, it is unclear how Hamlet
will do this.

Synthesizing
Responses will vary. Possible responses are given.
29. Hamlet has indeed acted as a scourge, or whip, punishing everyone for what he sees
as their sins or faults. He seems to believe that his role is to serve justice not only to
Claudius, but to everyone around him. Believing Ophelia has been dishonest and
unchaste, he orders her to enter a nunnery. He ridicules Polonius for being nosy and
foolish, and when he accidentally kills the old councilor, he suggests that Polonius
has received just punishment for his spying. Hamlet castigates Gertrude, accusing
her harshly of adultery and immorality. He is lenient in his punishment of her only

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 15

 Answer Key
Act III (cont.)

because his father’s ghost has instructed him to “Leave her to heaven.” He spares
Claudius temporarily because he decides that Claudius deserves the ultimate punish-
ment: damnation to hell. Although Hamlet does not say explicitly what punishment
he has planned for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, he implies that he will use their
own strategy against them.
30. Most students will agree that Hamlet’s behavior toward Ophelia is not just or
morally correct. Students’ opinions about his behavior toward other characters—
Polonius, Gertrude, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Claudius—may vary. Most
will agree that the murder of Polonius is unjust, and will be shocked at Hamlet’s lack
of remorse. Some students may criticize Hamlet for speaking disrespectfully to his
mother, but most will argue that Hamlet is, as he says, being cruel to be kind, and
that he attempts to bring her back to the path of virtue. At this point in the play,
Hamlet has merely treated Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with scorn, which they
deserve for being willing to spy on their old companion in order to advance them-
selves. He also implies that he will punish them in some way. It is unclear whether
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern know that they are taking Hamlet to his death.
Students who believe they are innocent may say that Hamlet is taking his punish-
ments too far. Others will say that Hamlet’s plans are just, since the two have
betrayed him.

Answers for Understanding Literature, page 144

Responses will vary. Possible responses are given.
1. Aside. The aside reveals that Claudius truly did kill King Hamlet, and that he feels
tremendous guilt over the deed.
2. Irony and Cliché. Examples of pious clichés may be found in Claudius’s address to
the court in act I, scene ii, lines 1–25 (“Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s
death / The memory be green…”), in Polonius’s advice to Laertes in act I, scene iii,
lines 59–81 (“Give thy thoughts no tongue…”), and in act III, scene i, lines 46–48,
when Polonius tells Ophelia that “with devotion’s visage / And pious action we do
sugar o’er / The devil himself.” Ironically, neither Claudius and Polonius can live up
to his own pious words. Both are deceitful, immoral hypocrites. Claudius is the most
hypocritical, having killed his brother, compromised his brother’s wife, stolen the © 1998 EMC Corporation
crown, and then pretended to be a good and noble king. Polonius is a hypocrite as
well: after entreating Laertes to lead a virtuous life, the old councilor sends someone
to spy on his son. Later, he spies on Hamlet as well.
3. Soliloquy. The standard interpretation of the “To be, or not to be” soliloquy is that
Hamlet is contemplating suicide. He characterizes killing oneself as “[taking] arms
against a sea of troubles,” as though suicide were a heroic action. He says that to
die, to end his pain and suffering, would be a wonderful thing, but then worries
what might happen after death. Hamlet says that people would kill themselves
rather than endure the many evils of this “weary life,” if it were not for “dread of
something after death, / The undiscover’d country.” Hamlet concludes that this is
but one example of a more general problem: the fact that analyzing too much
weakens a person’s resolve to act.

16 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Answer Key
Act III (cont.)

A less common interpretation maintains that Hamlet is considering not suicide

but whether he should take action against Claudius. According to this view, “to be”
means “to act”—to be a man of action—and “not to be” means not to act. Hamlet
implies that if he does not act, he does not truly exist. On the other hand, he wor-
ries that if he commits revenge, stabbing Claudius with a “bare bodkin,” he may be
punished in the afterlife for doing so.
In the second soliloquy of act II, Hamlet describes the hour as the “witching time
of night” and says he is capable of drinking hot blood (as witches were said to do)
and of committing acts so horrible that the day “would quake to look on [them].”
Now that he knows the king is guilty, Hamlet is ready to take revenge. He is far
more reckless and prepared for action than in his first soliloquy. Before going to see
Gertrude, Hamlet must actually warn himself not to kill her, not to let “The soul of
Nero enter [his] firm bosom.” He resolves to “speak daggers to her, but use none.”
4. Motivation. Until this point in the play, we have not seen Hamlet treat Ophelia
unkindly. Various interpretations of Ophelia’s remark are possible. Perhaps Ophelia
has interpreted Hamlet’s insane behavior as unkind. Or perhaps she only calls him
unkind in order to provoke a declaration of love from him. Ophelia has been unkind
to Hamlet by refusing to see him and not explaining why. Students may say that
Hamlet responds angrily because Ophelia calls him unkind, whereas it is she who
has refused to see him. Other students may suggest that Hamlet is angry because he
knows Polonius and the king are spying on them, and thinks Ophelia, too, is con-
spiring against him. Or, he might treat her cruelly in order to mislead the spies.
Hamlet accuses Ophelia of being unchaste. He goes on to say that all women make
“monsters,” or cuckolds, of their husbands, and that all men are “arrant knaves”
who cannot be trusted. Hamlet probably feels as he does about women and mar-
riage because his mother has married the man who killed his father. Responses will
vary as to whether Hamlet’s feelings are justified.
5. Drama. Hamlet has the Mouse-trap play performed in hopes that it will trick
Claudius into revealing his guilt. The plot of the drama is similar to the events that
have occurred in the court: a queen marries the man who poisons her husband. As a
result of this drama within a drama, Hamlet sees evidence that Claudius is indeed
guilty. The king reveals his guilt when he becomes disturbed during the
© 1998 EMC Corporation

poisoning scene and stands up, calling for lights to end the play.
6. Theme. Claudius is unable to ask for forgiveness because he realizes the hypocrisy of
such an act—he cannot truly repent if he does not relinquish the kingship, end his
marriage to Gertrude, and publicly admit his guilt in the murder. Ironically, Hamlet
spares Claudius’s life because he sees him at prayer and assumes his uncle is receiv-
ing absolution for his sins. He reasons that if Claudius dies at this point, he might
enter heaven—and Hamlet wants to send the king to hell. Many people, including
the critic Samuel Johnson, have been horrified by the idea that anyone would take
revenge so far as to ensure that a person would be condemned to hell. Killing
Claudius is not enough for Hamlet: he wants the king to suffer for all eternity.

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 17

 Answer Key
Act III (cont.)

7. Mimesis. Hamlet says that a playwright should use as much modesty as cunning and
that a player should not overstep “the modesty of nature.” To Hamlet, the purpose
of a play is “to hold a mirror up to nature”—to portray how things really are. Drama
has the value of helping us understand ourselves and our times. A bad performance
involves overacting, typified by the ranting actor who “out-Herods Herod,” diverting
attention from the play and toward the actor instead. According to Hamlet, the best
actor knows how to “Suit the action to the word, the word to the action.”
8. Freudian Criticism and the Oedipus Complex. According to the Freudian theory,
Claudius has carried out Hamlet’s own suppressed fantasy of killing his father and
taking his father’s place with his mother. As suggested by Freud in the quote,
Hamlet may be delaying because he hesitates to condemn Claudius for doing some-
thing that he himself secretly wants to do. His behavior toward Ophelia can be
explained by the fact that Hamlet has a distaste for all sexuality, since he is disgusted
by his own urges to be with his mother. His suicidal tendencies and his distaste for
life stem from the fact that he loathes his secret desires and hates himself for having
them. Freudian theory would hold that Hamlet’s behavior in the “closet scene,” and
especially the way he lingers on the details of Gertrude’s sexual relationship with
Claudius, reveals both jealousy and disgust about his own suppressed desires.
9. Motivation and Irony of Situation. This action demonstrates irony of situation in
that it violates Hamlet’s own expectations. Given that Hamlet’s motivation is to
avenge the wrongful death of his father, it is ironic that when he stabs at the arras,
thinking he is rightfully putting Claudius to death, he kills Polonius, Laertes’s father.
He thus becomes guilty of the same crime he has set out to punish.
10. Crisis, or Turning Point. The crisis, or turning point, of this play is Hamlet’s killing
of Polonius. The subsequent action of the play is a direct result of this murder.
Hamlet expects that the killing of Polonius will provoke the king to send him away
from Denmark. Students may have various predictions about what will happen in
acts IV and V as a result of this crisis.

© 1998 EMC Corporation

18 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Answer Key
Act IV
Answers for Reviewing the Selection, page 184
Recalling and Interpreting
1. R: Hamlet first tells Claudius that Polonius is at supper, “Not where he eats, but
where ‘a is eaten.” Next he says that Polonius may be in heaven or hell, but hints
that his body may be found in the lobby.
2. I: Hamlet does not seem to feel remorse for killing Polonius. Instead, he seems to
dismiss the old councilor’s death. Perhaps he does this because he feels that
Polonius brought his death on himself.
3. R: Claudius reveals that he is sending a letter to the king of England requesting that
Hamlet be put to death immediately.
4. I: It is unclear whether Rosencrantz and Guildenstern know that Claudius has
requested the execution of Hamlet. However, the two seem to agree with Claudius
that Hamlet poses a threat. Claudius feels that since Denmark recently defeated
England, the king of England will not risk failing to comply with his wishes.
5. R: Hamlet speaks with a captain in Fortinbras’s army and learns that Fortinbras is
headed toward Poland to fight for a worthless piece of land.
6. I: Hamlet praises Fortinbras for finding “quarrel in a straw / When honor’s at the
stake”—he marvels that the prince is able to risk so many lives without hesitation,
simply for a point of honor. He says that in comparison to Fortinbras, a brave and
decisive leader, he is nothing but a coward. He castigates himself for not having
taken action and blames his delay on his tendency to think too much about the
consequences. He resolves that from now on, all his thoughts will be “bloody.”
7. R: Ophelia has gone insane and is singing songs in her delirium. Her songs deal with
unfaithful or lost lovers and with mourning for the dead.
8. I: The two main causes of Ophelia’s madness are the loss of Hamlet’s love and the
death of her father at Hamlet’s hand. Ophelia is also upset at the thought that
Hamlet may be executed for his crime, as suggested by her remark that she “cannot
choose but weep to think they would lay him i’ th’ cold ground.”
9. R: Laertes has returned from France, and the people are suggesting to him that
© 1998 EMC Corporation

Claudius is responsible for his father’s death.

10. I: Claudius is worried that if people believe him to be guilty of killing Polonius, they
will stage an insurrection and kill him.
11. R: Laertes seeks to learn what happened to his father and to take revenge on his
father’s murderer.
12. I: The reactions of the young men differ in two ways. First, Hamlet delays, whereas
Laertes acts immediately. Second, Hamlet worries that taking revenge would be
morally wrong, and thinks that the ghost might be a demon sent to bring about his
damnation. Laertes, on the other hand, explicitly disregards damnation as a conse-
quence of seeking revenge, saying “To hell, allegiance! vows, to the blackest devil! /
Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit! / I dare damnation.”

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 19

 Answer Key
Act IV (cont.)

13. R: Claudius says that he is not to blame for Polonius’s death and that others will
vouch for this fact. He then tells Laertes, at the end of the act, that “where th’
offense is [that is, with Hamlet], let the great axe fall.”
14. I: Claudius has two reasons for wanting to win Laertes over. First, he needs to ensure
that Laertes will not kill him, and, with the support of the people, become king him-
self. Second, Claudius may want to use Laertes to kill Hamlet.
15. R: While on his way to England, Hamlet was captured by pirates. He negotiated his
return to Denmark in exchange for some unspecified “good turn” to be done for
the pirates.
16. I: Hamlet’s return to England frightens Claudius, for he immediately sets to work
planning Hamlet’s death with Laertes.
17. R: Ophelia falls into a brook and drowns.
18. I: Responses will vary. Although Ophelia’s death is often called a suicide, it is not so
described by Gertrude. According to Gertrude, Ophelia fell into the brook by acci-
dent when a willow branch broke. She floated for a minute, but then sank and
drowned. The fact that Ophelia sang while floating on the water, rather than strug-
gle or cry for help, suggests that her mental disturbance made her unaware of her
danger. Students may point out that since Ophelia fell in by accident and was
apparently unaware of the danger, she cannot be said to have committed suicide,
which is a deliberate act of self-destruction.

Synthesizing
Responses will vary. Possible responses are given.
19. As a result of the murder of Polonius, Claudius decides to have Hamlet put to death
and sends him to England; the people blame Claudius and call for Laertes to be
made king; Laertes becomes enraged and wishes to seek revenge; and Ophelia goes
insane and, in her madness, drowns.
20. Some students will argue that Hamlet is responsible, because he rejects Ophelia cru-
elly and kills her father. Others may argue that Hamlet is not to blame, since Ophelia
rejects Hamlet first (though under Polonius’s orders) and the killing of Polonius is
accidental. © 1998 EMC Corporation

Answers for Understanding Literature, page 185

Responses will vary. Possible responses are given.
1. Symbol. Rue was a traditional symbol of sorrow and contrition. Willow trees are also
associated with sorrow and especially with crying. Water is a traditional symbol both
of death and of rebirth. A river, stream, or brook may be a symbol of passage—in
this case, Ophelia’s passage into the afterlife.
2. Foil. Although Hamlet shares with both Fortinbras and Laertes the desire to avenge
a father, he differs from them in that he is unable to take action. He deliberates over
his task, while the other two men do not. Hamlet also worries about the possible

20 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Answer Key
Act IV (cont.)

consequences that taking revenge will have on his soul, whereas Laertes does not.
Laertes says that he dares damnation and would slit Hamlet’s throat in the church.
3. Character. Since her first appearance in the play, Ophelia has become mad. The
exact nature of her former relationship with Hamlet is unclear. Students might simply
say that Hamlet expressed love for Ophelia, and she may have hoped this love would
someday lead to marriage. Others might believe that Ophelia is pregnant and that
this is one reason for her great distress. (The evidence for this last hypothesis, put for-
ward by a number of critics, is slight, consisting of little more than Hamlet’s cryptic
comment to Polonius that his daughter might “conceive” if she spends too much
time with him.)
4. Theme. Dishonesty leads to death for the underhanded Polonius when he is killed
while spying on Hamlet. Ophelia’s deception of Hamlet leads to heartbreak. Rather
than admit that her father has forbidden her to see him, she pretends Hamlet has
been unkind to her. In manipulating Hamlet in this way, she arouses his distrust and
scorn. Much of Hamlet’s cruelty toward Ophelia stems from his outrage at his
mother’s immoral acts, so she cannot be said to have brought it all on herself; how-
ever, her deception provided the catalyst. Having deceived her husband through her
adultery causes Gertrude enormous guilt, and it turns her son against her. Claudius
also feels the burden of guilt for his treachery and is unable to pray and so save him-
self from damnation. At the end of act IV, Laertes and Claudius plan to trick Hamlet
into a duel that is intended to bring about his death.
5. Theme. In the “To be, or not to be” soliloquy, Hamlet describes thought as some-
thing that pales the “native hue” of resolution. In other words, thinking weakens
resolve and makes one incapable of acting. In the “How all occasions...” soliloquy,
Hamlet says that the “craven scruple / Of thinking too precisely on th’ event” is
more cowardly than wise. In both soliloquies, Hamlet worries about the possible
consequences of taking his revenge, and says that worrying keeps him from acting.
© 1998 EMC Corporation

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 21

 Answer Key
Act V
Answers for Reviewing the Selection, page 224
Recalling and Interpreting
1. R: He wonders why Ophelia is going to be given a Christian burial given that she
sought her own salvation (i.e., committed suicide).
2. I: No, they are not correct in assuming that Ophelia’s death was a suicide. Their rea-
soning is faulty. The First Clown, attempting to explain the legal precedent involved,
says that “an act hath three branches—it is to act, to do, to perform.” The Clown’s
ignorance is shown by the fact that these words—act, do, and perform—are merely
synonyms of one another. The actual law states that for a person to be held morally
responsible for an act, that person must have done three things: imagined the act,
resolved to carry it out, and then performed the act. At the time she died, Ophelia
was not mentally capable of premeditation—of imagining the act beforehand and
resolving to carry it out.
3. R: Hamlet speaks about several skulls, but the one that he picks up is that of Yorick,
the jester of King Hamlet.
4. I: In each case, Hamlet reflects on the vanity of human greatness, which comes to
nothing in death. The landowner retains, in the end, only the small plot in which he
or she is buried. The lady, no matter how much makeup she wears during her life,
will eventually be a lipless skull. The dust of Alexander the Great or Caesar may be
used to plug a barrel of beer or patch a hole to keep the wind away.
5. R: Ophelia is buried without complete funeral rites because her death may have
been a suicide. The priest says that Ophelia should not have been buried in holy
ground or received any rites at all. Laertes angrily responds that Ophelia will be an
angel in heaven while the priest lies howling in hell. In his grief, Laertes then jumps
into the grave and asks that the dirt be shoveled on both him and Ophelia.
6. I: Responses will vary. Most students will probably agree with Laertes, especially since
Ophelia was not in her right mind when she died and there is no proof that she
meant to kill herself. According to Gertrude, her death was an accident. However, if
Ophelia’s death were suicide, then the priest would be acting in accordance with
the law of the church, which at the time forbade Christian burial to persons who
committed suicide. © 1998 EMC Corporation
7. R: Hamlet jumps into the grave himself and begins wrestling with Laertes. He says
that his own love for Ophelia is more than that of forty thousand brothers.
8. I: Some students may say that Hamlet was overcome with grief over the death of
Ophelia, and wanted to proclaim his love for her. Others may say that his actions
are motivated by a childish jealousy, a wish not to be outdone in grief by Laertes.
Hamlet’s unreasonable jealousy is shown throughout the play. In act III, he accuses
Ophelia of having a lover, a charge that has little basis. Claudius mentions that
Hamlet is jealous of Laertes’s reputation as a swordsman. Hamlet also envies
Fortinbras’s willingness to take dramatic action when a matter of honor is involved.
Students may doubt Hamlet’s claim that he loved Ophelia, given how cruelly he
treated her. However, others might point out that Hamlet’s cruelty was probably a

22 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Answer Key
Act V (cont.)

reaction to Ophelia’s rejection of him. They may also suggest that since Hamlet was
disillusioned by the world, his command that Ophelia enter a nunnery may have
been, in his mind, a way of protecting her from corruption.
9. R: Hamlet tells Horatio that sometimes it is better to take rash action than to make
elaborate plans, because no matter how carefully we plan, divine Providence, or
God, has already decided the outcome.
10. I: It is providential that Hamlet happens to have with him the late king’s official
stamp, which he is able to use to reseal the altered letter. It is also providential that
Hamlet alone is captured by pirates and returned to Denmark.
11. R: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are put to death by the English king, because
Hamlet has rewritten the letter from Claudius, changing it from a request to put
Hamlet to death to a request that the bearers of the letter be put to death.
12. I: Responses will vary. Students may say that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern did not
deserve such a harsh fate, since they may not have known that they were delivering
Hamlet to his death. Others may argue that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern deserve
their fate, since they have deceived Hamlet, spying on him in exchange for the
king’s favors and even encouraging Claudius to take action against Hamlet.
13. R: Hamlet ridicules Osric for his excessive use of the popular jargon of the court.
14. I: Hamlet’s comment shows his contempt for things of this world, such as ownership
of land. Hamlet seems to have contempt for common people like Osric who try to
enter court society. Hamlet is, in this respect, truly an aristocrat “to the manner
born.” (You may wish to point out to students that this contempt for the lower
classes is a common theme in Shakespeare’s plays. Consider, for example,
Shakespeare’s portrayal of the crowd that follows Laertes. Such a classist view would
not be as offensive to an Elizabethan audience as it is by our modern democratic
standards.)
15. R: Hamlet says that he defies augury, or prediction. He says that divine Providence
acts in all things, even in the fall of a sparrow, and that whatever will come, will
come. He goes on to say that “the readiness is all”—all he can do is be prepared for
whatever comes—and that humans should not feel bad about dying early because
© 1998 EMC Corporation

they are ignorant of what they leave behind anyway.

16. I: In both cases, the answer is no. Hamlet seems to believe that people bungle their
way through life and have no role in changing their destiny, which has already been
set out for them. He thinks that people are helpless and know nothing, really, when
they die, of the world they have left behind.
17. R: Gertrude drinks from the poisoned cup that Claudius has prepared for Hamlet.
Hamlet kills Claudius by stabbing him with the poisoned sword and forcing him to
drink from the poisoned cup. Laertes and Hamlet fatally wound each other with the
poisoned sword.
18. I: Accident plays a great role in these deaths. Gertrude accidentally drinks from the
poisoned cup prepared for Hamlet. Laertes accidentally drops his poisoned sword,
and Hamlet picks it up and wounds him with it. This unforeseen turn of events

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 23

 Answer Key
Act V (cont.)

causes Laertes to reveal impulsively the treachery of the king, and thus accident and
bad luck lead to the death of Claudius as well. In the case of Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern, Hamlet chances to open the letter and to have on hand the seal of
Denmark. Students may say that the “mistook,” or ill-intentioned, purposes of
Laertes, Claudius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern cause their demise. However,
others may exclude Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from that group, since they may
not have known Hamlet was to be put to death.
Synthesizing
Responses will vary. Possible responses are given.
19. Students will likely agree that Claudius meets a fitting end. As Laertes dies, he him-
self says that he is justly killed by his own treachery. Students may disagree as to
whether Polonius, Gertrude, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Hamlet deserve their
fates. Most students will say that Ophelia does not deserve the fate that she
receives.
20. Responses will vary and will depend on students’ overall assessment of Hamlet’s
character. On the one hand, students may say that Hamlet is intelligent, high-
minded, and clever enough to see through the schemes of others. On the other
hand, students may fault Hamlet for his inability to take action and his tendency
toward melancholy. Others may criticize Hamlet’s disdain for the common people.
Another fault of Hamlet’s is his disregard for the effects of his actions on others, evi-
denced by his insensitivity toward Ophelia and his callous attitude toward the death
of Polonius.

Answers for Understanding Literature, page 225

Responses will vary. Possible responses are given.
1. Resolution. The central conflict in Hamlet consists of two parts: the external conflict
between Hamlet and Claudius, and Hamlet’s internal conflict over whether he
should take revenge on Claudius. The resolution of the external conflict occurs when
Hamlet kills Claudius. Students may argue that the internal conflict is resolved
earlier, when Hamlet decides, prior to the fencing match, that human action is of lit-
tle importance, and that “the readiness is all.” © 1998 EMC Corporation
2. Foil. Laertes and Hamlet each ask and receive the other’s forgiveness on learning
that they are about to die. Hamlet in dying says he supports Fortinbras’s election to
the kingship, and Fortinbras says that had Hamlet become king, he would have
“prov’d most royal.”
3. Theme. Prior to the fencing match, Hamlet’s mind is occupied primarily with spiritual
matters. He seems to have found peace and has left his fate in the hands of God, or
“divine Providence.” Hamlet says that simply being ready for whatever will come,
including death, “is all.” At the end of the last scene, Hamlet asks for Laertes’s for-
giveness. After Hamlet dies, Horatio says, “And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest,”
indicating that he believes Hamlet is indeed going to heaven.

24 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Answer Key
Act V (cont.)

4. Theme. Most students will agree that this is a play about the terrible consequences
of not taking action. As evidence, they may point to the tragedies that result from
Hamlet’s long delay and the contrasting model, provided at the end, of the active
Fortinbras who restores order after the tumultuous events that have occurred.
Others will argue that the whole of the final act shows that human action is point-
less and irrelevant. Hamlet, in his conversation with Horatio, points out that it does
not matter what people do, since their destiny is already set for them by God.
5. Tragedy. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark can be considered a tragedy in that it deals with
serious issues, such as salvation, revenge, deceit, the relative value of thought and
action, melancholy and madness, political intrigue, the consequences of regicide
and adultery, the transitory nature of life, and very value of life. The play deals with
the fall of Hamlet, a person of high status. The tragic hero of the play is Hamlet.
Prior to the fencing match, Hamlet has a presentiment of doom, yet he goes to face
the prospect of his own death with courage and dignity. Some have argued that
Hamlet’s tragic flaw is his inability to bring himself to act. Because of this flaw,
Hamlet delays so long in taking his revenge on Claudius that he brings about even
greater tragedy—causing not only the death of Claudius but the deaths of Polonius,
Ophelia, Laertes, Gertrude, and himself as well.
© 1998 EMC Corporation

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 25

 Graphic
Organizers
 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Graphic Organizer

Venn Diagram
In the Venn diagram below, compare and contrast the characters of Hamlet and
Laertes. Where the circles overlap, write their similarities. In the outer part of each circle,
write their differences. After you have completed the diagram, write a paragraph
explaining how Laertes acts as a foil for Hamlet.

Hamlet Laertes

© 1998 EMC Corporation

28 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Graphic Organizer

Radiating Circle
Use the radiating circle below to explore the theme of deception in Hamlet. Think of
the different ways that characters deceive one another in the play. Then write each
example of deception in a circle radiating out from the center. One example has been
done for you.

Claudius pretends
to be Hamlet’s
loving stepfather

Acts of
Deception
© 1998 EMC Corporation

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 29

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Graphic Organizer

Sequence Chart
Throughout the play, Hamlet struggles with conflicting feelings about taking revenge.
Fill in the sequence chart below, adding more boxes as needed, to show the progression
of Hamlet’s attitude toward revenge, from the time he sees his father’s ghost in act I
until the duel in act V. What doubts does Hamlet have that cause him to hesitate? What
events encourage him to act? If you wish, you may use quotes to illustrate Hamlet’s state
of mind at each point. The first example has been done for you.

“The time is out of

joint—O cursed spite, /
That ever I was born
to set it right!”—
Hamlet knows he must
take revenge but
resents this.

© 1998 EMC Corporation

30 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Graphic Organizer

Cause and Effect Chart

From the end of act I, when Marcellus says that “Something is rotten in the state of
Denmark,” to the final scene of the play, Claudius’s crime spreads its disease throughout
the Danish court until all of the players except Horatio and Fortinbras are destroyed. In
the chart below, explore how each of the following characters is affected by the initial
treachery: Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius, Ophelia, Laertes, and Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern.

Claudius murders
King Hamlet and
marries Hamlet’s
mother.

Claudius Hamlet Gertrude

Polonius Ophelia Laertes

© 1998 EMC Corporation

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 31

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Graphic Organizer
Plot Diagram
Using the Freytag’s Pyramid plot diagram below, chart the plot of Hamlet, Prince of
Denmark. Briefly describe in the spaces provided the following elements: the exposition,
inciting incident, rising and falling action, climax, resolution, and dénouement.

Climax

Fa
n
tio

llin
Ac

gA
ing

cti

FREYTAG’S
on
Ris

PYRAMID

Exposition Dénouement

Inciting Resolution
Incident

© 1998 EMC Corporation

32 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Graphic Organizer Answer Key

The answers below are examples of what students might include in their graphic organizers.
Give students credit for variations and creative insights within the bounds of the guidelines.

Venn Diagram
Similarities shared by Hamlet and Laertes—Both are young, strong, intelligent, skilled in swords-
manship, and well-educated. Each seeks to avenge the wrongful death of his father. Both declare
their love for Ophelia. Each is willing to forgive the other at the end of their lives.
Differences between Hamlet and Laertes—Laertes is a man of action who wants to take revenge
immediately on whoever is responsible for his father’s death. He is willing to risk damnation, and
he is immediately ready to kill. He almost kills Claudius before confirming that Hamlet is responsi-
ble. Hamlet, on the other hand, is a man of thought and moral considerations. He contemplates
the meaning of life, his purpose, and his destiny. He can be goaded into impetuous action and
cruel anger, but he fears damnation. He is reluctant to kill. He wants to ensure Claudius’s guilt
before acting.

Radiating Circle
There are numerous examples of deceit in the play. Students may cite any of the following
instances, or others they may find: Claudius and Gertrude committed adultery; Claudius murdered
his brother and reported that a poisonous snake had killed the king; Polonius sends Reynaldo to
spy on Laertes and spread lies about him; Hamlet pretends to be mad; Polonius spies on Hamlet
and Ophelia, and later on Hamlet and Gertrude; Ophelia says that Hamlet has been unkind to her;
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern pretend to be Hamlet’s friends while they are really Claudius’s spies;
Claudius plans to kill Hamlet by sending him to England; Hamlet deceives Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern and sends them to their deaths; Claudius stages a duel that is secretly intended to
lead to Hamlet’s death; Laertes plans to poison Hamlet.

Sequence Chart
Box 1: “The time is out of joint—O cursed spite, / That ever I was born to set it right!”—Hamlet
knows he must take revenge but resents this. (act I, scene v)
Box 2: “O what a rogue and peasant slave am I!”—Hamlet curses himself for not having acted
and and says he is cowardly and pigeon-livered. (act II, scene ii)
Box 3: Fears the ghost “may be a dev’l” tempting him to do evil, and resolves to use a play to
test the king’s guilt. (act II, scene ii)
Box 4: “To be, or not to be”—Hamlet wonders whether he can just commit suicide and escape
his situation. (act III, scene i)
(Alternatives for Box 4: “Thus conscience does make cowards of us all”—Hamlet’s “dread
© 1998 EMC Corporation

of something after death” prevents him from either committing suicide or taking revenge;
“The native hue of resolution…is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought”—thought
weakens Hamlet’s resolve)
Box 5: “Now could I drink hot blood”—Hamlet has just confirmed the king’s guilt and is
murderous. Impulsive and ready to take revenge, he accidentally kills Polonius.
(act III, scenes ii and iii)
Box 6: “Now might I do it pat, now ’a is a praying”—Hamlet is about to kill Claudius, but delays
because he wants the king to go to hell. (act III, scene iii)
Box 7: Hamlet says that “thinking too precisely on th’ event” has delayed him and that he is a
coward compared with Fortinbras. Resolves that from now on his thoughts will be bloody.
(act IV, scene iv)
Box 8: Hamlet concludes that divine Providence, not human actions, determines the outcome of
events and declares that “the readiness is all.” (act V, scenes i and ii)

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 33

 Graphic Organizer Answer Key

Cause and Effect Chart

Claudius’s initial act of treachery affects the characters in these ways:
Hamlet: Hamlet loses his father and witnesses his mother’s marriage to Claudius, which he
regards as incestuous. He is called to avenge his father’s death. Weighed down by indecision,
Hamlet ponders his call to avenge his father’s death until he is sure Claudius is guilty. He also acts
mad in a ploy to determine this, damaging his relationship with Ophelia and losing the trust of
his mother. Hamlet kills Polonius, mistaking him for Claudius, and thus accidentally robs Ophelia
and Laertes of their father as he has been robbed of his. Hamlet’s brooding prompts Claudius to
send Hamlet to England to be killed. Hamlet reverses Claudius’s plot to have him killed by turn-
ing the same fate on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Finally, he kills Laertes as he himself is dying
from Laertes’s sword, and also kills Claudius.
Claudius: Claudius becomes king and marries Gertrude, but suffers guilt and cannot gain salva-
tion. He must now kill the vengeful Hamlet to protect himself; he sends Hamlet to England. He
must also defend himself from Laertes, who blames him for Polonius’s death. Claudius plans to
have Laertes kill Hamlet in a duel, with a poisoned cup of wine ready in case Laertes does not kill
Hamlet. He watches Gertrude mistakenly drink the poisoned wine and die before he himself dies
by both Hamlet’s sword and the poisoned cup.
Gertrude: After her first husband dies, Gertrude welcomes her marriage to Claudius and clearly
her enjoys her relationship with him. She is upset by the effect King Hamlet’s death has on her
son, and she chastises Hamlet for behaving so severely to the new king. Hamlet accuses her of
adultery and incest and Gertrude admits that her sins are grave. Gertrude herself is a victim, but
not entirely innocent. She dies from the poisoned cup meant for Hamlet, but not before seeing
the complete unravelling of the kingdom.
Polonius: Polonius becomes entangled when he witnesses Hamlet’s melancholy and insanity,
ordering Ophelia to break off all relations with him. He thinks Hamlet’s behavior is caused by his
love for Ophelia and offers to eavesdrop on Hamlet on behalf of both the king and queen.
Because he is spying behind a tapestry in Gertrude’s chambers and tries to rescue the queen
when she calls for help, Polonius is mistaken for Claudius by Hamlet and killed. Polonius not only
loses his own life but his death will lead to the deaths of his son and daughter.
Ophelia: Claudius’s treachery has rendered Hamlet so distrustful of women that he is incapable
of reconciling with Ophelia, treating her cruelly. Ophelia is torn between her love for Hamlet and
trying to please her father and brother; she is also greatly frightened by Hamlet’s appearance of
madness. When Hamlet kills Polonius, Ophelia herself goes mad and dies by drowning.
Laertes: Laertes loses his father, and his sister goes mad and drowns. He is goaded into treach-
ery against Hamlet; he kills him and then is killed by his own poisoned sword.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern: At Claudius’s urging, they spy on Hamlet and then perhaps
unwittingly carry his death warrant in a letter as they take Hamlet to England. They are killed © 1998 EMC Corporation
when Hamlet intercepts the message and exchanges it for one of his own that orders the imme-
diate death of their messengers.

34 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Graphic Organizer Answer Key

Plot Diagram
Act I
Exposition: Hamlet is mourning his father’s death. His uncle, Claudius, has married his mother
and taken the throne. Fortinbras requests passage through Denmark on his way to attack Poland.
Polonius orders Ophelia to stop seeing Hamlet and she obeys. Laertes departs for France.
Inciting Incident: King Hamlet’s ghost appears and tells Hamlet that he, the late king, was mur-
dered by Claudius. This introduces the central conflict: Hamlet’s struggle to take revenge.

Act II
Rising Action: Hamlet pretends madness but is actually feeling depressed, suicidal, and con-
flicted over whether to take revenge. Polonius thinks Hamlet is melancholy over love for Ophelia.
Claudius sends for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet for him. Polonius and
Claudius spy on Hamlet and Ophelia; Hamlet is cruel to Ophelia. Hamlet expresses frustration
that he has not taken revenge and resolves to test Claudius’s guilt through a play.

Act III
Climax: Hamlet and Horatio agree, in observing Claudius’s reaction to the play, that he is guilty
of murdering King Hamlet. Hamlet has an opportunity to kill Claudius while the king is praying,
but decides to wait. Hamlet confronts Gertrude with her adultery and betrayal, and kills the spy-
ing Polonius, believing he is Claudius.

Act IV
Falling Action: Claudius sends Hamlet to England to have him killed. Laertes returns from France
to investigate his father’s death and finds Ophelia has gone mad. He tries to kill Claudius. Hamlet
escapes en route to England and returns to Denmark. Claudius and Laertes plot a deadly duel to
kill him. Gertrude reports that Ophelia has drowned.

Act V
Resolution: At the graveyard, Hamlet muses that human life is ultimately worthless. He sees
Ophelia’s funeral and fights with Laertes over who loved Ophelia more. He reveals to Horatio
how he escaped death and that he has sent Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths. He
says he is prepared for whatever destiny holds and resigns everything to God’s will. In the duel,
Laertes stabs Hamlet with a poison-tipped sword. The queen is accidentally killed when she
drinks from a poisoned cup meant for Hamlet. Hamlet stabs Laertes with the poisoned sword,
then stabs the king and forces him to drink from the poisoned cup. As they die, Hamlet and
Laertes forgive each other and point the blame to Claudius.
© 1998 EMC Corporation

Dénouement: Fortinbras enters to claim the kingdom, and Horatio vows to tell Hamlet’s story.
Fortinbras plans to give Hamlet a funeral with full honors.

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 35

 Vocabulary
and
Literary Terms
Review
 Vocabulary Review
Acts I– II
abridgement, 80 entreat, 4, 58 pernicious, 44
accord, 18 entreaty, 60 perturbed, 48
affection, 80 epitaph, 84 perusal, 56
altitude, 80 expend, 58 pestilent, 74
apparition, 4 expostulate, 62 piteous, 56
apprehension, 74 extort, 10 portentous, 8
assail, 4 extremity, 68 precept, 28
auspicious, 12 forward, 26 prescript, 66
beguile, 32 frailty, 18 prodigal, 28
beseech, 60 gore, 82 purge, 68
besmirch, 26 grizzled, 24 quintessence, 74
blank verse, 76 hallowed, 10 radiant, 42
bray, 34 harbinger, 8 requite, 24
brazen, 6 imminent, 28 rogue, 86
brevity, 62 impart, 12 sanctified, 32
calumnious, 28 impious, 16 savory, 80
celestial, 42 importunity, 28 sepulcher, 36
censure, 28 indict, 80 slander, 68
chaste, 28 indirection, 54 summons, 10
clamor, 84 instrumental, 14 suppress, 12, 62
cleave, 86 invulnerable, 10 surmise, 64
commendable, 16 jocund, 18 tedious, 70
commission, 62 late, 12 tenantless, 8
confine, 10 levy, 12 tether, 32
coronation, 14 libertine, 28 token, 66
countenance, 24 malefaction, 88 transformation, 58
© 1998 EMC Corporation

courtier, 18 malicious, 10 trifling, 26

dalliance, 28 martial, 6 truant, 20
dirge, 12 mince, 84 unfledged, 28
discretion, 12, 58 mirth, 74 valiant, 12
disposition, 20, 74 mote, 8 vengeance, 82
distemper, 60 obstinate, 16 vial, 42
distilled, 22 paragon, 74 visage, 86
distraction, 86 parching, 81 wanton, 52
enmity, 42 parley, 32 wretch, 40

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 39

 Vocabulary Review
Act III
abstinence, 138 insolence, 98
adder, 140 judicious, 104
audit, 128 mandate, 140
awry, 98 matron, 134
beget, 104 mortise, 126
beseech, 122 penetrable, 132
boisterous, 126 portal, 138
clemency, 112 profanely, 104
compost, 138 property, 118
condole, 110 recorder, 118
consummation, 96 resolution, 98
contagion, 124 rivet, 108
devoutly, 96 sheen, 112
dire, 118 sole, 128
discretion, 104 sounded, 94
disposition, 94 sty, 134
dowry, 100 temperance, 104
eloquent, 122 temperately, 138
entreat, 94 turbulent, 94
fetter, 126 ulcerous, 138
forestall, 128 variable, 102
gambol, 138 visage, 96
gilded, 128 warrant, 104
herald, 134 whet, 136
impart, 120

© 1998 EMC Corporation

40 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Vocabulary Review
Acts IV–V
abate, 180 flaxen, 170 parchment, 190
abatement, 180 foil, 210 pestilence, 194
allegiance, 166 gambol, 194 pestilent, 164
apprehension, 148 garland, 182 pith, 148
arraign, 164 garrisoned, 156 prate, 200
asunder, 198 gentry, 206 profane, 196
base, 196 germane, 208 providence, 148
battalion, 164 gibe, 194 rendezvous, 156
battery, 190 graveness, 178 requiem, 196
bier, 168 homage, 156 requite, 180
bough, 182 imminent, 158 rite, 196
capital, 174 importunate, 160 scruple, 158
carouse, 216 indiscretion, 202 signet, 204
chalice, 182 infallibly, 206 stowed, 150
churlish, 198 interim, 204 sultry, 206
contagion, 180 kin, 150 superfluous, 164
countenance, 148 livery, 178 tenant, 188
courtier, 190 loam, 196 tread, 182
exhort, 158 maimed, 196 valor, 172
felicity, 220 mason, 188 venom’d, 182
flagon, 194 palpable, 216
© 1998 EMC Corporation

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 41

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Vocabulary Worksheet
Acts I– II
Exercise: Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences by filling in each blank with a word from the list below.
Do not use any word more than once.

accord discretion imminent malicious

assail disposition impart obstinate
brevity expend indict perusal
commendable harbinger instrumental slander

EX. The fading sunset was a(n) harbinger of the night to come.

1. After listening to several long, boring speeches at the assembly, we were

pleasantly surprised by the last speaker’s ___________________ and humor.

2. The choir, though exhausted from their world tour, gave a(n)
___________________ final performance.

3. The graduate’s fluency in Spanish was ___________________ in the

decision to hire her.

4. After a careful ___________________ of the sales figures, the manager

found the mistake.

5. After hearing several rumors about their new boss’s grumpiness and lack
of humor, the workers were surprised to discover he actually had a
cheerful ___________________ .

6. Since the students will ___________________ so much energy and time on

this project, it will be a major part of their grade.
© 1998 EMC Corporation
7. The newcomer to the suspicious neighborhood was the victim of gossip
and ___________________ .

8. The police officer asked the bystander to ___________________ what he

had witnessed.

9. The student council reminded students to use ___________________ when

voting for new leaders, instead of simply voting for their friends.

10. Without his medication, the young man was in ________ ___________
danger of collapsing.

42 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Vocabulary Worksheet
Act III
Exercise: Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences by filling in each blank with a word from the list below.
Do not use any word more than once.

awry devoutly insolence temperately

beseech disposition judicious turbulent
clemency eloquent mandate warrant
condole entreat resolution whet

EX. Tori wanted the role so much that she decided to beseech the director
at the end of her audition.

1. The winds were so strong and the seas so ___________________ that a

small craft advisory was issued.

2. Because the convicted woman showed remorse, her family hoped the
judge would view her case with ___________________ and give her a more
lenient sentence.

3. The young boy was so disrespectful at the party that his mother brought
him home, saying she would not tolerate his ___________________ .

4. Beryl thought her new curfew was unfair and decided to

___________________ her parents to change their minds.

5. Although he had never played tennis before, Casey made a bold

___________________ that he would join the varsity tennis team.

6. My teacher continues to ___________________ that we run a spell-check

© 1998 EMC Corporation

program on our documents before we turn them in.

7. Xavier’s faith is so important to him that he ___________________ attends

daily Mass.

8. The advertisement was geared to ___________________ the interest of jazz

fans so they would switch to the new radio station.

9. Sasha is an important member of the emergency medical team because

she always reacts calmly and ___________________ during a crisis.

10. Tony sifted through piles of college catalogs, trying to make as

___________________ a choice as possible in deciding on a college.

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 43

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Vocabulary Worksheet
Acts IV–V
Exercise: Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences by filling in each blank with a word from the list below.
Do not use any word more than once.

abate exhort palpable sultry

allegiance homage pestilent superfluous
arraign imminent profane tenant
contagion interim requite tread

EX. The people paid homage to their gods by offering up prayers of thanks.

1. Mabel does not own the house she lives in; she is a ___________________
there.

2. Even after breaking his wrist and spraining his ankle, Mark’s enthusiasm for
football did not ___________________ .

3. The two boys had exchanged threats and insults, and a fight seemed
___________________ .

4. Because of the ___________________ weather, the beaches were crowded

with people who needed to cool off.

5. Students used the ___________________ between classes to retrieve books

from their lockers.

6. The court will ___________________ the defendant on the charge of

committing armed robbery.

7. The government had been so successful in cutting costs that it was able to © 1998 EMC Corporation
refund ___________________ funds to taxpayers.

8. Because smoking cigarettes is terrible for her health, I constantly

___________________ my mother to quit the habit.

9. After the baby fell from its high chair, I discovered a(n)
__________________ lump on its head.

10. The children ___________________ quietly down the stairs, careful not to
wake their parents.

44 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Vocabulary Review
Cumulative Exam
Exercise: Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences by filling in each blank with a word from the list below.
Do not use any word more than once.
allegiance eloquent malicious sheen
besmirch homage mandate taciturn
bier interim rendezvous tedious
contagion jocund resolution vengeance

EX. I felt it was incumbent upon me to tell the truth when my mother
asked who had broken the lamp.

1. When I discovered that Clare had been spreading rumors about me, I con-
fronted her and said, “How dare you ___________________ my honor?”

2. Giovanni and Sophia planned a secret ___________________ in the garden

at midnight so they could discuss their elopement.

3. The scientists tried to confine the deadly ___________________ before it

infected the public, but it was already too late.

4. When I have to do ___________________ chores such as dusting and wash-

ing dishes, I find it helps to play music loudly to pass the time.

5. My dog’s coat has a healthy ___________________ because I feed her a

high-quality dog food.

6. The employees paid ___________________ to their CEO when she retired

by throwing a huge party celebrating her many years of success.
© 1998 EMC Corporation

7. I try not to spread __________________ gossip because it can harm people.

8. Every January, I make a ___________________ to eat more healthy foods

and exercise frequently.

9. When the political organization’s leader was assassinated, the group

declared that they would have ___________________ on those responsible.

10. Mr. Hanson’s ___________________ personality makes him a perfect candi-

date for playing Santa Claus at the mall.

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 45

 Literary Terms Review

Acts I–II
antagonist, 92 mood, 51
central conflict, 51 protagonist, 92
foil, 51, 92 psychodrama, 92
inciting incident, 51 soliloquy, 92
irony, 51 theme, 51

Act III
aside, 144 mimesis, 145
cliché, 144 motivation, 144, 146
crisis, 146 Oedipus complex, 144
drama, 145 soliloquy, 144
Freudian criticism, 145 theme, 145
irony, 144 turning point, 146
irony of situation, 146

Acts IV–V
character, 185 symbol, 185
foil, 185 theme, 185, 225
resolution, 225 tragedy, 225

© 1998 EMC Corporation

46 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Literary Terms Worksheet

Exercise: Sentence Completion

Complete the sentences by filling in each blank with a literary term from the list
below. Do not use any term more than once.

antagonist mimesis symbol

central conflict mood theme
foil psychodrama tragedy
inciting incident soliloquy turning point

EX. The main struggle in the plot of a story is the central conflict .

1. Like Fortinbras, the player who recites the speech serves as a(n)
___________________ for Hamlet.

2. The type of play that deals with the state of mind of its central character is
called a(n) ___________________ .

3. Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be” speech is a(n) ___________________ that

explores suicide, death, and the relationship between action and inaction.

4. When Hamlet tells the players that “the purpose of playing” is to hold
“the mirror up to nature,” he is exploring the idea of __________________ .

5. The relationship between thought and action is a(n) ___________________

of Hamlet.

6. A(n) ___________________ relates the fall of a person of high status.

7. The first meeting that takes place between Hamlet and his dead father’s
ghost could be called the ___________________ of the play.
© 1998 EMC Corporation

8. The willow tree is a(n) ___________________ of sorrow or weeping.

9. The ___________________ of the play occurs when Hamlet kills Polonius,

who is spying on Hamlet from behind a tapestry.

10. The _________ ________ __ is a character who works against the main
character.

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 47

 Answer Key

Vocabulary and Literary Terms

Vocabulary Worksheet, Acts I–II

1. brevity 6. expend
2. commendable 7. slander
3. instrumental 8. impart
4. perusal 9. discretion
5. disposition 10. imminent

Vocabulary Worksheet, Act III

1. turbulent 6. mandate
2. clemency 7. devoutly
3. insolence 8. whet
4. entreat 9. temperately
5. resolution 10. judicious

Vocabulary Worksheet, Acts IV–V

1. tenant 6. arraign
2. abate 7. superfluous
3. imminent 8. exhort
4. sultry 9. palpable
5. interim 10. tread

Cumulative Vocabulary Exam

1. besmirch 6. homage
2. rendezvous 7. malicious
3. contagion 8. resolution
4. tedious 9. vengeance
5. sheen 10. jocund
© 1998 EMC Corporation

Literary Terms Worksheet

1. foil 6. tragedy
2. psychodrama 7. inciting incident
3. soliloquy 8. symbol
4. mimesis 9. turning point
5. theme 10. antagonist

48 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Exam
Masters
 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Exam
Hamlet, Acts I– II
Multiple Choice (20 points total)
On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer.

1. In the opening scene of the drama, Barnardo comes to take over

Francisco’s watch. When Horatio arrives, they tell him that _____.
a. the ghost of the deceased Hamlet appeared to them again
b. Fortinbra’s army is preparing to attack Poland
c. Prince Hamlet seems confused and distracted
d. there are inauspicious signs in the Zodiac
e. none of the above
2. Horatio mentions all of the following as portents of calamities, except: _____.
a. ghosts that walk at night
b. eclipses
c. sun spots and eruptions
d. a blood-red moon
3. Denmark is preparing for war because _____.
a. the king of Poland, a longtime enemy, plans to attack
b. the prince of Norway plots to retake land that the Danish seized from
his father
c. the people, who loved the slain King Hamlet, are threatening to rebel
and overthrow Claudius
d. Hamlet, a scholarly prince, has yet to be tested in battle and must lead
the Danish army into Norway
4. Claudius sends a messenger to _____.
a. warn Fortinbras that any attempts to take Denmark’s lands will result in
swift reprisal
b. entreat Fortinbras’s uncle to stop Fortinbras from attacking
c. make arrangements for young Hamlet’s marriage
d. b and c are true
© 1998 EMC Corporation

5. Laertes is _____.
a. Hamlet’s closest friend
b. the son of Polonius
c. the brother of Ophelia
d. all of the above
e. b and c are true

6. According to Claudius and Gertrude, Hamlet _____.

a. broods too long over his father’s death
b. is a disobedient, unappreciative youth who needs discipline
c. is a frivolous young man who has much maturing to do before he can
ever be king of Denmark
d. is an unstable youth who suffers from mental illness

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 51

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Exam
Hamlet, Acts I–II
7. As Laertes goes off to France, he advises Ophelia to _____.
a. view Hamlet’s advances as a passing fancy
b. seduce Hamlet so that she will be his queen someday
c. spy on Hamlet to learn what ails him
d. disregard the advice of their father, who is more verbose than wise
8. Ophelia’s advice to Laertes is that he _____.
a. heed his own advice in monitoring his behavior
b. become a great soldier and ambassador of Denmark
c. should not be a borrower or a lender
d. not marry but be forever her brother and devoted friend
9. From King Hamlet’s ghost, Prince Hamlet learns that _____.
a. Claudius murdered his father by pouring poison in his ear while he slept
b. Claudius took his father’s life without giving him the opportunity to
confess his sins
c. Claudius and Queen Gertrude had an adulterous relationship
d. he expects Prince Hamlet to avenge his death
e. all of the above
10. Prince Hamlet demands that Horatio and the other observers _____.
a. help him find out the truth about his father’s death
b. join him in overthrowing King Claudius when the time comes
c. swear not to tell what they have seen and heard
d. all of the above
11. Polonius sends Reynaldo to Paris to _____.
a. deliver information about Hamlet’s madness
b. serve as his son’s bodyguard
c. spy on his son
d. all of the above
12. Ophelia is upset and frightened by _____.
a. Hamlet’s bold advances © 1998 EMC Corporation
b. her brother’s hasty departure
c. Hamlet’s strange dress and behavior with her
d. a conversation she overheard between Claudius and her father

13. Claudius has sent for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern because he wants
them to _____.
a. spy on Hamlet
b. keep Hamlet company in his time of sorrow
c. train Hamlet in the art of swordsmanship
d. show Hamlet that even his friends respect Claudius

52 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Exam
Hamlet, Acts I–II
14. Polonius tells Claudius and Gertrude that the cause of Hamlet’s prolonged
grieving is that _____.
a. Ophelia has rejected his love
b. Hamlet is suspicious of his father’s death
c. Hamlet feels his mother has betrayed him
d. Hamlet has been denied the throne
15. After Polonius’s talk with Claudius and Gertrude, Hamlet appears reading a
book, at which time _____.
a. Polonius gets him to confess his love for Ophelia
b. Polonius proves to Claudius that Hamlet is mad
c. Hamlet toys with Polonius with puns and verbal assaults
d. Hamlet pretends to be grieving over his father’s death
16. To Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet confesses _____.
a. his suspicion of Claudius in the death of his father
b. his disgust with his mother’s incestuous marriage
c. that he no longer finds joy in the earth, the heavens, or human beings
d. that he does not trust them as friends
17. Through Rosencrantz’s explanation of the players’ presence, Shakespeare is
able to _____.
a. show the dismal state to which the theater has sunk
b. remind his audience of the controversy of using women actors
c. criticize theatrical companies who use only women actors
d. all of the above
18. Hamlet calls Polonius “Jephthah” because _____.
a. he is like an Old Testament Amorite
b. he and Jephthah both restrict their daughters from living normal lives
c. he is a spy and traitor, like Jephthah
d. Ophelia’s rejection of his love has made him mad
© 1998 EMC Corporation

19. Hamlet, in looking into himself, fears that _____.

a. he may only want to kill Claudius out of a desire to become king
b. he is being tempted by a demon to commit an unjust murder
c. he may not have the courage to avenge his father’s death
d. Ophelia’s rejection of his love has made him mad
e. b and c are true

20. After hearing the player’s speech, Hamlet seems most upset with _____.
a. Claudius
b. his mother and uncle for marrying so quickly after his father’s death
c. his failure to prove Claudius’s guilt
d. his inability to take revenge

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 53

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Exam
Hamlet, Acts I–II
Matching (10 points total)
On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer.

1. Hamlet a. Believed Hamlet’s grief was caused by

2. Norway Ophelia’s rejection of his love

3. soliloquy b. A musing aloud by a character who

believes he or she is alone
4. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
c. Hamlet must avenge his father’s death
5. Claudius
d. Protagonist
6. inciting incident e. Antagonist
7. Polonius f. A king whom King Hamlet defeated
8. mood in battle
9. Barnardo and Marcellus g. Hamlet’s childhood friends
10. central conflict h. Hamlet learns from his father’s ghost
that Claudius murdered him
i. Reported the appearance of King
Hamlet’s ghost to Horatio
j. The eerie atmosphere when King
Hamlet’s ghost appears at night

Vocabulary (5 points total)

Complete the sentences by filling in each blank with a word from the list below. Do not
use any word more than once.

discretion imminent perturbed surmise

extort indict suppress transformation

EX. The teacher tried to look angry, but could not suppress a smile. © 1998 EMC Corporation

1. It was not raining yet, but a storm seemed .

2. The fifth-grade bully used threats to money from the younger

children.

3. The delay made the impatient passenger even more .

4. When she put on the wig, the was complete.

5. Because of the traffic jam, I that there is an accident ahead.

54 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Exam
Hamlet, Acts I–II
Quote Identification (3 points each)
For each quotation below, identify the speaker and the person(s) being addressed. Then
briefly explain the significance of the passage.

1. “`Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet, / To give these mourning
duties to your father…. But to persever / In obstinate condolement is a course / Of
impious stubbornness…” (act I, scene ii)

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

2. “Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice… Neither a borrower nor a lender be…
This above all: to thine own self be true, / And it must follow, as the night the day, /
Thou canst not then be false to any man.” (act I, scene iii)

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

3. “There are more things in heaven and earth… / Than are dreamt of in your philoso-
phy.” (act I, scene v)

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

4. “as you did command / I did repel his letters, and denied / His access to me.”
© 1998 EMC Corporation

(act II, scene i)

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

5. “the play’s the thing / Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king.” (act II, scene ii)

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 55

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Exam
Hamlet, Acts I–II
Short Essay (10 points each)
On a separate sheet of paper, write a brief essay answering two of the following questions.
1. Define protagonist and antagonist. Identify the protagonist of the play, and the
antagonist we meet in act I. How does Hamlet serve as his own antagonist in act II?
2. What is a soliloquy? What personality traits or characteristics of Hamlet make him a
famous soliloquist?
3. Define foil and explain how the player who recites the speech about Pyrrhus and
Hecuba serves as a foil to Hamlet. Does Hamlet recognize that the player is his foil?
Support your response with evidence from the play.

Long Essay (30 points each)

On a separate sheet of paper, write a brief essay answering one of the following questions.
1. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is filled with examples of deceit. Give several examples from
the play of characters who deceive others. Do these characters believe they are
using deception for honorable reasons? If so, what good do they hope to accom-
plish? If not, what is their motivation?
2. Define psychodrama. What is Hamlet’s state of mind when he is first introduced?
after he meets his father’s ghost? in his dealings with other characters?

© 1998 EMC Corporation

56 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Exam Answer Key

Hamlet, Acts I–II

Multiple Choice (20 points total)
1. a 6. a 11. c 16. c
2. d 7. a 12. c 17. c
3. b 8. a 13. a 18. b
4. b 9. e 14. a 19. e
5. e 10. c 15. c 20. d

Matching (10 points total)

1. d 3. b 5. e 7. a 9. i
2. f 4. g 6. h 8. j 10. c

Vocabulary (5 points total)

1. imminent 4. transformation
2. extort 5. surmise
3. perturbed

Quote Identification (3 points each)

1. Speaker: Claudius. Person addressed: Hamlet. Claudius tells Hamlet that it is praise-
worthy for him to mourn his father, but that to continue grieving for so long
beyond the mourning period is a sign of stubbornness. Most likely, Claudius is both-
ered by the constant reminder of the murder he has committed and wants life to
return to normal as soon as possible.
2. Speaker: Polonius. Person addressed: Laertes. Polonius gives his son, Laertes, this
fatherly advice before Laertes departs for France: Listen well and speak little, do not
© 1998 EMC Corporation

borrow or lend your money, and be true to yourself so that you can be true to all
others. Ironically, Polonius does not follow his own advice, as becomes evident over
the following scenes of the play: he is overly talkative, does not listen well, and spies
on people.
3. Speaker: Hamlet. Person addressed: Horatio. After experiencing the terrifying events
of meeting a ghost, speaking with it, and being ordered to keep silent by a voice
from underground, Horatio declares these happenings “wondrous strange.” Hamlet,
however, is looking past this to what his father’s ghost has revealed and realizes the
many terrible implications it brings.

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 57

 Exam Answer Key

Hamlet, Acts I–II

4. Speaker: Ophelia. Person addressed: Polonius. Polonius has asked Ophelia to stop
seeing Hamlet because he fears she will ruin her reputation. Although she clearly
loves Hamlet, Ophelia obeys her father and rejects Hamlet. When Hamlet enters her
room in a state of apparent madness, both she and her father assume the prince is
mad with love for her and is broken-hearted over Ophelia’s rejection of him.
5. Speaker: Hamlet. Person addressed: himself, in a soliloquy. Hamlet has not yet taken
revenge against his uncle, in part because he is not certain whether the ghost was
telling the truth about Claudius’s crime. He now devises a plan to test Claudius’s
guilt: he will stage a play that depicts a murder similar to the one the ghost
described, and observe Claudius’s reaction.

Short Essay (10 points each)

Responses will vary. Possible responses are given.
1. A protagonist is the central figure in a literary work. An antagonist is a character
who is working against the protagonist. Hamlet, prince of Denmark, is the protago-
nist of this play. Claudius, the new king of Denmark, is the antagonist. In act II, how-
ever, Hamlet begins to act as his own antagonist. After responding to his father’s
ghost with fiery promises of swift revenge, he ponders his action and its implications
while going no further. Not until he hears a speech about a murder does he regain
some of his former passion. He chides himself for not showing as much feeling as
the player performing the fictitious scene. He is angry and embarrassed that he has
not yet acted, and instead has limited himself to spoken words and curses.
2. A soliloquy is a speech given by a character who is, or believes himself to be, alone.
Hamlet performs several eloquent soliloquies in the play. This corresponds to his per-
sonality, which is introspective and questioning. His introspection leads him to lonely
places where he can work out his feelings and thoughts through arguments and
moral questions. He has a critical nature, which he often turns on himself. He is
essentially a man of words, not action.
3. A foil is a character whose attributes, or characteristics, contrast with and therefore
throw into relief the attributes of another character. Hamlet asks one of the players © 1998 EMC Corporation
visiting the palace to recite a speech. The tale is about a son who takes revenge for
his father’s death and kills Priam, the Trojan king. Priam’s wife, Hecuba, witnesses
the murder. The player uses such emotion to demonstrate Hecuba’s agony that his
face turns pale, his voice breaks and he weeps. Hamlet laments that here is a man
who has no connection to Hecuba, yet he still shows such powerful emotion, while
Hamlet, whose own father was murdered, says and does nothing. Hamlet is very
aware that this player is his foil and even compares what the player would do if he
were in Hamlet’s place. “He would drown the stage with tears / ...Make mad the
guilty, and appall the free, / Confound the ignorant, and amaze indeed / The very
faculties of eyes and ears.”

58 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Exam Answer Key

Hamlet, Acts I–II

Long Essay (30 points each)
1. In the first two acts of Hamlet alone, there are numerous examples of deceit.
Claudius killed his brother so he could ascend the throne and marry his sister-in-law.
He then deceived the people of Denmark by reporting that a poisonous snake killed
the former king. Gertrude and Claudius were both guilty of carrying on a relation-
ship that was deceptive to former king. Polonius sends a man to spy on his son and
even spread lies about him; he plans to spy on Hamlet and Ophelia. Rosencrantz,
Guildenstern, Gertrude, and Claudius are all involved in a plot to observe Hamlet
closely without him realizing it. Finally, Hamlet himself uses deception when he pre-
tends to be mad and when he plots to prove Claudius’s guilt in an underhanded
way.
Claudius and Gertrude carry out their deceptions purely for the sake of self-grati-
fication. On the other hand, they outwardly seem concerned about Hamlet and
what is troubling him. Claudius employs Hamlet’s childhood friends to learn the rea-
son for his melancholy. Gertrude, who seems unaware of Claudius’s role in murder-
ing her first husband, seems genuinely concerned with Hamlet’s welfare. She may
be using this deception thinking it is for Hamlet’s own good. Claudius seems more
concerned with finding out how much Hamlet knows of the murder.
Polonius probably wants to spy on his son because he does not trust him. He
wants to know everything that goes on in his son’s life, possibly to protect him and
his reputation. It is natural for a father to want to protect and watch over his child,
but Polonius goes further by asking his spy to spread lies about Laertes in order to
find out even more information. Polonius also wants to spy on Hamlet by using his
daughter as bait. In a strange way, he is trying to help Claudius and Gertrude to dis-
cover what is troubling Hamlet, but again the means he uses are poorly chosen,
unnatural, and belittling to both his daughter and Hamlet.
Hamlet tells Horatio he will feign madness to take the attention off his plotting
against Claudius, but he seems unconcerned that this distresses his mother and
Ophelia. Hamlet simply views his deceit as a necessary way to prove Claudius’s guilt.
© 1998 EMC Corporation

2. A psychodrama is a play that deals with the state of mind of its central character, in
this case, Hamlet. When Hamlet is introduced in act I, he is despondent and seems
bitter toward his uncle’s attempts to treat him like a son. He has been mourning his
father’s unnatural death for almost two months and has been wearing only black to
match his mood. He makes biting comments about the marriage of his uncle and
mother, hinting that it is “common,” meaning “base,” “vile,” or “low.” Hamlet is
depressed and introspective. He does not share his feelings with anyone directly, but
instead shows his emotion by sighing, wearing black, acting melancholy, and hint-
ing at his feelings by using words that have double meanings.

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 59

 Exam Answer Key

Hamlet, Acts I–II

After his father’s ghost tells Hamlet about the crimes committed against his late
father, Hamlet’s state of mind is agitated. He feels a deep disgust for the way his
mother and uncle are behaving, using strong words to describe them—”pernicious
woman,” and “smiling, damned villain.” He seems almost manic in his desire to for-
get everything else and tells the ghost that “thy commandement all alone shall live
/ Within the book and volume of my brain.”
In dealing with other characters, Hamlet seems to be more in control, evidenced
by the way he mocks Polonius and hints at Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s deceit.
He continues to hide his true feelings, only revealing them through puns and
ambiguous words. His state of mind is only clearly seen when he is alone and talking
to himself, when he reveals his conflicting thoughts, anger at himself for not acting,
and a desire to act cautiously even so.

© 1998 EMC Corporation

60 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Exam
Hamlet, Act III

Multiple Choice (20 points total)

On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer.

1. At the beginning of act III, Claudius and Gertrude question Rosencrantz

and Guildenstern in order to _____.
a. determine whether Hamlet should marry Ophelia
b. assess Hamlet’s state of mind
c. decide whether Hamlet will be a good emissary to send to England
d. learn whether Hamlet plans to avenge his father’s death
2. Just before Hamlet delivers his famous soliloquy, Claudius reveals that _____.
a. he plans to murder Hamlet
b. he is afraid that Gertrude will turn from him
c. he carries the heavy burden of wearing a false face to hide a guilty heart
d. he plans to send Hamlet to England
3. In his “To be or not to be” soliloquy, Hamlet _____.
a. plots his course in seeking revenge
b. dreams of the fair Ophelia
c. considers suicide
d. plans his escape to England
4. Hamlet is cruel to Ophelia because _____.
a. he wants her to think he is mad
b. he suspects she has rejected him for another love
c. he projects his indecision onto her
d. she seems to favor Laertes over him
5. Hamlet reveals to Ophelia that he thinks _____.
a. people are either good or evil but never both
b. human beings, including himself, are sinners and rogues
c. people are basically good but can be tempted to do evil things
© 1998 EMC Corporation

d. women make monsters out of the men they marry

e. b and d are true

6. Ophelia returns Hamlet’s remembrances to him because _____.

a. her father has insisted that she reject Hamlet’s love
b. she thinks Hamlet is mad
c. Laertes has urged her to make a better choice
d. a and b are true

7. According to Hamlet, a play should be _____.

a. a mere entertainment
b. a satire on courtly manners
c. a mirror to life
d. a momentary delusion

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 61

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Exam
Hamlet, Act III

8. When the Player Queen in the theatrical production says she would never
marry the man who killed her husband, the Player King doubts her
because he believes _____.
a. that love dies when the person who is loved dies
b. that a change in fortune changes one’s passions
c. that when passion ebbs one’s purpose changes
d. all of the above
9. During the play, Horatio and Hamlet both observe that _____.
a. Polonius is watching Hamlet’s every move and examining his speech
b. Gertrude is clinging to the arm of her husband
c. Ophelia is reciting poems under her breath
d. Claudius rises in response to the poisoning of the King
10. Hamlet accuses Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of _____.
a. playing upon him as if he were a recorder
b. only pretending to be his friends
c. being inept musicians
d. all of the above
e. a and b are true
11. After the Mouse-trap play, Claudius decides _____.
a. to forbid Hamlet from spending time with Ophelia because of his madness
b. to send Hamlet to England since he is becoming a danger to his kingship
c. to send Hamlet to England to pursue theatrical interests with
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
d. a and b are true
e. all of the above
12. Hamlet decides he can’t kill Claudius while he is praying because _____.
a. Claudius is showing remorse for what he has done
b. such a deed would damn Hamlet’s soul
c. Claudius would go to heaven instead of hell
© 1998 EMC Corporation
d. none of the above
e. a and b are true

13. Polonius speaks to _____ about spying behind a tapestry.

a. Gertrude
b. Claudius
c. Laertes
d. a and c
e. a and b

62 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Exam
Hamlet, Act III
14. Before Hamlet meets with Gertrude, he resolves to _____.
a. convince her to help him take revenge on Claudius
b. be cruel but not physically harmful to her
c. convince her not to reveal his plan
d. convince her that he is mad over Ophelia’s rejection
e. a and d are true
15. The crisis, or turning point, in the play takes place _____.
a. when Claudius reveals his guilt during the theatrical presentation
b. when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern take Hamlet to England
c. when Hamlet kills Polonius
d. when Hamlet decides not to kill Claudius while he is in prayer
16. Although Hamlet has forced Gertrude to see the wrongfulness of her
marriage to Claudius, she thinks Hamlet mad when _____.
a. he speaks to the air as if it were his father
b. he rants at her
c. he threatens her life
d. he condemns women for making monsters of men
17. Hamlet’s act of killing Polonius is ironic because _____.
a. although Polonius was a meddling fool, he did not deserve such a fate
b. it is an impulsive act that would be more appropriate to avenge his
father’s death
c. he is seeking justice but kills Polonius unjustly
d. all of the above
18. When the ghost appears to Hamlet in Gertrude’s chamber, he says that _____.
a. his purpose is to sharpen Hamlet’s intent to carry out revenge
b. Hamlet should strengthen his case by revealing that he is not mad
c. Hamlet must step between his bewildered mother and her fighting soul
d. a and c are true
e. all of the above
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19. In considering Polonius’s death, Hamlet _____.

a. says that he repents but that he will “answer well” for murdering him
b. says Polonius deserved his death for being so devious
c. realizes that the murder will set him packing
d. a and c are true

20. As Hamlet prepares to depart from England with Rosencrantz and

Guildenstern, he views them as _____.
a. confidants and trusted friends
b. harmless servants of the King
c. untrustworthy as adders
d. childhood friends

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 63

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Exam
Hamlet, Act III
Matching (10 points total)
On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer.
1. aside a. Actor’s ability to mirror nature
2. soliloquy b. Claudius speaks only to audience, although
Hamlet is still onstage
3. mimesis
c. Arranges the “Mouse-trap” play
4. Polonius
d. Chastises Hamlet for showing the king disrespect
5. irony of situation e. Hides behind a tapestry
6. Hamlet f. Maintains that Hamlet suffers from unresolved
7. Freudian criticism Oedipus complex
8. Ophelia g. Unable to pray for forgiveness
h. Speech in which Hamlet ponders whether “To
9. Claudius
be, or not to be”
10. Gertrude
i. Hamlet kills Polonius, thinking he is Claudius
j. Returns keepsakes to a lover

Vocabulary (5 points total)

Complete the sentences by filling in each blank with a word from the list below. Do not
use any word more than once.
abstinence contagion disposition impart
boisterous discretion forestall mandate

EX. The requirement of perfect attendance was a favorite mandate of my gymnastics

coach.

1. Keisha tried to distract the teacher, hoping to the inevitable © 1998 EMC Corporation
homework assignment.

2. Josh has always shown excellent in choosing friends.

3. As much as she tried, Candace was never able to to her

younger sister the importance of respecting her need for privacy.

4. The party was so that the neighbors issued a complaint

about the noise.

5. Golden retrievers make excellent pets for children because of their

patient .

64 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Exam
Hamlet, Act III
Quote Identification (3 points each)
For each quotation below, identify the speaker and the person(s) being addressed. Then
briefly explain the significance of the passage.

1. “To be or not to be, that is the question: / Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer /
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, / Or to take arms against a sea of trou-
bles, / And by opposing, end them.” (act III, scene i)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

2. “There’s something in his soul / O’er which his melancholy sits on brood, / And I do
doubt the hatch and the disclose / Will be some danger…” (act III, scene iv)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

3. “Thou turn’st my eyes into my very soul, / And there I see such black and grained
spots / As will not leave their tinct.” (act III, scene iv)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

4. “Why, look you now, how unworthy a thing you make of me! You would play upon
me, you would seem to know my stops, you would pluck out the heart of my mys-
tery, you would sound me from my lowest notes to the top of my compass; and
there is much music, excellent voice, in this little organ, yet cannot you make it
speak.” (act III, scene ii)
© 1998 EMC Corporation

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

5. “Their perfume lost, / Take these again, for to the noble mind / Rich gifts wax poor
when givers prove unkind.” (act III, scene i)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 65

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Exam
Hamlet, Act III
Short Essay (10 points each)
On a separate sheet of paper, write a brief essay answering two of the following questions.
1. Why do you think Hamlet used a play as the method to learn the truth about
whether Claudius murdered his father? As Hamlet helps the actors prepare for this
play within the play, what views about acting does Shakespeare present to his
audience?
2. Define motivation and explain what motivates Hamlet and Ophelia to behave as they
do toward each other at the beginning of act III.
3. Define aside and irony. Then explain the irony of Claudius’s aside as he ends his
prayers in act III, scene iii.

Long Essay (30 points each)

On a separate sheet of paper, write an essay answering one of the following questions.
1. One of the recurring themes in his play is how a person might achieve salvation.
Claudius says that one of the virtues of prayer is that it has the force to pardon those
who have fallen. What sort of salvation do Claudius and Gertrude attain or fail to
attain in act III? What does Hamlet seek regarding the salvation of his uncle and his
mother? Cite examples from the text to support your answer.
2. At one point in the play, Hamlet speaks of himself as a scourge, or whip, whose pur-
pose is to bring about justice. Compare the sorts of justice Hamlet provides in this
act for Claudius and Polonius. Then explain whether these are fitting responses, cit-
ing evidence from the text to support your answer.

© 1998 EMC Corporation

66 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Exam Answer Key

Hamlet, Act III

Multiple Choice (20 points total)
1. b 5. e 9. d 13. e 17. d
2. c 6. a 10. e 14. b 18. d
3. c 7. c 11. b 15. c 19. d
4. b 8. d 12. c 16. a 20. c

Matching (10 points total)

1. b 3. a 5. i 7. f 9. g
2. h 4. e 6. c 8. j 10. d

Vocabulary (5 points total)

1. forestall 4. boisterous
2. discretion 5. disposition
3. impart

Quote Identification (3 points each)

1. Speaker: Hamlet. Person(s) addressed: himself, in a soliloquy. Students may make
the point, as the Kenneth Branagh film does, that Hamlet is aware of Claudius’s spy-
ing and indirectly speaks to Claudius here. (See Critical Writing Activity C, on page
244 of the Access Edition, for more information.) The standard reading, however, is
that Hamlet believes himself to be alone and speaks to himself about his own con-
cerns. In this reading, Hamlet wonders whether he should live or die, whether it
takes more courage to suffer the circumstances that fate brings upon a person or
more courage to fight against these miseries and end them, perhaps by committing
suicide.
© 1998 EMC Corporation

2. Speaker: Claudius. Person addressed: Polonius. Here Claudius is worried about the
way Hamlet is brooding, much like a bird on her nest. He tells Polonius that whatever
results from this brooding might threaten his kingship, or be some danger to him.
3. Speaker: Gertrude. Person addressed: Hamlet. After Hamlet has confronted her in
her chamber, Queen Gertrude admits that she is, indeed, guilty in her marriage to
Claudius. In this passage she says that Hamlet has forced her to see a transgression
so deeply ingrained that it will never lose its color—that is, her guilt is so deep that
she will never be free of it.
4. Speaker: Hamlet. Person addressed: Guildenstern, although students may also
include Rosencrantz here, since he is in the room when Hamlet speaks and both his
former school friends function mostly as one unit. Hamlet has asked Guildenstern to

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 67

 Exam Answer Key

Hamlet, Act III

play the recorder, and after Guildenstern protests that he is not skilled enough,
Hamlet chastises him for assuming he can “play” him and understand his very “mys-
tery.” Hamlet warns both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern not to overstep their
boundaries with him.
5. Speaker: Ophelia. Person addressed: Hamlet. Ophelia has cut off relations with
Hamlet in obedience to her father. She is returning things she has given him, and
after Hamlet has slighted her, she tells him the gifts have lost their value because of
his unkindness. Students might point out here that Ophelia’s statement might be
seen as ironic, since she initiated the break in their relationship.

Short Essay (10 points each)

Responses will vary. Possible responses are given.
1. Students might point out that Hamlet is so comfortable within the theatrical world
that using a play as a “Mouse-trap” is a perfect strategy for him to determine
Claudius’s guilt. Hamlet intends to have the players act out “The Murder of
Gonzago” to see if Claudius responds to the performance in a guilty way. This
scheme allows Hamlet to observe Claudius without confronting him directly.
Shakespeare is able to express his own ideas about theater by having Hamlet pre-
pare the players before their performance. Hamlet tells them that the purpose of
playing is to hold “the mirror up to nature.” Such a statement allows Shakespeare to
express an ideal of what theater should be, while giving him license to discuss ways
actors have fallen short of the mark. Hamlet says, for example, that he would have
an actor whipped for excess; because it “out-Herods Herod,” he says, “pray you
avoid it.” On the other hand, he instructs the players not to be too tame, but to “let
your own discretion be your tutor.” Above all, Hamlet tells them, they are to “Suit
the action to the word, the word to the action.” In this way, Hamlet finds through
theater the perfect way to prove Claudius’s guilt, and Shakespeare finds the perfect
platform by which to express his views.
2. A motivation is a force that moves a character to think, feel, or behave a certain
way. At the beginning of act III, Ophelia is motivated by a desire to obey her father,
© 1998 EMC Corporation
who has ordered her to break off relations with Hamlet. Students might argue that
despite her obedience to Polonius, she is still motivated by her love for Hamlet, as
seen when she greets him (“Good my lord, / How does your honor for this many a
day?”). When Hamlet denies ever having given her “remembrances,” Ophelia
protests, saying that he did indeed give her gifts, which she valued even more
because of what he said to her when he gave them to her. Ophelia also behaves
with confusion and distress when she calls out to the heavens to restore Hamlet, and
laments how Hamlet’s noble mind has been overtaken by madness. She calls herself
“most deject and wretched” of ladies for succumbing to Hamlet’s vows to her,
especially since he now seems “Blasted with ecstasy” or blighted with madness.
Hamlet is motivated throughout the play by his desire to seek revenge on
Claudius for killing his father. Because of this, he has decided to “put an antic dispo-
sition on” and has already displayed his madness to Ophelia so convincingly that

68 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

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Hamlet, Act III

she fled from her chamber, greatly frightened. When Ophelia comes to him in act III
to return his mementos, Hamlet again appears to be mad. He denies that he gave
Ophelia the remembrances; questions Ophelia’s honesty, or loyalty, to him; and tells
her to get to a nunnery to avoid becoming “a breeder of sinners.” He then asks
where Polonius is, indicating that he might think Polonius is spying on him or sus-
pect that Polonius is the force behind Ophelia’s refusal to see him. Students might
point out that besides being motivated by revenge, Hamlet could behave this way
out of love and concern for Ophelia. He admits that he did love Ophelia once.
When he tells Ophelia to get to a nunnery, he may be motivated either by anger
and a sense of betrayal, or from a desire to protect Ophelia from a world of sinners.
3. An aside is a statement made by a character in a play, intended to be heard by the
audience, but not by other characters on the stage. Irony is a difference between
appearance and reality. Claudius’s prayer in act III, scene iii ends in an aside, in
which he says, “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: / Words without
thoughts never to heaven go.” Hamlet, who has planned to take revenge on him,
decides he cannot kill Claudius while praying; he assumes that Claudius has
obtained forgiveness and is in a state of grace. Hamlet says that he must not send to
heaven the same villain who has killed his father. He decides instead to use his
sword “When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage / Or in th’ incestious pleasure of his
bed, / At game a-swearing, or about some act / That has no relish of salvation in’t.”
Claudius’s aside is ironic because he reveals that he is not in the state of grace
Hamlet assumes.

Long Essay (30 points each)

Responses will vary. Possible responses are given.
1. (Note: To prepare for this essay question, students should build on their response
about theme in Understanding Literature, question 6, on page 145 of the text.)
Neither Claudius nor Gertrude successfully obtains salvation in this act. Ironically,
Hamlet seeks damnation for his uncle and salvation for his mother, but is unable to
achieve either result. The fact that salvation is unreachable for both Claudius and
© 1998 EMC Corporation

Gertrude has nothing to do with Hamlet’s actions.

Claudius recognizes that prayer has the ability to pardon those who have fallen
and tries to obtain forgiveness by seeking God’s grace through prayer. He recognizes
that the murder of his brother is a grievous sin (“O, my offense is rank”) and wants
to pray, but cannot. Despite his desire for forgiveness, Claudius says prayer cannot
help him because he still enjoys the fruits of his sins (“…I am still possess’d / Of
those effects for which I did the murther: / My crown, mine own ambition, and my
queen”). Claudius recognize that he would have to give these things up to attain
salvation. Ironically, Hamlet, seeking eternal damnation for the king, believes he has
found the praying king in a state of grace. He decides to wait until Claudius is in an
unrepentant state and kill him then, robbing him of salvation. Hamlet does not hear
Claudius reveal that he is unable to pray and receive salvation: “My words fly up,

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 69

 Exam Answer Key

Hamlet, Act III

my thoughts remain below: / Words without thoughts never to heaven go.” Thus in
delaying his revenge, Hamlet misses an opportunity to send Claudius to eternal
damnation.
Gertrude not only fails to seek salvation through prayer or any other means, she
does not admit her sin until Hamlet confronts her with it. Instead, she calls Hamlet
to her chamber to chastise him for offending Claudius. Hamlet reverses the charge,
saying that Gertrude has offended his father and that he intends to show Gertrude
her real self (“You go not till I set you up a glass / Where you may see the inmost
part of you”). Gertrude calls out with fear, prompting Polonius to reveal that he is
spying behind the arras. After Hamlet kills Polonius, Gertrude still acts self-right-
eously: “What have I done, that thou dar’st wag thy tongue / In noise so rude
against me?” Hamlet then accuses her of making “marriage vows / As false as dicers’
oaths” and forces her to look at a portrait of each king, telling her that her current
husband has “Blast[ed] his wholesome brother.” It is only then that Gertrude looks
into her soul and proclaims that “there I see such black and grained spots / As will
not leave their tinct.” She begs Hamlet to stop speaking to her of this (“these words
like daggers enter in my ears”). Instead of seeking damnation for his mother as he
did for Claudius, however, Hamlet hopes to steer his mother to salvation. Before
meeting her in her chamber, he has cautioned himself not to behave like Nero, who
murdered his mother. Rather, he says, “I will speak daggers to her, but use none.”
Once Gertrude admits her guilt, Hamlet begs her to “Assume a virtue, if you have it
not” and to avoid his uncle’s bed. Hamlet suggests to her that avoiding sin tonight
will lead to “the next abstinence, the next more easy.” Hamlet’s parting message to
Gertrude is that when she has reformed enough to seek salvation, he will ask for her
blessing. Gertrude seems genuine in admitting her sin and asking Hamlet what she
should do, but she is dismayed to see him talking to air and behaving madly.
Despite Hamlet’s assurances that his madness is only pretense, Gertrude seems to
doubt this. Although Hamlet urges her to reform her ways, Gertrude gives him no
assurances after witnessing his apparent madness.
2. (Note: To prepare for this essay question, students might find it helpful to review
their response to Reviewing the Selection, question 29, on page 143 in the text.)
© 1998 EMC Corporation
Although Hamlet perceives his role as a scourge, or whip, his actions toward both
Claudius and Polonius are inappropriate expressions of justice. Motivated through-
out the play by his desire to avenge his father’s death, Hamlet nevertheless fails to
act decisively regarding Claudius and thus fails to attain justice for the murder of his
father. On the other hand, his action toward Polonius is so irrational and extreme
that he fails to effect justice here as well.
When Hamlet finds Claudius alone in act III, he has the opportunity to kill
Claudius. However, because Claudius is at prayer, Hamlet assumes he is in a state of
grace and delays killing him. Such a delay is, in fact, ironic, as Claudius’s aside (“My
words fly up, my thoughts remain below: / Words without thoughts never to
heaven go”) reveals that he is in a state of sin. Because of his misperception, Hamlet
decides to wait until Claudius “is drunk asleep, or in his rage, / Or in th’incestious

70 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

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Hamlet, Act III

pleasure of his bed”—any action that will send his uncle to hell instead of heaven.
While Hamlet believes he must delay in exacting justice from Claudius according to
the ghost’s orders, the ghost appears to him again in scene iv “to whet thy almost
blunted purpose.” The ghost’s words underscore the fact that Hamlet’s delay is fail-
ing to serve justice.
Hamlet’s desire for justice is also misdirected in his dealings with Polonius. When
Gertrude cries out for help, Polonius, hiding behind the tapestry, tries to help her
and Hamlet kills him, mistaking him for Claudius. Students might point out that
because Hamlet assumes he is killing Claudius, his intent, if not the action itself,
could be perceived as just. Others might argue that Hamlet, in behaving irrationally,
has lost his ability to exact justice. Considering that Hamlet has previously been so
careful to avenge his father’s death, this violent attack seems all the more lacking in
self-control. Polonius is killed by accident because, without identifying who is actu-
ally hiding behind the arras, Hamlet simply kills him. Discovering he has killed
Polonius and not Claudius, Hamlet shows no remorse. Instead, he says, “Thou
wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell! / I took thee for thy better. Take thy fortune;
/ Thou find’st to be too busy is some danger.” Hamlet blames Polonius’s meddling
for leading to his own death, rather than admitting that the punishment may not fit
the crime. Later in scene iv he tells his mother that he does repent, but he still per-
ceives himself as a “scourge” who can “answer well / The death I gave him.” While
Hamlet tries to be a scourge, or whip, to both Claudius and Polonius, he is, in fact,
ineffective. By sparing Claudius and murdering Polonius, Hamlet fails to respond
justly in both cases.
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ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 71

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Exam
Hamlet, Acts IV–V
Multiple Choice (20 points total)
On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer.

1. When Claudius learns of the death of Polonius, his chief concern is that _____.
a. Hamlet might be responsible
b. Ophelia may go insane
c. the blame might be placed on him
d. Polonius receive full funeral honors
2. When Hamlet tells Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that the King will use
them, then discard them, he compares them to _____.
a. sponges
b. shellfish
c. wine casks
d. lemmings
3. Claudius sends Hamlet to England in order to _____.
a. protect him from punishment
b. have him killed
c. negotiate with Fortinbras
d. a and c are true
4. In act IV, scene iv, Hamlet learns that Fortinbras is preparing to _____.
a. attack Denmark and kill Claudius
b. fight with Poland over a worthless piece of land
c. take him to England to be killed
d. form an alliance with Denmark
5. What does Hamlet think of the plans of Fortinbras?
a. He hopes that Fortinbras succeeds in killing Claudius, so that he can
avoid having to take action himself.
b. He laments that humans fight over insignificant “straws.”
c. He envies Fortinbras for being such a bold man of action.
© 1998 EMC Corporation
d. He does not trust Fortinbras and secretly plots to undermine his plans.

6. The king says that the cause of Ophelia’s madness is _____.

a. “All from her father’s death”
b. “Those feminine hysterics to which women fall prey”
c. “The faithlessness of the murd’rous Hamlet”
d. “A love-sickness, which with time must needs pass”

7. Horatio receives a letter from Hamlet that tells him _____.

a. Hamlet has been kidnapped by pirates
b. to come to Hamlet’s side
c. Hamlet has much to tell Horatio about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
d. all of the above

72 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Exam
Hamlet, Acts IV–V
8. Whom does the mob demand be made king, and why?
a. Hamlet, because he is the rightful heir to his father’s throne
b. Laertes, because they blame Claudius for killing Polonius
c. Hamlet, because they have learned that Claudius killed Hamlet’s father
d. Fortinbras, because they know of Claudius’s crimes and fear that
something is rotten in the state of Denmark
9. Claudius plots to _____.
a. set up a practice duel in which Laertes will kill Hamlet with an unpro-
tected sword
b. anger Laertes to the point of attacking Hamlet in a surprise duel
c. trick Laertes into fighting Hamlet, whom he knows is a better swordsman
d. all of the above
10. Laertes adds to Claudius’s plot by planning to _____.
a. get Hamlet drunk so that his swordsmanship is weakened
b. poison the tip of his sword
c. poison the cup from which Hamlet will drink
d. all of the above
11. In case Hamlet is not killed in the duel, Claudius plans to _____.
a. murder Hamlet in his sleep
b. give him a poisoned drink
c. banish him from Denmark
d. none of the above
12. When Hamlet and Horatio come upon a gravedigger at the beginning of
act V, Hamlet _____.
a. finds it shocking that the gravedigger sings at his work and tosses skulls
about
b. remembers the court jester who used to play with him
c. observes that even great people come to nothing in death
© 1998 EMC Corporation

d. all of the above

e. a and b are true

13. Why does the priest say that he will not give Ophelia the full funeral rites?
a. Ophelia’s death may have been a suicide.
b. He suspects that Ophelia was not a chaste maiden, given her relationship
with Hamlet.
c. Claudius has decreed that the funeral remain secret so that the public
does not learn of Ophelia’s untimely death.
d. Since Ophelia was gripped by madness, she was incapable of confessing
her sins before death.

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 73

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Exam
Hamlet, Acts IV–V
14. At Ophelia’s funeral, Hamlet _____.
a. becomes enraged because the priest refuses to perform full rites
b. leaps into the grave and begins grappling with Laertes
c. declares he loved Ophelia more than Laertes did
d. challenges Laertes to a duel
e. b and c are true
15. In narrating to Horatio what happened on his voyage to England, Hamlet
reveals that _____.
a. Claudius had ordered Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to kill him
b. he killed Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
c. he intercepted the king’s letter and substituted his own message to England
d. a and c are true
16. What is the best description of Hamlet’s attitude prior to the duel?
a. He knows he will lose, but does not care
b. He burns with the desire for revenge, after having delayed so long.
c. He says that whatever will come, will come, and all he can do is be
ready for it.
d. He is ready to forgive Laertes and suspects nothing of the plot against him.
e. He believes that destiny and divine providence are on his side.
17. During the duel between Hamlet and Laertes, all of the following happens,
except: _____.
a. Laertes makes the first hit
b. Laertes wounds Hamlet with the poisoned tip of his sword
c. Hamlet wounds Laertes with Laertes’s sword
d. Laertes asks Hamlet’s pardon and blames the King
18. In her last words to Hamlet, Gertrude tells him _____.
a. she is sorry for all she has done, and wants his forgiveness
b. to pray for her salvation
c. to avoid a blow from Laertes, because his sword is poisoned
© 1998 EMC Corporation
d. that the drink is poisoned

19. At the end of the play, Hamlet begs Horatio to _____.

a. drink from the poisoned cup and die with him
b. tell the world his story
c. fight against Fortinbras to save the Danish throne
d. b and c are true

20. The play ends with _____.

a. Hamlet’s death
b. Fortinbras honoring Hamlet and taking the throne
c. Horatio telling the story that led to this bloody end
d. King Hamlet’s ghost walking across the battlements to his grave

74 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Exam
Hamlet, Acts IV–V
Matching (10 points total)
On the line provided, write the letter of the best answer.

1. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern a. Killed Hamlet

2. resolution b. Passed through Denmark on his return
from Poland
3. Fortinbras
c. Carried a death sentence to England
4. tragedy
d. A character who provides a contrast to
5. Horatio
the main character
6. foil
e. The willow tree
7. Laertes
f. A literary work in which a figure of high
8. theme status falls
9. Osric g. Claudius dies
10. symbol h. Will tell Hamlet’s story
i. A main idea in a literary work
j. A courtier whom Hamlet mocks
because of his flowery language

Vocabulary (5 points total)

Complete the sentences by filling in each blank with a word from the list below. Do not
use any word more than once.
abate exhort interim sultry
contagion imminent requite tenant

EX. The flowers wilted in the sultry weather.

1. The landlord received many complaints about the loud, annoying

© 1998 EMC Corporation

who lived in apartment 101.

2. The students enjoyed a week’s vacation in the between first

and second semester.

3. The coach will the players to work as a team.

4. I tried to convince the little girl that there were no monsters under the bed, but her
fears did not .

5. The candidate’s popularity was so high a week before the election that a landslide
victory seemed .

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 75

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Exam
Hamlet, Acts IV–V
Quote Identification (3 points each)
For each quotation below, identify the speaker and the person(s) being addressed. Then
briefly explain the significance of the passage.

1. “How all occasions do inform against me, / And spur my dull revenge!…whether it
be / Bestial oblivion, or some craven scruple / Of thinking too precisely on th’
event— / A thought which quarter’d hath but one part wisdom / And ever three
parts coward—I do not know / Why yet I live to say, ‘This thing’s to do,’ / Sith I
have cause and will, and strength, and means / To do’t.” (act IV, scene iv)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

2. “O hear, dry up my brains! tears seven times salt / Burn out the sense and virtue of
mine eye! / By heaven, they madness shall be paid with weight / Till our scale turn
the beam. O rose of May!…O heavens, is’t possible a young maid’s wits / should be
as mortal as an old man’s life?” (act IV, scene v)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

3. “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him…a fellow of infinite jest.” (act V, scene i)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

4. “Good night, sweet prince / And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!” (act V, © 1998 EMC Corporation
scene ii)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

5. “For me, with sorrow I embrace my fortune. / I have some rights, of memory in this
kingdom / which now to claim my vantage doth invite me.” (act V, scene ii)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

76 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Exam
Hamlet, Acts IV–V

Short Essay (10 points each)

On a separate sheet of paper, write a brief essay answering two of the following questions.
1. Define tragedy and explain how Hamlet, Prince of Denmark fits this definition. How
does Hamlet himself fit the definition of a tragic hero?
2. Define foil and explain how Laertes and Fortinbras serve as foils for Hamlet. Use spe-
cific examples of the actions and words of each character to support your answer.
3. Analyze the character of Ophelia. What factors lead to her madness and death? In
answering this question, discuss in particular Ophelia’s relationships with Polonius
and Hamlet.

Long Essay (30 points each)

On a separate sheet of paper, write a brief essay answering one of the following questions.
1. How does Hamlet regard the relationship between thought and action? What does
he say about thought and action in his soliloquy “How all occasions do inform
against me…”, in act IV, scene iv? In what ways do Hamlet’s thoughts delay his
actions throughout the play? In your opinion, is Hamlet’s delay noble, or a sign of
cowardice? Support your answer with evidence from the play.
2. A theme of Hamlet is the relationship between human action and divine Providence.
What does Hamlet say about the value of human action in act V, scene i, when he
comes upon the gravedigger in the churchyard? How does he perceive the role of
divine Providence in his journey to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?
What does he conclude about human action and divine Providence just before his
duel with Laertes in act V, scene ii? Do you agree or disagree with Hamlet’s conclu-
sion?
© 1998 EMC Corporation

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 77

 Exam Answer Key

Hamlet, Acts IV–V

Multiple Choice (20 points total)

1. c 6. a 11. b 16. c
2. a 7. d 12. d 17. a
3. b 8. b 13. a 18. d
4. b 9. a 14. e 19. b
5. c 10. b 15. c 20. b

Matching (10 points total)

1. c 6. d
2. g 7. a
3. b 8. i
4. f 9. j
5. h 10. e

Vocabulary (5 points total)

1. tenant 4. abate
2. interim 5. imminent
3. exhort

Quote Identification (3 points each)

Responses will vary. Possible responses are given.
1. Speaker: Hamlet. Person addressed: himself, in a soliloquy. Hamlet has just learned
that Fortinbras plans to attack Poland over a worthless piece of land. Seeing that
Fortinbras is willing to risk the lives of twenty thousand men for “a straw,” Hamlet
feels all the more ashamed at his own inability to act. He decides that either he is a
sluggish beast, or, out of cowardice, he is thinking too much. He is frustrated
because this excessive deliberation prevents him from carrying out his revenge. © 1998 EMC Corporation

2. Speaker: Laertes. Person addressed: Ophelia. Laertes has returned from France to
find that Hamlet has killed his father and that Ophelia has consequently gone
insane. He is stricken by grief and vows to avenge her madness.
3. Speaker: Hamlet. Person addressed: Horatio. At the churchyard with Horatio, Hamlet
sees a gravedigger tossing up skulls as he makes a grave. One of the skulls is that of
Yorick, the court jester who used to entertain Hamlet when he was a boy. Hamlet is
shocked by the realization that someone who had been so lively and full of jokes
during his life is reduced to a mere jawless skull, knocked about by a spade. He real-
izes that all humans, no matter how great, come to this end.

78 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Exam Answer Key

Hamlet, Acts IV–V

4. Speaker: Horatio. Person addressed: Hamlet. Hamlet has just died, and Horatio, his
faithful friend, shows his confidence that he will attain salvation and go to heaven.
5. Speaker: Fortinbras. Person addressed: Horatio. Fortinbras and his soldiers have just
stormed the castle, only to find the king, queen, and prince dead. He is sorry for the
tragedy he has encountered, but sees his chance to seize the Danish crown.
Fortinbras claims he has ancient rights to Danish soil, since as revealed in act I, scene
ii, his late father, the former King of Norway, lost some land to Denmark.

Short Essay (10 points each)

Responses will vary. Possible responses are given.
1. A tragedy is a drama that relates the fall of a person of high status. Tragedy tends to
be serious, and it celebrates the courage and dignity of a tragic hero in the face of
inevitable doom. Often this doom is made inevitable by a tragic flaw in the hero.
Hamlet can be considered a tragedy because it relates the fall of Hamlet, the son
of a king. It is a very serious play, dealing with such themes as treachery, revenge,
melancholia and madness, the relative value of thought and action, and the value of
human life itself. Hamlet can be considered a tragic hero in that he faces the
prospect of his death with courage and dignity. This is shown by his attitude just
prior to the duel with Laertes, and in his bold statement that “the readiness is all.”
Despite Hamlet’s sense of foreboding, he resolves to face his destiny, saying that
whatever will happen, will happen, and that all that remains is to be ready for it.
Many people have claimed that Hamlet’s tragic flaw is his indecision and inaction.
Because he is unable, for so long, to carry out his revenge on Claudius, Hamlet
brings about even greater tragedy, and makes his own death inevitable.
2. A foil is a character whose attributes, or characteristics, contrast with and therefore
throw into relief the attributes of another character. Both Laertes and Fortinbras serve
as foils for Hamlet throughout the play. Like Hamlet, they seek to avenge a father. In
Fortinbras’s case, his father, the former King of Norway, lost land to Denmark and
Poland. Fortinbras gathers an army together to attack Denmark, but when he is pre-
vented from this, he goes to Poland, and, as Hamlet observes, is prepared to sacrifice
© 1998 EMC Corporation

twenty thousand men over a “straw,” a worthless piece of land, simply because honor
is at stake. Hamlet, by contrast, hesitates to take only one life, that of Claudius, in
avenging his own father for a far worse crime—a treacherous murder and usurping of
his throne. After waging his battle in Poland, Fortinbras returns to Denmark and
storms the Danish castle. His actions show that unlike Hamlet, Fortinbras is a man of
action—capable of taking great risks and confronting mortal danger without hesita-
tion.
Laertes seeks to avenge the murder of his father. Once he learns of Polonius’s
death, Laertes, believing Claudius responsible, charges into the castle and is pre-
pared to kill the king where he stands. In contrast to Hamlet, who worries that tak-
ing revenge will cause him to be damned, Laertes shouts, “To hell, alle-
giance!…Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit! / I dare damnation.” Unlike

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 79

 Exam Answer Key
Hamlet, Acts IV–V
Hamlet, who wants to make sure that Claudius is truly guilty before taking his
revenge, Laertes behaves rashly, intending to kill the king before learning the truth.
The king and queen have to hold Laertes back and convince him that
he is mistaken.
3. Ophelia is loving, concerned, obedient, and innocent. She clearly loves Hamlet, and
is disturbed by his apparent madness. Her first conversation with Polonius about
Hamlet, which appears in act I, scene iii, reveals that Ophelia believed Hamlet’s love
was sincere, as he had proved it “with almost all the holy vows of heaven.” In act II,
scene i, Ophelia reveals her fear that Hamlet is mad with love for her.
Despite her love for Hamlet, Ophelia’s sense of duty and obedience to her father
take priority. For this reason, Ophelia does not dare protest when her father orders
her to stop seeing Hamlet. She also agrees to speak with Hamlet while Polonius and
the king spy on them. Ophelia does not mean to hurt or deceive Hamlet; she is
innocent and guileless and believes that Hamlet’s madness is genuine and is caused
by his love for her. When Hamlet treats her cruelly, Ophelia weeps because she
believes he has truly gone insane. That she loves Hamlet is clear from her words,
“What a noble mind is here o’erthrown!”
Ophelia herself goes insane because she loses Hamlet—who has now apparently
gone insane and treats her with cruelty—and then loses her father when Hamlet
murders him. These losses must be all the more difficult for Ophelia to bear because
she has no explanation for them. She knows nothing of Hamlet’s plan for revenge,
and thinks the formerly noble, levelheaded Hamlet has gone insane simply because
of frustrated love. Students may suggest that in addition, Ophelia may feel
responsible for the losses; she believes she caused Hamlet’s insanity by refusing to
see him, so by extension, she may feel responsible for driving Hamlet to kill
Polonius. Her excessive guilt, added to her confusion and grief, may have led to
Ophelia’s madness.
Students may disagree as to whether or not Ophelia’s death was a suicide. If the
death was accidental, as Gertrude reports, it was certainly caused by her madness,
which prevented Ophelia from trying to save herself. Students may question the
queen’s version of the story, however, since it seems unlikely that she would watch
Ophelia drown without attempting to save her. The queen may have fabricated the
story in order to ensure that Ophelia would receive proper funeral rites and in order © 1998 EMC Corporation
to spare Laertes from further grief. Or she may have witnessed the drowning and
simply was unable to reach Ophelia in time.

Long Essay (30 points each)

Responses will vary. Possible responses are given.
1. In his soliloquy in act IV, scene iv, Hamlet says that his “craven scruple / Of thinking
too precisely on th’ event” has prevented him from taking action against Claudius.
He declares that he is a shameful coward in comparison with Fortinbras, a strong
and decisive man of action who is willing to “find quarrel in a straw / When honor’s
at the stake.”

80 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Exam Answer Key
Hamlet, Acts IV–V

Hamlet’s thoughts do delay his actions throughout the play. In acts I and II, he
delays because he fears the ghost “may be a dev’l” tempting him to commit an
unjust murder, and wants to prove Claudius’s guilt for himself. In act III, scene i, in
Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be” soliloquy, the prince muses that “conscience does
make cowards of us all,” revealing that he delays in part out of his “dread of some-
thing after death”—his fear of damnation. Later, in act III, scene iii, once Hamlet has
confirmed that the king is indeed guilty, he holds off murdering the praying
Claudius because he wants to wait until he is sure to send the king to hell. Finally, in
act V, Hamlet muses over whether human action or human life ultimately has any
value.
Most students will say this delay is necessary, since it would be foolish to kill
Claudius without proof of his guilt. They may also say that Hamlet’s delay is noble
since unlike Laertes and Fortinbras, Hamlet does not act rashly in taking his revenge,
and is engrossed in thoughts about his conscience, damnation, the value of human
action and human life, and whether revenge is justified.
Students may point out that Hamlet’s delay is not a long one; he only waits to
“prove” Claudius’s guilt before he strikes. When he sees evidence that the king is
guilty, he kills Polonius thinking that it is Claudius. This accidental murder shows
that Hamlet is certainly prepared to act, and that he does not deserve the ghost’s
accusation that his purpose has gone dull.
Other students will say that Hamlet is cowardly and is looking for any excuse to
delay taking his revenge. As evidence of this they could point to Hamlet’s own
words in his soliloquoy “O what a rogue and peasant slave am I” (act II, scene ii), in
which he admits he is a coward and pigeon-livered. They may point out that, had
Hamlet acted immediately, he could have avoided the tragedies that followed: the
deaths of Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, his mother, Laertes, and
himself.
2. Some argue that the primary message of Hamlet is that all action is futile because no
one can see very deeply into life and because, at any rate, divine providence, not
human actions, determines the outcome of events. Hamlet himself adopts this point
of view in act V. In previous acts, Hamlet chastises himself for not acting against
Claudius, and resolves to be more like Fortinbras, whom he admires as a great and
© 1998 EMC Corporation

decisive man of action. In act V, he begins to perceive the ultimate worthlessness of

human actions. In the churchyard, watching the gravedigger toss up skulls, he
muses that human greatness really comes to nothing in death. He realizes that in
the end, all humans are nothing more than bones to be “knock’d about the maz-
zard with a sexton’s spade,” and that even the most awesome and powerful of peo-
ple, like Alexander the Great or Caesar, end up nothing but clay that could be used
to plug a beer barrel.
Later, Hamlet explains to Horatio how his narrow escape from a death sentence
has changed his outlook. On his way to England in the hands of Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern, Hamlet, on an impulse, opened and read the commission Claudius
had given his two friends. He chanced to have his father’s Danish seal on hand—a
stroke of luck he says was ordained by heaven—and so was able to forge another

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 81

 Exam Answer Key
Hamlet, Acts IV–V
commission and seal it. The next day, he made a smooth exit when pirates captured
him and agreed to return him safely to Denmark. Hamlet’s escape was so improba-
ble that he attributes it to nothing less than the will of God. He no longer puts faith
in human action and concludes that people’s foolish, reckless blundering sometimes
works just as well if not better than careful planning, since God ultimately deter-
mines what will happen anyway. As he tells Horatio, “there’s a divinity that shapes
our ends, / Rough-hew them how we will.”
This new attitude seems to free Hamlet from his deliberation and his fears. Just
before the duel with Laertes, Hamlet has a presentiment of doom, but he is able to
face the prospect of his own death with courage and dignity. He reasons that, just as
there is “special providence in the fall of a sparrow,” if God has determined that it is
time for him to die, it will happen no matter what he does. Hamlet concludes that
all he can do is be prepared, saying that “the readiness is all.” He further implies
that people should not fear death, since they do not know much about the world
anyway and are ignorant of what they will leave behind.
Students may agree or disagree with Hamlet’s point of view. Some will state that
the events of act V are too horrible to be shaped by divine providence. Others may
argue that accident, not divine will, seems to be governing events. Others will say
that the conclusion, for all its tragedy, does show the mark of God’s will, since
despite the mess Hamlet has made of things, in the end everyone is punished for his
or her misdeeds and peace is restored in the person of Fortinbras, who shows every
indication of becoming a good and noble king. Hamlet’s attempts to act have been
“rough-hewn,” or botched, but in the end, all is set right in Denmark. Students
might also note that even if Hamlet had completely failed to exact revenge on
Claudius, the king still would have been ousted from power and likely killed upon
the arrival of Fortinbras. From that standpoint, every action Hamlet has taken
throughout the play has been unnecessary.

© 1998 EMC Corporation

82 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

Evaluation
Forms
 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Evaluation Form
Writing Process
P R E W R I T I N G

In prewriting I used
❏ freewriting ❏ imagining or role playing ❏ interviewing
❏ research ❏ graphic devices ❏ discussion
❏ asking questions ❏ observing and recalling ❏ other (explain)
(comments)
The prewriting technique that was most successful for me was
Other prewriting techniques that I would like to try are
The prewriting technique that I would like to improve is

P L A N N I N G

In planning I
❏ made an outline ❏ decided on a specific audience ❏ decided on a specific purpose
❏ decided on a specific topic ❏ revised my initial writing plan ❏ decided on a mode of writ-
ing
(comments)
The planning technique that was most successful for me was
Other planning techniques that I would like to try are
D R A F T I N G

In drafting I worked on
❏ writing topic sentences ❏ writing a conclusion ❏ achieving unity
❏ writing a thesis statement ❏ writing transitions ❏ other (explain)
❏ writing an introduction ❏ using supporting details
(comments)
The drafting skill that was most successful for me was
Other drafting skills that I would like to try are
The drafting skill that I would like to improve is
© 1998 EMC Corporation
E D I T I N G

In editing my draft I worked on

❏ writing or revising an introduction ❏ proofreading ❏ using vivid words and details
❏ writing or revising a conclusion ❏ revising for clarity ❏ other (explain)
❏ revising for coherence ❏ revising for unity
(comments)
The editing skill that was most successful for me was
Other editing skills that I would like to try are
The editing skill that I would like to improve is

84 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Evaluation Form
Writing Plan
T O P I C CIRCLE ONE

The topic is clear and can be treated well in the available space. 1

×5=
COMMENTS:
2
3
4

P U R P O S E

The writer’s purpose is clear, and the writer achieves his or her purpose. 1

×5=
COMMENTS:
2
3
4

A U D I E N C E

The language used and the complexity of the treatment of the subject are appro- 1
priate to the audience and occasion for which the writing was done. 2
COMMENTS:
3 ×5=
4

F O R M

The form chosen is appropriate, and the writer has observed the conventions of 1
the form chosen. 2

COMMENTS:
3 ×5=
4

M O D E

The writing makes use of appropriate modes (narration, dialogue, description,

1
and various kinds of exposition such as analysis or comparison and contrast), and
© 1998 EMC Corporation

2
the writer has handled these modes well.
3 ×5=
COMMENTS:
4

T O TA L

Key: 1 = needs substantial improvement 2 = needs improvement 3 = good 4 = outstanding

STUDENT’S SIGNATURE

PEER EVALUATOR’S SIGNATURE

TEACHER’S SIGNATURE

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 85

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Evaluation Form
Writing Summary
Title
Purpose or aim of writing

I chose this topic because

The form of the writing is

I chose this form because

My thesis or theme is

My intended audience is

The principle of organization that I used is

The type of support or evidence that I used is

The type of introduction that I used is

The type of conclusion that I used is

© 1998 EMC Corporation

86 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Evaluation Form
Compositions/Reports
Assign a score from 1 to 10, 1 being the worst and 10 being the best.

E VA L U AT I O N C R I T E R I A S C O R E

A. The paper contains an introduction that grabs the attention of the

reader.

B. The paper contains an introduction that presents the main idea or

thesis of the paper.

C. The body of the paper contains paragraphs that support and develop
the main idea.

D. Each paragraph develops a single main idea or serves a single main

function.

E. The writer has used transitions effectively to connect the paragraphs of

the paper.

F. The writer has used transitions effectively to connect ideas within

paragraphs.

G. The paragraphs in the body of the paper are organized in a logical

manner.

H. The paper contains a conclusion that gives the reader a satisfactory

© 1998 EMC Corporation

sense of an ending by summarizing the main points of the paper or by

some other means.

I. Source materials used in the paper have been clearly documented to

avoid plagiarism.

J. The writer has prepared the paper using proper manuscript form.

TOTAL

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 87

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Evaluation Form
Analytic Scale
C O N T E N T / U N I T Y CIRCLE ONE

A. Develops a single main idea or creates a single dominant effect

×4=
1 2
COMMENTS: 3 4

B. Contains only necessary or relevant ideas or information

×4=
1 2
COMMENTS: 3 4

O R G A N I Z AT I O N / C O H E R E N C E

C. Is organized in a logical or sensible manner

×4=
1 2
COMMENTS: 3 4

D. Uses transitions effectively to connect ideas

×4=
1 2
COMMENTS: 3 4

L A N G U A G E / S T Y L E

×2=
E. Uses language appropriate to the audience and occasion 1 2
COMMENTS: 3 4

F. Uses vivid, precise nouns, verbs, and modifiers

×2=
1 2
COMMENTS: 3 4

C O N V E N T I O N S

×1=
G. Avoids spelling errors 1 2
COMMENTS: 3 4
H. Avoids grammar errors 1 2 ×1=
COMMENTS: 3 4
I. Avoids usage errors 1 2 ×1=
COMMENTS:
3 4
© 1998 EMC Corporation
×1=
J. Avoids punctuation and capitalization errors 1 2
COMMENTS:
3 4

×1=
K. Avoids errors in manuscript form 1 2
COMMENTS: 3 4

T O TA L

Key: 1 = needs substantial improvement 2 = needs improvement 3 = good 4 = outstanding

STUDENT’S SIGNATURE

PEER EVALUATOR’S SIGNATURE

TEACHER’S SIGNATURE

88 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Evaluation Form
Holistic Response
C O N T E N T A N D C O H E R E N C E

The writing The writing

• does not develop a single • develops a single main idea or
main idea or create a single (Circle one.) creates a single dominant
dominant effect effect
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
• contains irrelevant ideas • contains only relevant ideas
• is not organized logically ×7= • is organized logically
• does not use transitions effec- • uses transitions effectively
tively • uses language appropriate to
• uses language inappropriate the audience and occasion
for the audience and occasion • uses vivid, precise nouns,
• does not use vivid, precise verbs, and modifiers
nouns, verbs, and modifiers

C O N V E N T I O N S

The writing The writing

• makes errors in spelling (Circle one.)
• uses proper spelling
• makes errors in grammar • uses good grammar
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
• makes errors in usage • avoids errors in usage
• makes errors in punctuation ×3= • uses proper punctuation
• does not follow proper and capitalization
manuscript form • follows proper manuscript
form

CONTENT AND COHERENCE + CONVENTIONS = TOTAL

What I like most about this work is

© 1998 EMC Corporation

What I like least about this work is

What I would do to improve this work is

STUDENT’S SIGNATURE

PEER EVALUATOR’S SIGNATURE

TEACHER’S SIGNATURE

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 89

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Evaluation Form Writing: Revising and

Proofreading Checklists
REVISION CHECKLIST: CONTENT AND UNITY

1. Does the writing achieve its purpose?

2. Are the main ideas related to the thesis statement?
3. Are the main ideas clearly stated and supported by details?

REVISION CHECKLIST: ORGANIZATION AND COHERENCE

1. Are the ideas arranged in a logical order?

2. Do transitions connect ideas to one another both within and between paragraphs?

REVISION CHECKLIST: VOICE AND STYLE

1. Is the voice—the tone, word choice, and perspective of the writing—authentic?

Is it consistent?
2. Is the level of language appropriate to the audience and purpose?
3. Is the mood appropriate to the purpose and form of the writing?

PROOFREADING CHECKLIST

Spelling • Are all words, including names, spelled correctly?

Grammar • Does each verb agree in number with its subject?

• Are verb tenses consistent and correct?
• Are irregular verbs formed correctly?
• Is the referent of each pronoun clear?
• Does every pronoun agree with its antecedent?
• Are subject and object forms of pronouns used correctly? © 1998 EMC Corporation
• Are there any sentence fragments or run-ons?
• Have double negatives been avoided?

Usage • Have frequently confused words, such as affect and effect, been used
correctly?

Mechanics • Does every sentence end with an end mark?

• Are commas, semicolons, hyphens, and dashes used correctly?
• Do all proper nouns and proper adjectives begin with capital letters?
• Has proper manuscript form been used?

90 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Evaluation Form
Discussion
PA R T I C I PAT I O N

As a participant, the student… nearly always often sometimes rarely

shares personal experience ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
contributes relevant ideas ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
supports statements with evidence ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
responds to others respectfully ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
tries to understand others’ views ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
shows willingness to change views when appropriate ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
shows willingness to clarify and defend views ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
allows others to speak ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
maintains focus on discussion ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
The student’s participation has been valuable to the group in the following ways:

The student’s participation could be more valuable if she or he would

L E A D E R S H I P

As leader, the student… nearly always often sometimes rarely

helps the group keep on track ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
helps ensure that everyone gets a chance to speak ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
helps the group reach closure ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
The student’s leadership has been valuable to the group in the following ways:
© 1998 EMC Corporation

The student’s leadership could be more valuable if she or he would

R E C O R D K E E P I N G

As record keeper, the student… nearly always often sometimes rarely

keeps accurate records of the discussion ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏
(comments)

ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK 91

 Name _____________________________________ Class_____________________ Date____________

Evaluation Form
Project
1. Describe the goal of the project.

Was the goal met satisfactorily? (Rate the overall success of the project on a scale
from 1 to 5.)
1 2 3 4 5
not met satisfactorily met satisfactorily

2. Was the project an individual or a group effort? ______ individual ______ group
(If the project was a group effort, rate the effectiveness of the group in each of the
following areas on a scale from 1 to 5.)
a. Cooperation among 1 2 3 4 5
not at all cooperative very cooperative
group members
b. Leadership 1 2 3 4 5
not effective very effective

c. Division of tasks 1 2 3 4 5
unfair fair

d. Project organization 1 2 3 4 5
unorganized organized

(If the project was an individual effort, rate the effectiveness of the effort in each of
the following areas on a scale from 1 to 5.)
a. Effort 1 2 3 4 5
very little effort shown much effort shown

b. Creativity 1 2 3 4 5
very little creativity shown much creativity shown

c. Attention to goals 1 2 3 4 5
little attention to goals much attention to goals

3. Rate the overall group or individual performance on a scale of 1 to 5 with regard to

the criteria given above. © 1998 EMC Corporation
1 2 3 4 5
very poor performance outstanding performance

(comments)

92 ASSESSMENT MANUAL / HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK