scene summaries

Question 1

act 1 scene 1

Answer 1

• changing of the guard
• introduction of horatio and marcellus
• appearances of the ghost
• denmark and norway tensions
• ghost disappears
• making a plan to tell hamlet

Question 2

act 1 scene 4

Answer 2

• hamlet’s reflection on human nature
• ghost reappears
• hamlet follows the ghost
• horatio and marcellus follow hamlet

Question 3

act 2 scene 1

Answer 3

• polonius sends reynaldo to spy on laertes
• ophelia reports hamlet’s strange behaviour
• polonius plans to inform the king (claudius)

Question 4

act 3 scene 2

Answer 4

• hamlet coaches the players
• hamlet shares plan with horatio
• play-within-a-play starts (mise en abyme)
• the play mirrors claudius’ crime
• hamlet is triumphant but cautious
• rosencrantz, guildernstern + polonius return

Question 5

act 4 scene 5

Answer 5

• ophelia’s madness is revealed
• claudius is alarmed by the unrest
• laertes returns in rage
• laertes sees ophelia’s condition

Question 6

act 4 scene 7

Answer 6

• claudius calms laertes + shifts the blame
• messenger delivers letter from hamlet
• the murder plot is hatched
• gertrude brings news of ophelia’s death

Question 7

act 5 scene 2

Answer 7

• hamlet reflects on fate
• osric announces fencing match
• the fencing match begins
• the chaos and deaths unfold
• hamlet’s last words
• fortinbras arrives

Question 8

act 1 scene 2

Answer 8

• claudius’ public address
• laertes asks to return to france
• claudius confronts hamlet “unmanly grief”
• hamlet’s first soliloquy - “O that this too too solid flesh…”
• horatio tells hamlet about the ghost

Question 9

act 3 scene 1

Answer 9

• claudius and gertrude discuss hamlet’s behaviour
• hamlet’s “to be or not to be?” soliloquy
• hamlet confronts ophelia (nunnery)
• claudius’ suspicion grows

Question 10

act 3 scene 3

Answer 10

• claudius prepares to send hamlet to england
• polonius plans to spy on hamlet
• claudius’ guilt revelaed in ‘prayer’ scene
• hamlet enters and hesitates - dramatic irony

Question 11

act 3 scene 4

Answer 11

• polonius hides to spy on hamlet
• hamlet confronts gertrude
• he kills polonius
• the ghost appears
• gertrude shows guilt and hamlet pleads for her to repent
• hamlet drags polonius’ body away