NAME______PERIOD__ Act 5 Study Questions 5. 1. The graveyard scene. The gravediggers (two lower class men) provide comic relief. line 4, Notice the verbal irony of “crowner” (it’s coroner and _____ ) and “straight.” Gravedigger makes many mistakes with vocabulary (and grammar). Notice “self defense” mistake, and “ergo.” 1. They make mistakes about logic also (15-21) but it’s funny and also ties into themes of the play, such as ______. 2. What’s the double meaning of “crowner’s quest law” (and verbal irony of “quest)?

3. (67-72) What offends ? How does explain it? 4. (71-72=great quote!) What does Hamlet say about people who don’t work hard for a living? Is he criticizing or complimenting the gravedigger? Explain. 5. 76+ Explain the pun on “ass.” (=Explain pate and ass.) 6. 76-88) What two jobs/people does Hamlet speculate might be the skull? 7. 92, Explain the pun (=verbal irony) on “revolution.” 8. 100-114, Find two jobs/people that he again guesses might be the skull. Explain the irony of each. (Great speech!) 9. 116-20, Explain the irony. 10. 124-132, Explain the verbal irony/multiple meanings. (“quick lie” also means quicklime…see dictionary) 11. In some ways, the gravedigger is very smart, and Hamlet admires it. Why do you think the gravedigger is able to get away with talking to Hamlet this way? What is Shakespeare saying about class, roles, expectations, and “exceptions to the rule”? 12. (140-41) Hamlet is talking about the gravedigger. Who else might these lines be applied to, in this play? 13. Does Hamlet admire the gravedigger or not? How do you know? 14. (142-5) What does this tell you about politics/human rights/ and maybe democracy and revolutions, which are about 200 years ahead? 15. (150+ and 167) How long has the gravedigger worked at his job? How old is Hamlet? 16. (159-60) What joke does Shakespeare write for his English audience?

1 17. (165-66) Explain the verbal irony. How is this like (reversal of roles) Hamlet’s banter with (which verbal irony, which earlier speech)? What is Shakespeare’s point in reversing the roles? 18. (177) Relate the water in this line to an earlier point (or theme). 19. Whose skull does the gravedigger toss? 20. How long has it been there? 21. How did Hamlet know him? 22. (200) How does Hamlet connect all this to women? 23. (211) “Bunghole” is a knothole, like a hole in a barrel (219) that must be “stopped up” to keep the liquid from escaping. 24. (212) What is Horatio’s opinion about all this speculation? Do you agree with him? 25. (214) Does Hamlet? 26. What famous people does Hamlet allude to in this part of the play? What point is he making about life and death? About fame and power? 27. (225) Does Hamlet know is dead? What can he tell from the ceremony/rites? 28. At whom is angry? (and see 250) 29. When (at what line) does Hamlet figure out Ophelia is dead? 30. (254-57) Why are these some of the saddest, most moving lines of the play? Relate these lines to Polonius’s and Laertes’ advice to Ophelia in Act 1. 31. (262) What does Laertes do? (Some quartos of the play say Hamlet does the same thing at line 270.) Why does Laertes…? 32. (274) A funny line…! 33. (281) Explain the foreshadowing. 34. Find an example of hyperbole in this scene. 35. (291+) Hamlet is saying he can “top” Laertes. 36. (305) Explain the verbal irony. 37. (…309) Why is Hamlet acting this way. Would you? 38. (317) The monument could be a fight, could be a play… 39. Heroic couplet: explain what the king foreshadows and what Shakespeare foreshadows.

40. 5.2. Paraphrase the 4 quotations on the other, attached page. They help explain “Hamlet’s new philosophy.”

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41. What does Hamlet explain to Horatio happened on the pirates’ ship? 42. (37+) What “talent” does Hamlet say he has, one he has regretted in the past? (How might this be like a career woman who is able to type…?) 43. (43+) The structure (as/whereas) of this speech mimics a legal document, like a bill in Congress, etc. 44. (63) How does Horatio feel about the fate of Ros and Guil? How can you tell (see Hamlet’s next line)? 45. (65-69) What does this say about “average people” who get involved in big conflicts between big adversaries? 46. (70) How does Horatio feel about what Hamlet has been doing? (See Hamlet’s next lines.) 47. (71-80) How does Hamlet explain/rationalize his actions? Do you agree? [Horatio doesn’t answer Hamlet’s (rhetorical?) question (81-82).] 48. At this point, Hamlet seems to regret very little. What does he regret?(85) 49. (98+) Osric comes in. This line shows he symbolizes the corruption of Claudius’ state, even more than Polonius represented corruption. How is he worse than Polonius? 50. (105-117) How does this interchange with Hamlet tell us we should compare/contrast him to Polonius? In what other ways is Osric like Polonius (see 92-208)? 51. (168-9) Notice that Horatio is “in” on what’s going on. 52. (183) An important line! How would this have changed everything? (Think about this in relation to your own life…) 53. (201-7) Again, these lines tell you Osric is more than just a new character. 54. Explain the double meaning (verbal irony). (”In happy time” means something like “It’s about time!”) 55. (224-30) Notice the tension here, the dramatic irony. 56. (231) Here’s great advice from Horatio! 57. (233-38) Important lines! 58. (240) What does Hamlet ask of Laertes? 59. (246) What explanation/rationalization does Hamlet give? Is it true? 60. (257…) Notice the war/arrows image. We’ve heard it before. 61. (259-67) Laertes mentions honor twice. Is he telling the truth?

3 62. (272-4) Hamlet also uses the word “foil” in the literary sense (pun). Laertes takes offense. Does Hamlet mean it ironically? 63. (284) Hamlet asks the right question, but he does not check…. 64. (Remember to do “Hamlet’s New Philosophy” page—paraphrase.) 65. 284, ("This likes me") What does Hamlet assume? 66. 291, ("And in the cup") What does the king put in the drink? 67. Why? 68. 307, ("Here's to thy") What does the king try to get Hamlet to do? 69. 309, ("I'll play this") How does Hamlet avoid getting caught at this moment? 70. How is this indicative of Hamlet’s whole life, whole philosophy? 71. 315 and 318, ("The queen carouses"; I will my") How is this indicative of the Queen’s whole life, whole philosophy? 72. 320, ("I dare not") What does this line suggest about Hamlet’s “readiness”? 73. 320, (""I do not") What does the king realize--about Hamlet? --about ? 74. 324, ("And yet it is") What is Laertes finally beginning to do? 75. 330, ("Have at you") What does Laertes do? What does this reveal about him? 76. (Notice, it is just after Osric has called “time out.”) 77. 334, ("They bleed") What does “both sides” refer to? 78. 336+, ("Why, as a") What does Laertes now realize? Relate it to NEMESIS. 79. 339-40, ("She sounds" or "She swoons") What does the Queen now realize? 80. 342, ("O villainy!") What does Hamlet now realize? 81. 344+, ("It is here") What does Laertes reveal to Hamlet? 82. 348+, ("Unbated and") Relate this to NEMESIS. 83. 352, ("The point") Why “too”? 84. 355, ("O, yet defend") How is the king dissembling, even here? 85. 357+, ("Drink off this") How is Hamlet using verbal irony, even here? 86. 359+, ("He is justly") Relate to NEMESIS. 87. 361,("Exchange forgiveness") How has Laertes changed, grown, learned? 88. 361+, Relate this to what Hamlet said in Act III, sc. 4, p. 181, ll. 195-6,"to punish me." 89. 367, ("That are but") Give a double meaning for this line. 90. Whom is Hamlet addressing? 4 91. 374+, ("I am more") What does Horatio want to do, try to do? 92. Explain the “Roman” image. 93. 378+, ("O God, Horatio") What does Hamlet insist on? Why? 94. 385, ("What warlike noise") Who is about to enter? 95. 392+, ("But I do prophesy") Who will be the next king? Why? Why not Horatio? 96. 395, ("Which have") What are Hamlet’s famous “last words”? 97. 398, ("And flights of") What does Horatio imply about Hamlet’s fate? 98. 399, ("Why does the") The DENOUEMENT begins here. Explain. 99. 403+, ("This quarry") What is ’ reaction to what he sees? 100. 408-12, ("And our affairs") The Ambassador comes to be thanked for doing what? 101. Who does he think will thank him? 102. Who actually killed the people he is talking about? 103. 416, ("He never gave") Horatio explains what about Claudius? 104. 420, ("High on a stage") Where does Horatio say these bodies should be placed? 105. Why? 106. Note the double meaning of “stage.” 107. 422+, ("How these things") Horatio gives his evaluation of all he has seen. What is it? Do you agree with him? 108. 432, ("I have some") Explain NEMESIS here. 109. 436, ("But let this") Explain the double meaning of “performed.” 110. 443, ("For he was") What does Fortinbras say about what Hamlet “would have” been if given the opportunity? Explain the irony. 111. 448, ("Becomes the field") Fortinbras says such a scene is appropriate only in what situation?

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