2.1.1-78 Act 2, scene 1 opens with Polonius sending Reynaldo off to take some things to Laertes and to check up on him. Does this scene make you think of Polonius as more of a doddering old man or more of a scheming courtier? Or something else? Why? Find and words and phrases that reveal Polonius’s values. What do you conclude about Polonius’s character? List several character traits you have inferred from Polonius’s words & behaviour in the scene. What lines that support your conclusions?
2.1.77-100 What is Hamlet up to in the scene Ophelia describes? Why is he treating Ophelia this way? Why Ophelia, of all people? Does Hamlet love Ophelia? If not, how does he show this? If yes, what possible reasons could he have for putting on this show for her? What about Ophelia? Does she love Hamlet? What is her reaction to his behaviour? Try to pinpoint her feelings for him.
Confused? This 5-minute video is pretty good for a brief summary/explanation. It also shows lines 77-119.
2.2 Hamlet attacks Polonius. Think: If you were doing a movie version of this scene, what would the set look like? Where in Elsinore would you place it? What furniture, props, costumes, music and special effects would you use?
Next: Hamlet attacks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern – same discussion as above.
Use of double entendre (setting up words or phrases so that they have two meanings, a clean one and a bawdy one). Search for double entendres in the two scenes just presented. Question: why might Hamlet be using these words? Does he mean to be bawdy?
Use of pun: puns have two levels of meaning, but one does not have to have a sexual connotation. Search for puns in presented scenes.
Language tricks: analyze the Rosencrantz & Guildenstern portion of this scene for all of the language tricks Shakespeare uses: metaphors, similes, alliteration, anastrophe (reversals), parallel construction, etc.
Question: is there any place in these scenes where Hamlet stops playing with Polonius or Rosencrantz & Guildenstern and talks straight from the heart? If so, what happens to the language tricks?
2.2 soliloquy "O, what a rogue" - Consider the questions below & then watch this soliloquy in multiple versions, (way below). Which performance best fits with your understanding of the soliloquy?
It is obvious to the audience or reader that Hamlet is alone onstage. What else, then, could he mean when he begins, “Now I am alone”?
Why is the Prince calling himself a “rogue” and a “peasant slave”?
Hamlet compares himself to the player. What does this comparison reveal about Hamlet’s self-perception?
Throughout Hamlet, much violence is done to ears. How does Hamlet’s “cleave the general ear” relate to other “ear” references? Shakespeare uses the word ear twenty-seven times in this play. Do any of these resonate with you?
Hamlet uses a lot of theatrical terminology in his speech. Find some examples. Why might Hamlet be thinking in theatrical terms?
Find lines or phrases that explain why Hamlet thinks himself a coward. Do you think he is a coward, or is he acting cautiously by looking for external evidence to prove Claudius’s guilt?
What other questions do you have?
directed by Franco Zeffirelli, Hamlet played by Mel Gibson (1990)
directed by Kenneth Branagh, Hamlet played by Kenneth Branagh (1996)
directed by Michael Almereyda, Hamlet played by Ethan Hawke (2000)
directed by Gregory Doran, Hamlet played by David Tennant (2009)