Hamlet

Do Not Write on This Test!!

Hamlet Unit Test

PART ONE—Hamlet Adaptation: Respond to the following prompt your own paper. (5 points)

Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet:  After watching the clip from a film adaptation of Hamlet, write a half-page response in which you analyze this modern adaptation of Hamlet.  Your analysis should include specific details that the film-makers chose to implement, how those details create a certain mood, and what themes or ideas this clip suggests. While you may consider Shakespeare’s original text, your essential task is to analyze how the film-makers added to the original text with their own presentation.

PART TWO—Quotation Identification: On your own paper, identify each of the quotations. For each of the quotations, provide the speaker (Who said it?), the context (What was going on when it was said?) and the significance (Why is this quotation important to the essential questions of the play?).  Be Specific! (5 points each)

1. “He may not, as unvalued persons do / Carve for himself.”

1. “We pray you throw to earth / This unprevailing woe, and think of us / As of a father…”

1. “Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles / And by opposing, end them.”

1. “Do not forget. This visitation / Is but to whet they almost blunted purpose.”

PART THREE—Multiple Choice/Matching: Use the Scantron answer sheet to provide your response to each of the matching and multiple choice items.  You may use your book and all of your materials, excluding your act summaries and study guide.  You will have the entire class period to complete the test.

Who-Dunnit?: Throughout the unit, we’ve discussed the many “sins” and “sinners” in Hamlet.  Below, are two sections of matching; you are to match each “sinner” in the left column with their respective “sin” in the right column.  You can only use items from the right column once. You will not use all of the items in the right column.  Mark the letter for the appropriate answer on your Scantron answer sheet. (1 point each)

Multiple Choice: For each of the following items, choose the letter of the best answer. Mark your selected letter on the provided Scantron sheet. (1 point each)

1. Upon seeing the full title of the play (The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark) what can we infer about Hamlet?

1. He is a real, historical figure.
2. His father has been murdered.
3. He will die at the end of the play.
4. He will be the King of Denmark at the end of the play.

1. All of the following are examples of Seneca’s influence on Hamlet except—

1. Claudius poisoning Old Hamlet
2. Hamlet pretending to be insane
3. Claudius marrying Gertrude
4. Old Hamlet’s ghost appearing before Hamlet

1.  What influence did Queen Elizabeth I have on the theater?

1. Fearing the spread of the black plague, she discouraged the theater, where many individuals would be in close proximity with one another.
2. Wanting to benefit financially, she encouraged artists to write and perform plays.
3. Concerned about people neglecting work to attend plays, she discouraged theater goers from attending plays.
4. Desiring the promotion of English culture, she provided playwrights with her attendance and financial support.

1. Which of the following did Elizabethan playwrights not use to “set the scene”?

1. Elaborate set design
2. Colorful costumes and props
3. Vivid language and a prologue
4. All of the above

1. In the Act I, scene I soliloquy, Hamlet’s reference to Hyperion is an example of—

1. Romanticism
2. Depression
3. Filial obligation
4. Elizabethan humanism

1. According to the ideas presented in the play, what was the Elizabethan gentleman expected to fight for, no matter what?

1. Faith
2. Family
3. Honor
4. Country

1. “Not so my lord. I am too much in the sun” (Act I, scene ii, line 67) is an example of a—

1. Soliloquy
2. Aside
3. Pun
4. Monologue

1. All of the following are true of soliloquies except—

1. The character is alone onstage.
2. To provide balance, every character is given at least one.
3. It is an extended speech.
4. The speech gives some insight into the character’s inner thoughts or emotions.

1. Excluding the Ghost’s questionable testimony, when does the audience first learn that Claudius is guilty?

1. He confesses his sins alone, onstage during a soliloquy.
2. He admits to feeling guilty in an aside.
3. He can’t sit through the entire show that Hamlet puts on for the court.
4. As he dies Laertes tells everyone that Claudius his guilty.

1. In Act I, scene i, what reason does Horatio give for the military buildup?

1. Claudius is preparing to invade Norway, taking back lands won from Old Hamlet.
2. Fortinbras is assembling an army to reclaim the lands Old Hamlet won from his father.
3. Hamlet is building up an army to reclaim the kingship from Claudius.
4. Claudius wants to go to war to stimulate Denmark’s economy.

1. What plan does Hamlet hatch during his second soliloquy, beginning “O what a rogue and peasant slave I am,” (Act II, scene ii, lines 559-617)?

1. He plans to finally ask Ophelia to marry him.
2. He plans to sneak back to school at Wittenberg.
3. He plans to kill Claudius immediately.
4. He plans to see if Claudius is guilty by showing him a play

1. Who of the following is seen as Hamlet’s opposite, especially considering his desire and willingness to seek vengeance when he has been wronged?

1. Claudius
2. Horatio
3. Laertes
4. Polonius

1. Why is Hamlet so upset with himself in the “O, what a rogue and peasant slave,” soliloquy in Act II, scene ii, lines 559-617?

1. He was never given the opportunity to achieve his dreams of becoming an actor.
2. He can’t put thoughts and words into action while a group of actors can.
3. The love between his father and mother is gone.
4. He is tormented by the question of whether or not to kill himself.

1. When Laertes returns in Act IV, what is his initial reaction to Claudius?

1. I’ve heard Hamlet killed my father, but I need to prove it first.
2. If I hesitate at all in avenging my father’s death, I may as well not be his son.
3. I know Hamlet killed my father, but he’s crazy so it’s okay.
4. If I hesitate at all in avenging my father’s death, I might miss my opportunity to kill Hamlet.

1. What are the “trappings and suites of woe” that Hamlet references in Act I, scene ii, line 86?

1. The horrible life experiences that have led to Hamlet’s depression
2. Hamlet’s deep and profound depression
3. The strict social restrictions that Hamlet lives under
4. External representation of his feelings and emotions

1. Why do Claudius and Gertrude seek the help of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Act II?

1. To cheer Hamlet up
2. To discover the cause of Hamlet’s strange behavior
3. To trick Hamlet into giving up his inheritance
4. Both A and B

1. Considering Shakespeare’s use of the “fool” in his plays, what does Hamlet mean when he says he must be “idle”?

1. He is going to act foolish because he is crazy.
2. He is going to act foolish, attempting to point out the faults of the King.
3. He is going to sit back and watch Claudius.
4. He has decided to not kill Claudius; karma will get him in the end.

1. What reasons does Hamlet give for not committing suicide in the Act I, scene ii soliloquy and the Act III, scene I soliloquy?

1. Act I: God says it is a sin; Act III: I still need to avenge my father’s murder.
2. Act I: God says it is a sin; Act III: We don’t know what comes after death.
3. Act I: We don’t know what comes after death; Act III: God says it is a sin.
4. Act I: I still need to avenge my father’s death; Act III: God says it is a sin.

1. What are the “thousand natural shocks / That the flesh is heir to” (Act III, scene i, lines 62-63)?

1. constant urges to commit suicide
2. terrible events that only Hamlet his forced to endure
3. horrible experiences that will inevitably happen to all of humanity
4. exciting surprises that will encounter everyone

1. What is the “undiscovered country” referred to in Act III, scene I, line 81?

1. The barren lands of Poland
2. The unknown aspects of the afterlife
3. The fires of Hell
4. The mysteries of the human soul

1. What does Claudius mean when he says, “there is matter in these sighs” (Act IV, scene i, line 1).

1. There seems to be a reason for Hamlet’s depression.
2. There seems to be a purpose behind Hamlet’s insanity.
3. Hamlet has totally lost his mind.
4. Hamlet has figured out my secret and intends to kill me.

1. What is Ophelia singing about when she enters in Act IV, scene v?

1. A man who has died
2. A maid who has lost her virginity
3. The desire to commit suicide
4. Both A and B

1. Which essential question(s) should we consider in Ophelia’s singing scene?

1. What is one’s duty to family and country?
2. Is Hamlet crazy?
3. Who is the villain of the play?
4. All of the above.

1. In Act I, scene ii, lines 87-117, Claudius appeals to Hamlet’s sense of duty to his—

1. King
2. Father
3. Country
4. All of the above

1. In the first few lines of the play, how does Barnardo identify himself?

1. His name
2. His political allegiance
3. His race
4. His religion

1. What does the ghost tell Hamlet concerning his mother?

1. She secretly murdered me and must be punished.
2. Hamlet should run to her at once and tell her of the murder.
3. His mother must face consequences as well, because she married Claudius.
4. No action should be taken against her

1. What is Hamlet referring to in the line 159 of Act I, scene ii, “But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue”?

1. He can’t speak about the murder of his father.
2. He can’t speak about the ghostly visitation of his father’s spirit.
3. He can’t speak about how he feels about his step-dad replacing his father.
4. He can’t speak about his desire for the crown of Denmark.

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