Hamlet 2.1-2.2 #s 1-15

1. What does Polonius tell Reynaldo in the opening of Act II? How does he plan to trap his son?
To go around telling lies about his son to see if any of the lies are true.


2. What does this say about Polonius?
He is a cruel old man, who is very controling.


3. What particularly in Act II scene 1 has disturbed Ophelia?
Hamlet's peculure behavior has disturbed her.


4. Why have Rosencrantez and Guildenstern been sent to Denmark?
To spy on Hamlet and to test his loyalties.


5. What does Hamlet ask the players to recite? How does the allusion mimic Hamlet’s position?
Aeneas' tale to Dido, this in contrast to Hamlet being unable to avenge his father outright.


Identify the following speaker of the following lines and discuss to whom the lines are being delivered, and what do the lines mean?

6. “No, my lord, but as you did command/ I did repel his letter, and denied his access to me”
Ophelia to Polonius-She stoped going out with Hamlet


7. “More matter less art”
Gertrud to Polonius-spit it out already


8. “That I, the son of a dear father murdered,/ Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell/ Must like a whore unpack my heart with words,
Hamlet to himself-He has to put all his feelings into a script for the "player"

9. “Your bait of falsehood take this carp of truth/ And thus do we of wisdom and of reach,/ with windlasses and with assays of bias,/ By directions find directions out.”
Polonius to Raynaldo-Tell some lies and see if any are actualy true


10. “For if the sun breeds maggots in a dead dog, being a good kissing carrion-Have you a daughter?”
Hamlet to Poalonius-even good can produce evil. Hamlet=sun/son


11. List three metaphors (1 direct, 1 implied, 1 extended) from the play.
1. Ophelia is a flower
2. Hamlet calling Polonius a "fishmonger"
3. The garden metaphor(Gertrud=ground)


12. What proof does Polonius have that he believe indicates Hamlet’s love for Ophelia?
He cut Ophelia off from Hamlet and now he is crazy therefore Hamlet is in love with Ophelia. (Polonius is a loon)


13. Explain the quote, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” How does this relate to Hamlet.
He is being very philosophical and knows that he views the murder as a bad thing but it was not necessarily all bad in that the country is doing beter then it was or at least not being run into the ground.


14. What is a fishmonger?
A pimp (when talking about Polonius)


15. Who was Jephthah?
A guy who sacraficed his daughter to god (Polonius is the play's version)