February 13

Shakespeare wrote his plays over 400 years ago. What are two arguments for why reading Shakespeare is still important today?

February 14

List 3 facts about Shakespeare.

February 15

What is your first impression of Polonius? Why?

February 20◦What is Hamlet saying he will do in the lines below?(Act I, v)

Here as before, never, so help you mercy,How strange or odd so’er I bear myself(As I perchance hereafter shall think to meetTo put an antic disposition on)

February 21

Doom on Denmark has been foreshadowed. Predict 3 different events that may happen.

February 22

What’s your first impression of Hamlet? Are you surprised by him in any way?

February 23

If you were romantically interested in someone who appeared not to be interested in you, what would you do?

February 26

What might be Hamlet’s motivation for pretending to be mad?

February 27

Describe Hamlet’s plan to determine if Claudius did in fact murder his father.

February 28

Who is your favorite character in Hamlet so far and why?

March 1

Identify two specific ways Hamlet demonstrates his intelligence in the first two acts of the play

March 6

Did Polonius and Claudius successfully determine the cause of Hamlet’s madness by spying on his interaction with Ophelia? Explain.

March 7

What do you predict will happen after the players act out the scene that is similar to Old Hamlet’s death?

March 8

What is ironic about Hamlet’s decision not to kill Claudius in Act III, iii?

March 12Someone is going to die in scene iv. Predict who and how.

March 13

Hamlet justifies his harsh treatment of his mom with “I must be cruel only to be kind.” Does this seem sincere or dishonest to you? Why?

March 16

Why must Claudius be careful not to appear to enforce too harsh of a punishment on Hamlet for killing Polonius ?(p. 254)

March 19

Hamlet vows to have “bloody thoughts” from now on. Predict how he will seek vengeance on Claudius if he is being sent to England to be killed.

March 22

Summarize Act IV. Write one sentence for each scene (7 sentences total)

March 23

If you were a character inHamlet, who would you be and why?

March 26

1. Do you think Hamlet loves Ophelia? Why or why not?

2. Predict how Hamlet will react when he finds out that Ophelia is dead. Why do you think he will react that way?

March 27

We know that all of Shakespeare’s title tragic characters die. How is Hamlet going to die? Is he going to successfully get his vengeance before?

March 28

Did you like the play Hamlet? Why or why not?