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Test your knowledge of Act 3, Scene 2. Submit your answers to see your results and get feedback.
What does the exchange in which Hamlet instructs the First Player about how to act the monologue Hamlet has written suggest about Shakespeare's view on the theater of his day?
1 of 12
He felt that theater deserved more respect as an art form
He was frustrated with some current acting methods
He recognized that theater was in financial trouble
All of the above
When Polonius enters after Hamlet and the First Player talk about the monologue Hamlet has written, what does Hamlet ask Polonius?
2 of 12
Whether he will be attending the performance
Whether Ophelia will be attending the performance
Whether the king and queen will be attending the performance
All of the above
How does Shakespeare create dramatic irony regarding the play-within-a-play that Hamlet is having the player's perform for Claudius and the rest of the court?
3 of 12
Hamlet explains his plan to Horatio, which means that the audience knows what will happen while all the other characters do not
Hamlet gives a soliloquy in which he describes his plan, making the audience his "confidant" in his scheme to reveal Claudius's guilt
Hamlet tricks Polonius into misleading Claudius about the play, so everyone but Claudius knows what is about to happen
None of the above
Why does Hamlet comment on Julius Caesar's murder to Polonius just before the performance of the play-within-a-play?
4 of 12
Hamlet is trying to make Claudius feel guilty
Hamlet is secretly mocking Polonius
Hamlet is commenting on Claudius's lust for power
Hamlet is suggesting that revenge is sometimes necessary
Who does Hamlet choose to sit next to during the performance of the play-within-a-play?
5 of 12
Gertrude
Claudius
Polonius
Ophelia
What does the pantomime preceding the play-within-a-play depict?
6 of 12
A king being poisoned and the queen falling in love with the killer
A son gaining revenge on the uncle who killed his father
One brother on the verge of murdering another before deciding against it
A king on his throne while the king's soul is in hell
What is the purpose of the part of the play-within-a-play in which the queen discusses remarrying?
7 of 12
To show Gertrude the error of her ways
To suggest to Gertrude that she has been tricked
To warn Gertrude that liars always end up getting caught
To make Claudius worry that Gertrude might betray him
When Claudius asks Hamlet whether the play is offensive, what reason does Hamlet give for it not being so?
8 of 12
Because it is nothing more than a jest
Because all their consciences are clear
Because it's a tribute to the deceased king
A and B
What does Claudius's reaction to the play signify to Hamlet?
9 of 12
That Claudius is innocent
That Claudius is guilty
That Claudius is pretending
That Claudius is scared
What do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern inform Hamlet about the king and queen after the play?
10 of 12
They king is angry and the queen is concerned about Hamlet
They demand that Hamlet to apologize in person for his behavior
The king is upset and the angry queen wants to see him
The king and queen want to discuss the play with Hamlet in private
After the play-within-a-play is over, what does Hamlet accuse Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of doing to him?
11 of 12
Trying to play him like a flute
Using him for their own gain
Spying on him like an audience at a play
All of the above
As Hamlet goes to see his mother after the play-within-a-play, what does he decide to do?
12 of 12
Whatever is necessary to make her see her guilt
To speak harshly but not physically harm her
To reveal what he has discovered and turn her against Claudius
To kill Claudius if he finds him with his mother in her room
