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Shakespeare's Hamlet: Shmoopversations
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Crack open your copy of Hamlet, because it's time to discuss what happens during the course of Act I. Sadly, it has nothing to do with ham.
What is the setting of Hamlet, and how does it contribute to the overall feel of the play?
What does the line "to thine own self be true" mean in the context of the play? And why do so many people use it as their senior yearbook quote? Pe...
What is indirect characterization, and how does Shakespeare use it to describe his main characters?
Why did Shakespeare write a play within a play? What were his thoughts on the game Mouse Trap? The answer to one of these questions is waiting in t...
What's the difference between a soliloquy and a monologue? Come to think of it, why don't we soliloquize more often? We're going to start doing tha...
What does Claudius' monologue reveal about his own character? Easy: that he likes to monologue. Self-centered much, buddy?
What does Hamlet's "to be, or not to be..." speech reveal about his character? Besides the fact that he's super comfortable talking to himself, of...
What's up with Hamlet and Ophelia? Would their relationship status be "it's complicated," or "holy cow, guys, this is pretty messed up, maybe our f...
Why does Hamlet take so long to serve revenge on his uncle Claudius? This is so obvious...because revenge is a dish best served cold. Duh.
How does Ophelia die, and what does that say about her character? What a weird question. If we die as planned––in a bathtub full of mac n' chee...
How does Shakespeare use Ophelia and Gertrude to showcase what women's lives were like during his time?
Who is Yorick, and why is Hamlet so obsessed with his skull? Seriously, if Hammy had an Instagram account, it'd be all skull pictures...
How does Hamlet fall into one of Shakespeare's common genres? Spoiler alert: it's not comedy.
In what way is The Lion King similar to Hamlet? Our money is on the talking baboons, dispensing wisdom and songs about bananas. ...What do you mean...
Sure, there's some weird Oedipal Complex stuff going on in Hamlet, but look on the bright side, Ham: you end the play with your eyeballs intact....