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Dan's 2024 D Block > Hamlet Act One Flashcards > Flashcards

Hamlet Act One Flashcards

Drama Revision

1
Q

What are the first words of the play?

A

Who’s there?

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2
Q

At what time does the play begin?

A

Midnight

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3
Q

What is happening as the play begins?

A

There is a changing of the guard.

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4
Q

What is the correct term for a tragic hero’s fatal flaw?

A

Hamartia

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5
Q

What type of play is Hamlet?

A

revenge tragedy

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6
Q

Which classical playwright influenced Shakespeare?

A

Seneca

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7
Q

How is Hamlet different from Shakespeare’s earlier tragedies?

A

It is more complex - not solely based on violence and sensationalism.

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8
Q

Which other Renaissance play is thought to have influenced Hamlet?

A

The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd

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9
Q

Who is the scholar and sceptic that we meet in the first scene?

A

Horatio

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10
Q

What law was passed in 1542?

A

The Witchcraft Act

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11
Q

Witchcraft became punishable by what in 1542?

A

Death

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12
Q

Who wrote Daemonologie?

A

King James I of Scotland

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13
Q

What was Daemonologie?

A

A pamphlet written by James I warning about the dangers of black magic.

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14
Q

What does Francisco say in 1.1 - ‘I am ______ at heart’

A

Sick

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15
Q

In 1.1, what does Horatio say of the ghost - ‘it bodes some strange ________ to our state.’

A

Eruption

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16
Q

How does Marcellus refer to the ghost in 1.1 - ‘a _________ sight’?

A

Dreaded

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17
Q

How does Horatio refer to the ghost in 1.1 - ‘it harrows me with ______ and _________.’

A

Fear and Wonder

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18
Q

How is Old Hamlet presented in 1.1?

A

As a brave and successful warrior.

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19
Q

Whilst the guards watch for the ghost in 1.1, we also learn that Denmark is preparing for what?

A

War

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20
Q

What is the name of the character that wants to reclaim the lands lost by his father?

A

Young Fortinbras

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21
Q

The hot-headed young prince desperate for revenge, Young Fortinbras, acts as a what to Hamlet?

A

Foil

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22
Q

How is Young Fortinbras described in 1.1. - ‘unimproved mettle ______ and full’?

A

Hot

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23
Q

What does ‘hot’ refer to in ‘unimproved mettle hot and full’ (1.1)?

A

It refers to Young Fortinbras’ hot-headed and aggressive nature.

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24
Q

Which quotation in 1.1. presents Young Fortinbras as aggressive and violent?

A

‘Unimproved mettle hot and full.’

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25
Q

The aim of tragedy is to arouse sensations of _______ and _______’ (Aristotle)

A

Pity and Fear

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26
Q

‘The opening scene of Hamlet is as well _________ as that of any play ever written’ (T.S. Eliot)

A

Constructed

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27
Q

In 1.1, what does Horatio say of the ghost - ‘it started like a _______ thing’?

A

Guilty

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28
Q

Who was on the throne when Hamlet was first performed?

A

Elizabeth I

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29
Q

Why was there anxiety about Elizabeth’s reign during the time the play was performed?

A

Elizabeth was growing older and had no children or obvious successors.

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30
Q

What was the Bishop’s Ban?

A

A ban (put in place in 1599) on any play that was seen as blasphemous or unpatriotic.

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31
Q

How long had Elizabeth I reigned for when Hamlet was first performed?

A

40 years

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32
Q

What is the style of metre used to structure Claudius’ speech in 1.2?

A

Iambic pentameter

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33
Q

‘Though yet of Hamlet ____ dear brother’s death’ (1.2)

A

Our

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34
Q

Why does Claudius repeatedly use the plural voice in his 1.2 speech?

A

To unite the royal court, suggesting they share the same grief.

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35
Q

How does Claudius’ speech in 1.2 juxtapose the previous scene?

A

His speech is long, calm and measured, juxtaposing the short, snappy rhythms of the opening scene.

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36
Q

‘With one auspicious and a dropping _______’

A

Eye

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37
Q

‘Claudius shows every sign of being an excellent _______ and king.’ (Knight)

A

Diplomat

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38
Q

How does Claudius deal with the threat from Young Fortinbras?

A

He takes a diplomatic route, choosing to write to Norway (the uncle of Young Fortinbras)

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39
Q

In the Branagh version, what does Claudius do with the letter from the envoy as a show of strength?

A

Tears it up - ‘so much for him’ (1.2)

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40
Q

‘nor have we herein barr’d/Your better ________’

A

Wisdoms

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41
Q

In 1.2, how is Claudius presented as a different king to Old Hamlet?

A

Claudius favours a diplomatic approach compared to the valiant, warrior like King of Old Hamlet.

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42
Q

In 1.2, Hamlet is dressed in ‘suits of _______ black.’

A

solemn

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43
Q

What are some of the words that Claudius uses to appear balance and logical?

A

‘Though’/’Yet’/’Therefore’

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44
Q

What had Elizabeth I provided to England during her reign?

A

Stability - there had been a period of significant change and a number of different monarchs before her.

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45
Q

Which critic said ‘Claudius shows every sign of being an excellent diplomat and king?’

A

Knight

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46
Q

‘________ madam? Nay, it is. I know not __________’ (1.2)

A

Seems/seems

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47
Q

‘A little more than kin, and less than __________’ (1.2)

A

Kind

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48
Q

‘I have that within which passes ________’ (1.2)

A

Show

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49
Q

‘Ay ________, it is common.’ (1.2)

A

Madam

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50
Q

What formal term does Hamlet call his mother in 1.2?

A

Madam

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51
Q

What technique is used in the quotation: ‘A little more than kin, and less than kind.’ (1.2)

A

Pun

52
Q

‘Hyperion to a _________’ (1.2)

A

Satyr

53
Q

What is a satyr?

A

A lustful half man, half goat (this is what Hamlet calls Claudius)

54
Q

‘_________ thy name is woman’ (1.2)

A

frailty

55
Q

Of whom is the following referring? ‘Frailty, thy name is woman’ (1.2)

A

Gertrude

56
Q

‘a _________ that wants discourse of reason/would have mourned longer’ (1.2)

A

Beast

57
Q

no more like my father/Than I to ___________’ (1.2)

A

Hercules

58
Q

‘the salt of most __________ tears’ (1.2)

A

unrighteous

59
Q

Whose tears are called ‘unrighteous’ in 1.2 and what does that word mean?

A

Gertrude’s - it means insincere

60
Q

Which Gods does Hamlet compare his father to in 1.2?

A

Hyperion (Sun-God) and Hercules

61
Q

Which figure of the time might have influenced the presentation of Gertrude?

A

Mary Queen of Scots

62
Q

In what way might Mary Queen of Scots have influenced the presentation of Gertrude?

A

She also failed to observe a proper mourning period for her husband and married the man many thought to have killed him.

63
Q

In 1.2, where is Laertes granted permission to return to?

A

University of Paris

64
Q

In 1.2, which quotation shows Claudius flattering the royal court?

A

‘nor have we herein barr’d/Your better wisdoms’

65
Q

Who is Polonius?

A

A royal advisor - father of Laertes and Ophelia

66
Q

‘A _________ in the youth of primy nature’ (1.3)

A

Violet

67
Q

‘________ it no more’ (1.3)

A

Think

68
Q

Who tells Ophelia, ‘Think it no more’?

A

Laertes

69
Q

‘your chaste ________ open’ (1.3)

A

treasure

70
Q

What technique is used in the phrase ‘chaste treasure’ (1.3)

A

Metaphor

71
Q

Which word does Laertes repeat when speaking to Ophelia in 1.3?

A

Fear ‘- ‘Fear it, Ophelia, fear it’ / ‘best safety lies in fear’

72
Q

‘the ________ galls the infants of the spring’ (1.3)

A

canker

73
Q

What is the ‘canker’ that Laertes says ‘galls the infants of the spring’? (1.3)

A

The cankerworm - a phallic image suggests that purity becomes corrupted by sex.

74
Q

What is the semantic field that Polonius uses in 1.3 when talking to Ophelia about her relationship with Hamlet?

A

Semantic field of money/currency

75
Q

Who says ‘contagious blastments are most imminent’ and what is being described?

A

Laertes in 1.3, describing how Ophelia’s relationship with Hamlet will lead to corruption and contagion.

76
Q

‘______________ blastments are most imminent’ (1.3)

A

Contagious

77
Q

‘Think yourself a _______’ (1.3)

A

Baby

78
Q

Who tells Ophelia to ‘think yourself a baby’? (1.3)

A

Polonius

79
Q

What does Polonius mean when he orders Ophelia to ‘think yourself a baby’? (1.3)

A

That she is foolish and naive and does not understand her relationship with Hamlet.

80
Q

‘You have taken these ______ for true pay’ (1.3)

A

Tenders

81
Q

After Polonius lectures Ophelia about her relationship in 1.3, how does she respond?

A

‘I shall obey, my lord.’

82
Q

‘You do not understand yourself so clearly/As it behoves my _______’

A

Daughter

83
Q

‘you speak like a _______ girl’ (1.3)

A

Green

84
Q

Who tells Ophelia ‘you speak like a green girl’? (1.3)

A

Polonius

85
Q

Which word (beginning with A) describes a ghost or ghost-like image?

A

Apparition

86
Q

Which word (beginning with A) describes something that is uncertain or unclear?

A

Ambiguous

87
Q

Which word (beginning with O) describes a public speaker?

A

Orator

88
Q

Which word (beginning with E) means to be fluent of persuasive when using words?

A

Eloquent

89
Q

Which word (beginning with M) refers to a feeling of deep sadness?

A

Melancholy

90
Q

Which word (beginning with d) means a god or godlike figure?

A

Deity

91
Q

Which word (beginning with D) means deceitful?

A

Duplicitous

92
Q

Which word (beginning with P) refers to a system controlled by men?

A

Patriarchy

93
Q

‘they are brokers/Not of the _______ which their investments show’ (1.3)

A

Dye

94
Q

What does Polonius mean when he says to Ophelia: ‘they are brokers/Not of the dye which their investments show’ (1.3)?

A

He uses the metaphor to suggest that Hamlet’s promises are like counterfeit money.

95
Q

‘Ophelia is deprived of thought, ________ and _________’ (Showalter)

A

Sexuality and language

96
Q

Which critic said: ‘Ophelia is deprives of thought, sexuality and language?’

A

Showalter

97
Q

‘In Shakespeare’s society, the ideal female is cherished for her youth ______ and purity.’ (Rogers)

A

beauty

98
Q

Which critic said: ‘In Shakespeare’s society, the ideal female is cherished for her youth, beauty and purity.’?

A

Rogers

99
Q

What did Elizabeth I say of her own femininity: ‘I know I have but the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart of a _______’?

A

King

100
Q

In order to appear an untouchable and perfect beauty, Elizabeth I conducted her relationships in the style of a…?’

A

Petrarchan Lover

101
Q

Due to her unmarried status and her supposed ‘purity’ what was Elizabeth I sometimes called?

A

The virgin Queen

102
Q

In 1.4, how does Hamlet refer to the ghost: ‘spirit of health or a _____ damn’d’?

A

Goblin

103
Q

In 1.4, what does Marcellus say suggesting that the ghost perhaps symbolises a corruption within Denmark?

A

‘Something is rotten in the state of Denmark’ (1.4)

104
Q

In 1.4, Horatio worries that the ghost may in fact be a devil that will ‘tempt [Hamlet] toward the _______’?

A

Flood

105
Q

Where does Hamlet attend university?

A

Wittenberg

106
Q

What is the significance of Hamlet attending Wittenberg?

A

It was the birthplace of the Protestant Reformation, one of the key events of the Renaissance. Thus, Shakespeare presents Hamlet as a product and symbol of this era.

107
Q

‘Ay springes to catch _______’ (1.3)

A

Woodcocks

108
Q

‘Speak I am ________ to hear’ (1.5)

A

Bound

109
Q

Who says ‘Speak I am bound to hear’ (1.5) and to whom does he say it?

A

Hamlet to the Ghost revealing a filial responsibility.

110
Q

Which word (beginning with F) means the relationship between son and parent?

A

Filial

111
Q

‘___________, ___________, O’ __________, if thou didst ever thy dear father love’ (1.5)

A

List

112
Q

‘Haste me to know it, that I may _____ to my revenge’ (1.5)

A

Sweep

113
Q

‘_____________ me to know it, that I may sweep to my revenge’ (1.5)

A

Haste

114
Q

‘The ________ that did sting thy father’s life/Now wears his crown’ (1.5)

A

Serpent (biblical imagery)

115
Q

Who is compared to a serpent?

A

Claudius

116
Q

What are the connotations of the following: ‘The serpent that did sting they father’s life/Now wears his crown’ (1.5)?

A

Claudius is compared to the serpent in the Garden of Eden, a figure of deceit whose actions went against God.

117
Q

‘thy __________ all alone shall live’ (1.5)

A

Commandment

118
Q

How might you describe the tone of the ghost’s language in 1.5?

A

Imperative/commanding

119
Q

Who says ‘I have sworn’t’ (1.5)

A

Hamlet

120
Q

What was the name of Shakespeare’s son?

A

Hamnet

121
Q

When did Hamnet (Shakespeare’s son) die?

A

1596 - approximately five years before Hamlet was first performed.

122
Q

How might Hamlet have been influenced by Hamnet’s death?

A

Hamnet/Hamlet were the same name at the time. Some have suggested focus on father-son relationships is shaped by Shakespeare losing his only son.

123
Q

‘All duties seem ______ to Hamlet’ (Van Goethe)

A

holy

124
Q

Which critic said: ‘all duties seem holy to Hamlet’?

A

Van Goethe

125
Q

‘Hamlet is rather an _________ than an agent’ (Johnson)

A

Instrument

126
Q

Which critic said: ‘Hamlet is rather an instrument than an agent’?

A

Johnson

Dan's 2024 D Block (4 decks)

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