MCQs - "Hamlet" by Shakespeare

 MCQs - "Hamlet" by Shakespeare

SET-1

1.Who says, "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark"?

a) Horatio

b) Claudius

c) Polonius

d) Marcellus

Answer: d) Marcellus

 

2.Who is the main character in "Hamlet"?

a) Claudius

b) Gertrude

c) Polonius

d) Hamlet

Answer: d) Hamlet

 

3.Who is the first character to die in "Hamlet"?

a) Polonius

b) Laertes

c) Gertrude

d) Claudius

Answer: a) Polonius

 

4.Who is the author of "Hamlet"?

a) William Shakespeare

b) Charles Dickens

c) Jane Austen

d) F. Scott Fitzgerald

Answer: a) William Shakespeare

 

5.What is the name of the kingdom where "Hamlet" takes place?

a) England

b) Denmark

c) France

d) Germany

Answer: b) Denmark

 

6.Who is the first character to see the ghost of King Hamlet?

a) Hamlet

b) Horatio

c) Marcellus

d) Bernardo

Answer: c) Marcellus

 

7.Who delivers the news of Ophelia's death to Laertes?

a) Polonius

b) Horatio

c) Gertrude

d) Hamlet

Answer: c) Gertrude

 

8.What is the name of the character who tells Hamlet about the army headed toward Denmark?

a) Fortinbras

b) Laertes

c) Horatio

d) Polonius

Answer: c) Horatio

 

9.Who is the character that arranges the fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes?

a) Polonius

b) Claudius

c) Gertrude

d) Horatio

Answer: b) Claudius

 

10.What is the name of the character Hamlet accuses of having a "painted [his] face"?

a) Rosencrantz

b) Guildenstern

c) Polonius

d) Ophelia

Answer: d) Ophelia

 

11.Who tells Horatio that "the readiness is all"?

a) Polonius

b) Hamlet

c) Laertes

d) Fortinbras

Answer: b) Hamlet

 

12.Who tells Hamlet about the poisoning of the swords in Act V?

a) Claudius

b) Gertrude

c) Laertes

d) Horatio

Answer: c) Laertes

 

13.Who is praised by Hamlet as " A man that Fortune's buffets and rewards, Hast ta'en with equal thanks”?

a) Polonius

b) Laertes

c) Horatio

d) Rosencrantz

Answer: c) Horatio

 

14.Who kills Claudius in the final act of the play?

a) Hamlet

b) Horatio

c) Laertes

d) Fortinbras

Answer: a) Hamlet

 

15.Who does Hamlet accidentally kill in Act V?

a) Polonius

b) Laertes

c) Gertrude

d) Ophelia

Answer: b) Laertes

 

16.What is the name of the soliloquy in Act III, Scene 1 where Hamlet debates whether to end his own life?

a) To Be or Not to Be

b) What a Piece of Work is Man

c) O, That This Too, Too Solid Flesh Would Melt

d) Alas, Poor Yorick

Answer: a) To Be or Not to Be

 

17.Who tells "Brevity is the soul of wit"?

a) Polonius

b) Laertes

c) Horatio

d) Guildenstern

Answer: a) Polonius

 

18.Who tells Ophelia to avoid Hamlet's advances?

a) Polonius

b) Laertes

c) Claudius

d) Gertrude

Answer: a) Polonius

 

19.What is the name of the character that Hamlet describes as "a king of shreds and patches"?

a) Polonius

b) Claudius

c) Fortinbras

d) Horatio

Answer: b) Claudius

 

20.Who jumps into Ophelia's grave?

a) Hamlet

b) Laertes

c) Polonius

d) Horatio

Answer: b) Laertes

 

21.Who delivers the famous line, "There's a divinity that shapes our ends"( Act 5, Scene 2)?

a) Hamlet

b) Horatio

c) Polonius

d) Claudius

Answer: b) Horatio

 

22.Who is the person that Hamlet speaks to in Act 1, Scene 5, whom he believes is the ghost of his father?

a) Polonius

b) Horatio

c) Laertes

d) King Hamlet

Answer: d) King Hamlet

 

23.Who does Hamlet describe as “Give me that man that is not passion's slave, and I will wear him in my heart's core, in my heart of heart, as I do thee.”  (Act 3, Scene 2)?

a) Horatio

b) Laertes

c) Claudius

d) Polonius

Answer: a) Horatio

 

24.What is the name of the courtier who delivers the letters from Hamlet to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?

a) Osric

b) Fortinbras

c) Marcellus

d) Francisco

Answer: a) Osric

 

25.Who delivers the final lines of the play, "Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest"?

a) Horatio

b) Claudius

c) Gertrude

d) Laertes

Answer: a) Horatio

 

26.Who advises to "Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder" (Act-I, Sce-5)?

a) Polonius

b) Horatio

c) Hamlet

d) The Ghost

Answer: d) The Ghost

 

27.Who delivers the famous line, "The lady doth protest too much, me thinks"?

a) Hamlet

b) Gertrude

c) Ophelia

d) Polonius

Answer: b) Gertrude

 

28.Who delivers the famous line, "Get thee to a nunnery"?

a) Hamlet

b) Polonius

c) Claudius

d) Laertes

Answer: a) Hamlet

 

29.What is the relationship between Claudius and Gertrude?

a) Siblings

b) Cousins

c) Husband and wife

d) Father and daughter

Answer: c) Husband and wife

 

30.Who kills Polonius?

a) Hamlet

b) Laertes

c) Claudius

d) Gertrude

Answer: a) Hamlet

 

31.Who does Hamlet mistake for a rat behind the arras and kill?

a) Polonius

b) Laertes

c) Rosencrantz

d) Guildenstern

Answer: a) Polonius

 

32.Who delivers the famous line, "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so"?

a) Hamlet

b) Horatio

c) Polonius

d) Rosencrantz

Answer: a) Hamlet

 

33.What is the name of the poison that Claudius uses to kill King Hamlet and later poisons Laertes' sword with?

a) Strychnine

b) Arsenic

c) Hemlock

d) Hebanon

Answer: d) Hebanon  (Explantion: Some scholars have suggested that "hebenon" could refer to henbane, yew, or some other poisonous plant. Therefore, the identity of the poison used in "Hamlet" remains a matter of debate and interpretation.)

 

34.What is the famous soliloquy in Act III, Scene 1 of "Hamlet"?

a) "To be or not to be, that is the question"

b) "How all occasions do inform against me"

c) "O all you host of heaven! O Earth! What else?"

d) "O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!"

Answer: a) "To be or not to be, that is the question"

 

35.Who is Hamlet's best friend in the play?

a) Laertes

b) Horatio

c) Rosencrantz

d) Guildenstern

Answer: b) Horatio

 

36.What is the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia?

a) Husband and wife

b) Brother and sister

c) Cousins

d) Lovers

Answer: d) Lovers

 

37.Who kills Hamlet's father, King Hamlet?

a) Polonius

b) Claudius

c) Laertes

d) Horatio

Answer: b) Claudius

 

38.Who delivers the famous line, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be"?

a) Polonius

b) Hamlet

c) Laertes

d) Gertrude

Answer: a) Polonius

 

39.What is the name of the play within the play in Act III, Scene 2 that Hamlet uses to catch his father's murderer?

a) Romeo and Juliet

b) The Murder of Gonzago

c) The Tempest

d) Macbeth

Answer: b) The Murder of Gonzago (also known as The Mousetrap)

 

40.How does Ophelia die?

a) She drowns herself

b) She is poisoned

c) She is stabbed

d) She falls from a tower

Answer: a) She drowns herself

 

41.Who ultimately avenges King Hamlet's death?

a) Hamlet

b) Laertes

c) Horatio

d) Fortinbras

Answer: a) Hamlet

 

42.What is the final line of the play?

a) "The rest is silence"

b) "Good night, sweet prince"

c) "So long, and thanks for all the fish"

d) "All's well that ends well"

Answer: a) "The rest is silence"

 

43.Who is the Prince of Norway who takes over the Danish throne at the end of the play?

a) Fortinbras

b) Laertes

c) Horatio

d) Rosencrantz

Answer: a) Fortinbras

44.Hamlet is set in

Sweden

Scotland

England

Denmark

Answer: Denmark

 

45.Hamlet is a

fool

prince

princess

king

Answer: Prince

 

46.Hamlet's stepfather is also his

nephew

brother

uncle

grandfather

Answer: uncle

 

47.Claudius poisoned

Ophelia

Gertrude

Old Hamlet

Hamlet

Answer: Old Hamlet

 

48.The ghost is first spotted

in the graveyard

outside the castle

on the deck of the ship

in Gertrude's chambers

Answer: Outside the castle

 

49.The ghost claims he is

Old Hamlet

the King of Norway

Old Fortinbras

Claudius

Answer: Old Hamlet

 

50.In his first appearance onstage, Hamlet is wearing

a jester's costume

royal robes

mourning clothes

the crown

Answer: mourning clothes

 

51.Hamlet claims to be afflicted by

melancholy

schizophrenia

dyslexia

gout

Answer: melancholy

 

52.Hamlet's famous speeches are called

dramatic irony

unilogues

dialogues

soliloquys

Answer: soliloquys

 

53.What noise drives the ghost offstage?

a string quartet

his wife sleeping with Claudius

a cock's crow

Hamlet crying

Answer: a cock’s crow

 

54.Who has Hamlet professed love for?

Gertrude

Guildenstern

Rosencrantz

Ophelia

Answer: ophelia

 

55.Why are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Denmark?

to kill Hamlet

to find out why Hamlet is acting mad

to cheer up Hamlet

to bring Hamlet back to England

Answer: to find out why Hamlet is acting mad

 

56.Where does Hamlet go to university?

Luxembourg

Germany

England

France

Answer: Wittenberg in Germany

 

57.What religion was Denmark at time of writing?

High Anglican

Anglican

Protestant

Catholic

Answer: protestant

 

58.Where does Hamlet say Ophelia should go?

a bakery

a castle

Russia

a nunnery

Answer: a nunnery

 

59.Where does the ghost say he wanders?

Hell

Heaven

Baltic Sea

Purgatory

Answer: purgatory

 

60.When the play begins, the castle is celebrating

Laertes' return

King Claudius and Queen Gertrude's marriage

Old Hamlet's defeat of Old Fortinbras

Hamlet's return

Answer:  King Claudius and Queen Gertrude's marriage

 

61.Which major character/s survives the play?

Laertes and Polonius and Ophelia

Claudius and Gertrude

Horatio

Hamlet

Answer: Horatio

 

62.There are images throughout the play relating to

ears

neck

eyelashes

nose

Answer: ears

 

63.The health of a state seems related to

the moral state of the leader

the moral state of its people

the physical state of its people

the physical state of its leader

Answer: the moral state of the leader

 

64.Young Fortinbras says he is invading

Denmark

Germany

Poland

England

Answer: Poland

 

65.Who saves Prince Hamlet's life?

Old Hamlet

Ophelia

Polonius

pirates

Answer: pirates

 

66.In form, Hamlet is above all what sort of play?

a revenge play

a morality play

a comedy

a punch and judy show

Answer: a revenge play

 

67.What does Hamlet call Polonius?

father

dear man

father-in-law

a fishmonger

Answer: a fishmonger

SET-2

1. What does the ghost of King Hamlet say about Gertrude, his wife?
a) He warns Hamlet to be afraid of her.
b) He tells Hamlet to get revenge.
c) He tells Hamlet to leave her alone.
d) He tells Hamlet to speak with her about Claudius.
Answer: He tells Hamlet to leave her alone.

 

2. Where does Hamlet go to university?
a) Luxembourg
b) Germany
c) England
d) France
Answer: Wittenberg in Germany

 

3. How does Gertrude die?
a) Hamlet forces her to drink poisoned wine
b) She accidentally drinks wine that Claudius poisoned
c) She kills herself with a sword
d) Horatio kills her with a fencing foil
Answer: She accidentally drinks wine that Claudius poisoned.

 

4. What does Hamlet tell Horatio about death?
a) That it is inevitable
b) That it should be fought at all costs
c) That he fears it
d) That thinking about it comforts him
Answer: That it is inevitable

 

5. Why are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Denmark?
a) To kill Hamlet
b) To find out why Hamlet is acting mad
c) To cheer up Hamlet
d) To bring Hamlet back to England
Answer: to find out why Hamlet is acting mad

 

6. What does Hamlet do to upset Ophelia?
a) He tells her he doesn't love her
b) He threatens to kill himself
c) He tells her he loves her
d) He acts frantic and chaotic
Answer: He acts frantic and chaotic.

 

7. What play does Hamlet want the players to perform?
a) "The Murder of Gonzago"
b) "Oedipus Rex"
c) "Beowulf"
d) "Faust"
Answer: "The Murder of Gonzago" (also known as The Mousetrap)

 

8. How does Ophelia die?
a) She drowns in a river
b) She poisons herself
c) She throws herself off a bridge
d) She catches a fever
Answer: She drowns in a river.

 

9. What does Hamlet notice about the funeral procession?
a) That it seems irregular and suggests a suicide
b) That mourners seem excessively upset
c) That Laertes has returned
d) That the funeral doesn't seem sad
Answer: That the procession seems irregular and suggests a suicide

 

10. Who has Hamlet professed love for?
a) Gertrude
b) Guildenstern
c) Rosencrantz
d) Ophelia
Answer: Ophelia

 

11. What does the gravedigger say to Hamlet when asked whose grave he's digging?
a) "Ophelia's"
b) "Polonius's"
c) "Your own"
d) "Mine"
Answer: He says that it's his own grave.

 

12. What religion was Denmark at time of writing?
a) High Anglican
b) Anglican
c) Protestant
d) Catholic
Answer: Protestant

 

13. What finally appeases Laertes at Ophelia's funeral?
a) Hamlet expresses his true feelings
b) Gertrude says Hamlet is insane
c) Claudius reminds him of their plan
d) Hamlet makes a fool of himself
Answer: Claudius reminds Laertes that they have a plan to kill Hamlet.

 

14. What does Hamlet say to Laertes at Ophelia's funeral?
a) That Laertes is a terrible brother
b) That he loved Ophelia profoundly
c) That he'll kill himself
d) That he feels guilty
Answer: That he loved Ophelia in ways that no one could understand

 

15. Why doesn't Claudius punish Hamlet?
a) He doesn't believe Hamlet killed Polonius
b) He's not upset about Polonius
c) Too many people adore Hamlet
d) He lacks the power
Answer: Because too many people adore Hamlet

 

16. What noise drives the ghost offstage?
a) A string quartet
b) His wife with Claudius
c) A cock's crow
d) Hamlet crying
Answer: a cock's crow

 

17. Where does Hamlet say Ophelia should go?
a) A bakery
b) A castle
c) Russia
d) A nunnery
Answer: a nunnery

 

18. What does Hamlet's letter to Horatio say?
a) He leaves Denmark in Horatio's hands
b) He's at peace with his father's death
c) He's returning with news
d) Pirates hold him captive
Answer: That he is returning to Denmark with news

 

19. Hamlet's famous speeches are called
a) Dramatic irony
b) Unilogues
c) Dialogues
d) Soliloquys
Answer: soliloquys

 

20. How will Claudius react to the play, according to Hamlet?
a) He will laugh
b) He will cry
c) He will enjoy it
d) He will appear guilty
Answer: He will appear guilty.

 

21. What does Hamlet call women dishonest?
a) They only care about money
b) They wear deceptive makeup
c) He distrusts his mother
d) He thinks women inferior
Answer: Because they wear make-up and deceive men

 

22. Who are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?
a) Hamlet's friends
b) Hamlet's cousins
c) Claudius's generals
d) Gertrude's messengers
Answer: Hamlet's friends

 

23. Why does Claudius want to be left alone (Act III, Scene 1)?
a) To discuss Fortinbras
b) To decide about Hamlet's mood
c) To spy on Hamlet and Ophelia
d) To plan the upcoming play
Answer: So that he and Polonius can watch Hamlet and Ophelia interact

 

24. What does Hamlet ask Horatio to do during the play?
a) Monitor Ophelia
b) Watch Gertrude
c) Observe Polonius
d) Study Claudius's reactions
Answer: Watch Claudius's reactions

 

25. Hamlet is set in
a) Sweden
b) Scotland
c) England
d) Denmark
Answer: Denmark

 

26. What do Polonius and Claudius overhear Hamlet discussing?
a) His school life
b) His mourning
c) Marrying Ophelia
d) Suicide
Answer: Whether or not to commit suicide

 

27. Hamlet is a
a) Fool
b) Prince
c) Princess
d) King
Answer: Prince

 

28. Hamlet's stepfather is also his
a) Nephew
b) Brother
c) Uncle
d) Grandfather
Answer: uncle

 

29. Claudius poisoned
a) Ophelia
b) Gertrude
c) Old Hamlet
d) Hamlet
Answer: Old Hamlet

 

30. The ghost is first spotted
a) In the graveyard
b) Outside the castle
c) On a ship's deck
d) In Gertrude's chambers
Answer: Outside the castle

 

31. The ghost claims he is
a) Old Hamlet
b) The King of Norway
c) Old Fortinbras
d) Claudius
Answer: Old Hamlet

 

32. In his first appearance, Hamlet wears
a) A jester's costume
b) Royal robes
c) Mourning clothes
d) The crown
Answer: mourning clothes

 

33. Hamlet claims to be afflicted by
a) Melancholy
b) Schizophrenia
c) Dyslexia
d) Gout
Answer: melancholy

 

34. What does Ophelia give Hamlet?
a) Her love
b) A letter
c) His returned gifts
d) A rejection
Answer: The gifts he has given her

 

35. What does Claudius say he will do about Hamlet?
a) Send him to England
b) Marry him to Ophelia
c) Monitor him closely
d) Kill him
Answer: Send him to England

 

36. Why is Laertes happy about Hamlet's return?
a) He plans to kill him
b) He wants to help Hamlet
c) He hopes Hamlet cares for Ophelia
d) He wants Hamlet's help becoming king
Answer: Because he plans to kill him

 

37. When does Laertes plan to kill Hamlet?
a) While he sleeps
b) At the king's ball
c) At a fencing match
d) At dinner
Answer: At a fencing match

 

38. What do Laertes and Claudius plan if Hamlet wins?
a) Forgive him
b) Give up the throne
c) Poison his wine
d) Have someone stab him
Answer: Poison him with a cup of wine

 

39. Why argue about Ophelia's grave?
a) They remember her beauty
b) They heard she killed herself
c) They pity Laertes
d) They doubt she's dead
Answer: Because they hear that she has killed herself

 

40. How does Polonius plan to prove Hamlet's love?
a) Have him followed
b) Spy personally
c) Write as Ophelia
d) Challenge to duel
Answer: Spy on him personally

 

41. Whom does Fortinbras swear not to attack?
a) The Poles
b) The Italians
c) The Danes
d) The Spanish
Answer: The Danes

 

42. What does Hamlet tell Horatio and Marcellus?
a) He may pretend madness
b) He'll kill Claudius
c) He hopes to marry Ophelia
d) He plans to flee
Answer: That he may pretend to be crazy

 

43. Whom does Polonius send to France to spy on Laertes?
a) Reynaldo
b) Ophelia
c) Guido
d) Marcellus
Answer: Reynaldo

 

44. Where does the ghost appear during the play?
a) The castle ramparts and the great hall of Elsinore
b) Fortinbras's tent and Hamlet's bedchamber
c) The castle ramparts and Gertrude's bedchamber
d) Gertrude's bedchamber and the great hall of Elsinore
Answer: The castle ramparts and Gertrude's bedchamber

 

45. How did Claudius murder King Hamlet?
a) By stabbing him through an arras
b) By pouring poison into his ear
c) By ordering him to be hanged
d) By poisoning his wineglass
Answer: By pouring poison into his ear

 

46. Where is the university at which Horatio and Hamlet studied?
a) Paris
b) Oxford
c) Constantinople
d) Wittenberg
Answer: Wittenberg

 

47. Whose skull does Hamlet discover in the churchyard?
a) The former court jester's
b) Reynaldo's
c) Ophelia's
d) His father's
Answer: The former court jester's

 

48. Which of the following characters cannot see the ghost?
a) Marcellus
b) Hamlet
c) Gertrude
d) Horatio
Answer: Gertrude

 

49. Who escorts Hamlet on the voyage to England?
a) Cornelius and Voltimand
b) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
c) Marcellus and Bernardo
d) Captain Vicissus and the one-eyed thief
Answer: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

 

50. Where do Hamlet and Laertes fight during Ophelia's funeral?
a) In the nearby woods
b) Beside Ophelia's grave
c) Inside the church
d) Inside the grave itself
Answer: Inside the grave itself

 

51. Which of the following characters survive the play?
a) Fortinbras, Horatio, and Osric
b) Prince Hamlet, Polonius, and Gertrude
c) Claudius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern
d) Ophelia, Laertes, and King Hamlet
Answer: Fortinbras, Horatio, and Osric

 

52. What does Hamlet claim to be able to tell the difference between when the wind is from the south?
a) A flea and a fire log
b) A nymph and a nihilist
c) A hawk and a handsaw
d) A shark and St. Timothy
Answer: A hawk and a handsaw

 

53. In whose history of Denmark did Shakespeare find background material for his play?
a) Oedipus of Thebes
b) Saxo Grammaticus
c) Franz Guntherhaasen
d) Dionysus Finn
Answer: Saxo Grammaticus

 

54. How does Ophelia die?
a) Claudius stabs her
b) Hamlet strangles her
c) She slits her wrists
d) She drowns in the river
Answer: She drowns in the river

 

55. Whose story does Hamlet ask the players to tell upon their arrival to Elsinore?
a) Priam and Hecuba's
b) Antony and Cleopatra's
c) Gertrude and Claudius's
d) Ophelia's
Answer: Priam and Hecuba's

 

56. Why, according to Polonius, has Hamlet gone mad?
a) He grieves too much for his father
b) He despises Claudius for marrying Gertrude
c) He is in love with Ophelia
d) He is jealous of Laertes and longs to return to Wittenberg
Answer: He is in love with Ophelia

 

57. Who is the last character to die in the play?
a) Horatio
b) Hamlet
c) Claudius
d) Fortinbras
Answer: Hamlet

 

58. How many characters die during the course of the play?
a) Two
b) Five
c) Seven
d) Eight
Answer: Eight (Polonius, Laertes, Ophelia, Claudius, Gertrude, Rosencranz, Guildenstern, Hamlet) King Hamlet was murdered before the play.

 

59. Who speaks the famous "To be, or not to be" soliloquy?
a) Claudius
b) Hamlet
c) The ghost
d) Laertes
Answer: Hamlet

 

60. In what country do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern die?
a) Belgium
b) Denmark
c) England
d) Poland
Answer: England

 

61. Why does Hamlet decide not to kill Claudius after the traveling players' play?
a) Claudius is praying
b) Claudius is asleep
c) Claudius pleads for mercy
d) Gertrude is in the next room
Answer: Claudius is praying

 

62. Who killed Fortinbras's father?
a) Prince Hamlet
b) Laertes
c) Fortinbras
d) Hamlet's father
Answer: Hamlet's father

 

63. Which character speaks the first line of the play?
a) Bernardo
b) Francisco
c) Hamlet
d) Horatio
Answer: Bernardo

 

64. In which of the following years was Hamlet most likely written?
a) 1570
b) 1601
c) 1581
d) 1610
Answer: 1601

 

65. Which of Claudius and Laertes' traps for Hamlet succeeds in killing him?
a) The poisoned cup
b) The sharpened sword
c) The poisoned dagger
d) The poisoned sword
Answer: The poisoned sword

 

66. Which character speaks from beneath the stage toward the end of Act I?
a) The ghost
b) Hamlet
c) Claudius
d) Polonius
Answer: The ghost

 

67. Who returns Hamlet to Denmark after his exile?
a) Horatio
b) Claudius
c) A group of pirates
d) A Group of Monks
Answer: A group of pirates

 

68. Who joins Bernardo, the watchman, on his watch of the castle?
a) Francisco and Horatio
b) Marcellus and Horatio
c) Prince Hamlet and Marcellus
d) Francisco and Prince Hamlet
Answer: Marcellus and Horatio

 

69. What do Marcellus and Bernardo want to show Horatio?
a) Their wives
b) Prince Hamlet
c) A ghost
d) Other watchmen
Answer: A ghost

 

70. What proves to Horatio that the ghost is that of King Hamlet?
a) His accent
b) His resemblance to Prince Hamlet
c) His armor
d) His story
Answer: His armor

 

71. How does Horatio explain the appearance of King Hamlet's ghost?
a) He says it's a warning sign
b) He says it's a sign of peace
c) He claims it's a sign of the King's wishes for his son
d) He calls it a sign of the occult
Answer: He says it's a warning sign

 

72. Who is Fortinbras?
a) Prince of Denmark
b) King of Denmark
c) King of Norway
d) Prince of Norway
Answer: Prince of Norway

 

73. Who is now married to King Hamlet's wife?
a) Polonius
b) Claudius
c) Laertes
d) Cornelius
Answer: Claudius

 

74. What does King Claudius say he is in mourning over?
a) The death of his father
b) The death of his son
c) The death of his brother
d) His recent marriage
Answer: The death of his brother

 

75. What do Claudius and Gertrude want Prince Hamlet to do?
a) Go back to school
b) Stay close to them
c) Become the king
d) Get married
Answer: Stay close to them

 

76. What does Prince Hamlet contemplate doing because he is so upset?
a) Killing himself
b) Running away
c) Eloping
d) Attacking Fortinbras
Answer: Killing himself

 

77. What does Fortinbras want from Claudius?
a) A position in the Danish court
b) Lands that once belonged to Norway
c) A marriage to Ophelia
d) A tax from the peasants
Answer: Lands that once belonged to Norway

 

78. What does Laertes warn Ophelia about?
a) Taking care of Polonius
b) Falling in love with Hamlet
c) Claudius's position as king
d) Being responsible for their family property
Answer: Falling in love with Hamlet

 

79. What is Laertes' main objection to Ophelia's feelings?
a) Hamlet is interested in other women
b) Hamlet does not respect their father
c) Hamlet has obligations to his country
d) Hamlet fears the institution of marriage
Answer: Hamlet has obligations to his country

 

80. What does Polonius say about Ophelia's relationship with Hamlet?
a) He simply wants her to be happy
b) He believes that Hamlet is a good match for her
c) He does not believe that Hamlet has feelings for her
d) He forbids her from seeing him anymore
Answer: He forbids her from seeing him anymore

 

81. What does Hamlet overhear while waiting for the ghost to appear?
a) The revelry of the King
b) The sounds of battle
c) Ophelia crying
d) His own conscience
Answer: The revelry of the King

 

82. Why do Horatio and Marcellus follow after Hamlet and the ghost?
a) To warn them of impending danger
b) To protect Hamlet
c) To overhear the ghost's secrets
d) To bring him back to the King's party
Answer: To protect Hamlet

 

83. How did Hamlet's father die?
a) He was stabbed
b) He was poisoned
c) He died in battle
d) He died in his sleep
Answer: He was poisoned

 

84. Who does the ghost of Hamlet's father say killed him?
a) Polonius
b) Fortinbras
c) Laertes
d) Claudius
Answer: Claudius

 

85. Where does the ghost say he wanders?
a) Hell
b) Heaven
c) Baltic Sea
d) Purgatory
Answer: Purgatory

 

86. When the play begins, the castle is celebrating
a) Laertes' return
b) King Claudius and Queen Gertrude's marriage
c) Old Hamlet's defeat of Old Fortinbras
d) Hamlet's return
Answer: King Claudius and Queen Gertrude's marriage

 

87. Which major character survives the play?
a) Laertes
b) Claudius
c) Horatio
d) Hamlet
Answer: Horatio

 

88. There are images throughout the play relating to
a) ears
b) neck
c) eyelashes
d) nose
Answer: ears

89. The health of a state seems related to
a) the moral state of the leader
b) the moral state of its people
c) the physical state of its people
d) the physical state of its leader
Answer: the moral state of the leader

 

90. Young Fortinbras says he is invading
a) Denmark
b) Germany
c) Poland
d) England
Answer: Poland

 

91. Who saves Prince Hamlet's life?
a) Old Hamlet
b) Ophelia
c) Polonius
d) pirates
Answer: pirates

 

92. In form, Hamlet is above all what sort of play?
a) a revenge play
b) a morality play
c) a comedy
d) a punch and judy show
Answer: a revenge play

 

93. What does Hamlet call Polonius?
a) father
b) dear man
c) father-in-law
d) a fishmonger
Answer: a fishmonger

 

94. How does Hamlet find out about Claudius's plan?
a) He overhears Claudius discussing it
b) Gertrude tells him what she knows
c) Laertes makes a dying declaration
d) Horatio finds the poison
Answer: Laertes makes a dying declaration

 

95. What does the dying Hamlet tell Horatio to do?
a) Avenge his death
b) Become king
c) Mourn for him
d) Live and pass along his story
Answer: Live and pass along his story

 

96. Who rules Denmark at the end of the play?
a) Rosencrantz
b) Horatio
c) Guildenstern
d) Fortinbras
Answer: Fortinbras

 

97. Who initially calls for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?
a) Claudius and Polonius
b) Gertrude and Claudius
c) Gertrude and Hamlet
d) Polonius and Hamlet
Answer: Gertrude and Claudius

 

98. Who first sees the ghost of Hamlet's father?
a) Hamlet
b) Laertes
c) Marcellus and Bernardo
d) Bernardo and Hamlet
Answer: Marcellus and Bernardo

 

99. Who are Ophelia's blood relatives?
a) Polonius and Laertes
b) Polonius and Gertrude
c) Polonius and Horatio
d) Polonius and Hamlet
Answer: Polonius and Laertes

 

100. Why does Fortinbras want to attack Denmark?
a) To marry Ophelia
b) To seek revenge for his father's death
c) For fame and glory
d) Because he is told to
Answer: To seek revenge for his father's death

 

101. How is Hamlet related to Claudius?
a) Claudius is his father
b) Claudius is his cousin
c) Claudius is his brother
d) Claudius is his uncle
Answer: Claudius is his uncle

 

102. What words best describe Hamlet's character throughout the play?
a) Mysterious, thoughtful, morose
b) Brave, sociable, fun
c) Easy-going, smooth, charismatic
d) Sensual, caring, effeminate
Answer: Mysterious, thoughtful, morose

 

103. What is Claudius's most powerful weapon?
a) His money
b) His sex appeal
c) His way with words
d) His aggressiveness
Answer: His way with words

 

104. Why is Hamlet sometimes considered to be a play about inaction?
a) Because Hamlet never hesitates when acting against Claudius
b) Because Hamlet spends the play trying to figure out if the ghost is real
c) Because Hamlet needs to know Claudius is guilty before acting
d) Because Gertrude and Ophelia are passive heroines
Answer: Because Hamlet needs to know Claudius is guilty before acting

 

105. How does Claudius respond to Hamlet's insanity?
a) By turning to Gertrude for comfort
b) By focusing on himself and his own well-being
c) By throwing lavish parties
d) By turning to religion
Answer: By focusing on himself and his own well-being

 

106. What is Gertrude never able to do?
a) Express her love
b) Be reflective about her circumstances
c) Be powerful
d) Be sexual
Answer: Be reflective about her circumstances

 

107. What is seen as causing the fall of Denmark?
a) Indecisiveness
b) Lack of military power
c) International relations
d) Moral corruption
Answer: Moral corruption

 

108. Which of these relationships would not be construed as incestuous?
a) Laertes and Ophelia
b) Hamlet and Ophelia
c) Hamlet and Gertrude
d) Gertrude and Claudius
Answer: Hamlet and Ophelia

 

109. How do characters use language in Hamlet?
a) As a means of personal enlightenment
b) As a way to express their desires
c) As a manipulative political tool
d) As a means of courtship
Answer: As a manipulative political tool

 

110. How are women generally viewed in Hamlet?
a) As manipulative and untrustworthy
b) As heroines and nurturers
c) As purely sexual objects
d) As inspirational muses
Answer: As manipulative and untrustworthy

 

111. Why is Hamlet considered unique among revenge plays?
a) Because it is about betrayal
b) Because it takes place in Denmark
c) Because action is repeatedly put off
d) Because it is a tragedy
Answer: Because action is repeatedly put off

 

112. How does Hamlet tease Ophelia?
a) He makes inappropriate sexual jokes
b) He touches her
c) He makes fun of her family
d) He tells her he doesn't love her
Answer: He makes inappropriate sexual jokes

 

113. What does Hamlet do during the performance?
a) He sneaks out
b) He explains everyone's behavior
c) He tries to make up with Ophelia
d) He tries to kill Claudius
Answer: He explains everyone's behavior

114. What is Claudius's reaction to the play?
a) He admires the performances
b) He doesn't pay attention
c) He yells and leaves
d) He demands an encore
Answer: He yells and leaves

 

115. Who sends for Hamlet after the play?
a) Claudius
b) Ophelia
c) Horatio
d) Gertrude
Answer: Gertrude

 

116. What does Claudius want Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to do with Hamlet?
a) Kill him
b) Find out what's wrong
c) Take him to England
d) Help him win back Ophelia
Answer: Take him to England

 

117. Who plans to spy on Gertrude and Hamlet?
a) Claudius
b) Horatio
c) Ophelia
d) Polonius
Answer: Polonius

 

118. What does Claudius feel guilty for?
a) Killing his brother
b) Marrying the queen
c) Sending Hamlet away
d) Running out of the play
Answer: Killing his brother

 

119. Why does Hamlet refrain from killing Claudius when he has the opportunity?
a) He does not want to be king
b) Claudius is still his uncle
c) Claudius is praying
d) He does not want to hurt his mother
Answer: Claudius is praying

 

120. When does Hamlet plan to kill Claudius?
a) When Claudius is sleeping
b) When there is a diversion
c) When his mother is away
d) When Claudius behaves badly
Answer: When Claudius behaves badly

 

121. Why does Polonius want to eavesdrop on Hamlet?
a) Because he promised Claudius he would
b) To find out how Hamlet feels about Ophelia
c) Because Gertrude is scared for her safety
d) To find out why Hamlet is angry and upset
Answer: To find out why Hamlet is angry and upset

 

122. What does Hamlet accuse his mother of?
a) Betraying Claudius
b) Betraying him (Hamlet)
c) Betraying his father
d) Betraying herself
Answer: Betraying his father

 

123. Why does Hamlet kill Polonius?
a) Because he believes his mother is having an affair
b) Because Polonius opposes Hamlet and Ophelia's marriage
c) Because he is going crazy
d) Because he mistakes Polonius for Claudius
Answer: Because he mistakes Polonius for Claudius

 

124. Why does Gertrude think Hamlet is mad?
a) Because he killed Polonius
b) Because he accuses Claudius
c) Because he appears to be talking to himself
d) Because he attacks her
Answer: Because he appears to be talking to himself

 

125. What message does the ghost bring Hamlet?
a) To leave his mother alone
b) To remember his revenge
c) To hide Polonius's body
d) To give up
Answer: To remember that he has not yet gotten revenge

 

126. Whom does Gertrude rush to see after Polonius is killed?
a) Claudius
b) Hamlet
c) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
d) Ophelia
Answer: Claudius

 

127. What does Gertrude compare herself to?
a) A wilting flower
b) A bruised fruit
c) The violent ocean
d) A hurt child
Answer: The violent ocean

 

128. What is Claudius's main concern?
a) Gertrude's emotional state
b) Hamlet's sanity
c) His own conscience
d) Keeping his power
Answer: Keeping his power

 

129. What does Hamlet accuse Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of?
a) Not caring about him
b) Being spies for Claudius
c) Courting Ophelia
d) Revealing his secrets
Answer: Being spies for Claudius

 

130. What does Hamlet allow Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to do?
a) Explain their allegiances to Claudius
b) Leave Denmark
c) Accompany him back to Claudius
d) Kill him
Answer: Accompany him back to Claudius

 

131. Who reveals the location of Polonius's body?
a) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
b) Gertrude
c) Horatio
d) Hamlet
Answer: Hamlet

 

132. What orders does Claudius send to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?
a) That Hamlet be institutionalized
b) That Hamlet be killed
c) That Hamlet be imprisoned
d) That Hamlet be set free
Answer: That Hamlet be killed

 

133. What is Fortinbras doing when he comes across Hamlet?
a) Attacking Poland
b) Avenging his father
c) Finding Hamlet
d) Attacking Denmark
Answer: He is on his way to attack Poland

 

134. Why is Hamlet surprised by the Poland-Norway conflict?
a) It hasn't escalated faster
b) Fortinbras can't explain his motivations
c) The conflict seems insignificant
d) He's never thought about military matters
Answer: Because the conflict seems so insignificant

 

135. What does Hamlet resolve after meeting Fortinbras?
a) Achieve his revenge
b) Help Fortinbras
c) Betray Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
d) Nothing
Answer: Achieve his revenge

 

136. How does Ophelia handle Polonius's death?
a) She demands revenge
b) She runs away
c) She is relieved
d) She goes crazy
Answer: She goes crazy

 

137. What does Horatio urge Gertrude to do?
a) Punish Ophelia
b) Punish Hamlet
c) Console Ophelia
d) Console Hamlet
Answer: Console Ophelia

 

138. How do peasants feel about Laertes?
a) He ought to be king
b) He abandoned them
c) They want him to kill Hamlet
d) They want him to take Ophelia away
Answer: They feel that he ought to be king

 

139. What advice does Claudius give Laertes?
a) Take care of Ophelia first
b) Seek revenge for Polonius's death
c) Return to France
d) Take over his father's duties
Answer: That he should seek revenge on whoever is responsible for Polonius's death