Act 2 Questions-Hamlet

1) What does Polonius tell Reynaldo in the opening of Act II? How does he plan to trap his son?
Polonius tells Reunaldo to spy on his son by telling lies about him to poeple who Reynaldo belives would know Laertes. Reynaldo would then find information about his son through the peoples reactions.

2) What does this say about Polonius?
Polonius is a scheming man. He does not care for privacy or feelings much and is not the brightest man. There are much better ways that he could go about spying on his son.

3) What particularly in Act II scene 1 has disturbed Ophelia?
While she was in her private quarters, Hamlet barged in half naked and acting like a crazy man. He held her for a few minutes and left without saying anything.

4) Why have Rosencrantez and Guildenstern been sent to Denmark?
To find out what is wrong with Hamlet under the orders of the king. Really the king just wants to know what hamlet is up to though.

5) What does Hamlet ask the players to recite? How does the allusion mimic Hamlet’s position?

He wanted them to recite a speech that he had heard before of the sac of troy and priam's killing. This reflects his beliefs because he is planning on killing the king. He also wants them to recite the Murder of Gonzago which is another connetction to hamlets future murder of the king.

Identify the following speaker of the following lines and discuss to whom the lines are being delivered, and what the lines mean.

6) “No, my lord, but as you did command/ I did repel his letter, and denied his access to me”
Ophelia speeks this to her father about her shunning of Hamlet. She did not reply to his letters and did not interact with him.

7) “More matter less art”
The queen speaks this to Polonius when she is trying to get him to explain her sons madness to her and the king. She is insulting polonius by almost calling him stupid. She is annoyed by his long and useless speaking.

8) “That I, the son of a dear father murdered,/ Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell/ Must like a whore unpack my heart with words,
Hamlet is speaking here to himself. he is mourning his pitiful situation and is quite mad about how his friends and family have betrayed him. He mourns the situation that he is in.

9) “Your bait of falsehood take this carp of truth/ And thus do we of wisdom and of reach,/ with windlasses and with assays of bias,/ By directions find directions out.”
Polonius is speaking to Reynaldo about his mission to spy on Leartes. He wants Reynaldo to tell lies to people in order to get them to tell him the truth about Laertes. This shows how sly polonius is.

10) “For if the sun breeds maggots in a dead dog, being a good kissing carrion-Have you a daughter?”
Hamlet is speaking to polonius. He is asking weather polonius has a daughter even though Hamlet knows that he does. This is one of hamlets sly remarks that makes fun of someone. He is criticising polonius here.

11) List three metaphors (1 direct, 1 implied, 1 extended) from the play.
Direct--Denmark is a prison and a horrible place.
Extended--the sun represents son
Implied--lies are poison

12) What proof does Polonius have that he believe indicates Hamlet’s love for Ophelia?
Hamlet running into Ophelias room half naked is Plonius's jusitification that he is in love with his daughter. It makes sense a little bit

13) Explain the quote, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” How does this relate to Hamlet.
This quote relates to hamlet because there are certain things that are good for some people and bad for others in the book. Laertes thinks that partying in paris is good, wheras his father doesnt. Also hamlet thinks that denmark is a horrible place because he is burdended by his fathers death and his mothers marriage. But his friends think that it is a good place.

14) What is a fishmonger?
A fish monger is basically a pimp. They exploit others for personal gain.

15) Who was Jephthah?
Jephthah was a man who loved his daughter excessively. Hamlet compares him to Palonius because Hamlet wants to insult Palonius and make him seem overprotective of ophelia.