Flashcards for Hamlet

Claudius

Claudius is the main antagonist of Hamlet — the usurping King of Denmark whose secret killing of his brother sets the entire tragedy in motion.

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Gertrude

Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark, mother to Prince Hamlet, and was first married to the murdered King Hamlet before quickly marrying his brother Claudius.

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Ghost of King Hamlet

The Ghost of King Hamlet acts as the driving force of the entire play.

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Guildenstern

Guildenstern is one of Hamlet's childhood friends who is summoned to Elsinore by King Claudius and Queen Gertrude to spy on the troubled prince.

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Hamlet

Prince Hamlet of Denmark is the play's introspective protagonist, whose journey moves from deep grief and inaction to violent, tragic outcomes.

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Horatio

Horatio is Hamlet's closest and most trusted friend, a fellow scholar from Wittenberg whose steady rationality acts as a moral compass throughout the play.

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Laertes

Laertes is the son of Polonius and the brother of Ophelia, serving as Hamlet's main foil throughout the play.

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Ophelia

Ophelia is a young noblewoman in the Danish court, the daughter of Polonius and sister to Laertes.

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Polonius

Polonius is the Lord Chamberlain of Denmark and the chief advisor to King Claudius, serving as a symbol of political authority while also providing unintended comic relief.

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Rosencrantz

Rosencrantz is one of Hamlet's old university friends, called to Elsinore by King Claudius and Queen Gertrude to keep an eye on the troubled prince and report back on the reasons behind his apparent madness.

character

“Brevity is the soul of wit.”

This famous line comes from Polonius, the talkative and self-important Lord Chamberlain, in Act II, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Polonius · Act II

“To be, or not to be, that is the question.”

This is arguably the most famous line in Western literature, spoken by Prince Hamlet in William Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Hamlet (Prince of Denmark) · Act III

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”

This line is delivered by Queen Gertrude in Act III, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's Hamlet, during the performance of "The Mousetrap" — the play-within-a-play that Hamlet has set up to gauge King Claudius's guilt.

Queen Gertrude · Act III

“To die, to sleep — no more; and by a sleep to say we end the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to.”

This line comes from Prince Hamlet’s iconic "To be, or not to be" soliloquy in Act III, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Hamlet · Act III

“Though she be but little, she is fierce.”

This line is actually spoken by Helena in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (Act 3, Scene 2), not Hamlet.

Helena · Act 3

“What dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil must give us pause.”

This line comes from Prince Hamlet's well-known "To be, or not to be" soliloquy in Act III, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Hamlet · Act III

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”

This line is delivered by Marcellus, a soldier and sentinel, to Horatio while they watch Hamlet follow his father's ghost into the darkness in Act I, Scene 4.

Marcellus · Act I

“Frailty, thy name is woman!”

This line is spoken by Prince Hamlet in Act I, Scene 2, during his first soliloquy.

Hamlet · Act I

“What a piece of work is a man!”

This famous line is delivered by Hamlet to his childhood friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Act II, Scene 2.

Hamlet · Act II

“This above all: to thine own self be true.”

This famous line is delivered by Polonius, the Lord Chamberlain of Denmark, as he says goodbye to his son Laertes, who is heading to France.

Polonius · Act I, Scene 3

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

This famous line is delivered by Hamlet to his close friend Horatio in Act I, Scene 5, right after the Ghost of Hamlet's father has disclosed the startling truth about his murder.

Hamlet · Act I, Scene 5

“The rest is silence.”

These are Hamlet's last words, delivered in Act 5, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's Hamlet, as the Prince of Denmark lies dying from a poisoned wound he received during his duel with Laertes.

Hamlet · Act 5

Ophelia's Flowers

In Hamlet, Ophelia's flowers represent the delicate nature of innocence, the breakdown of both social and emotional stability, and the expression of grief when words fail.

Poison

In Hamlet, poison stands for corruption, deceit, and the hidden decay at the core of the Danish court.

The Ghost

In Hamlet, the Ghost of King Hamlet represents the heavy burden of the past and the corrupting thirst for revenge.

The Play-Within-the-Play

In Hamlet, the play-within-the-play — "The Mousetrap" — highlights how art can reveal truths and expose moral failings.

Yorick's Skull

Yorick's skull in Hamlet symbolizes the unavoidable truth of death and its equalizing force.

Dramatic Monologue

Hamlet's soliloquies drive the play's exploration of inner thoughts.

Blank Verse

Shakespeare crafts Hamlet mostly in unrhymed iambic pentameter, using prose for comedic moments, pretend madness, and the actors' rehearsal notes.

Metaphor

The play is filled with metaphors that convey ideas in ways that literal statements cannot.

Irony

Dramatic irony is the backbone of the play.

Symbolism

Yorick's skull (5.1) stands out as the play's most powerful symbol.

Allusion

Shakespeare layers classical and biblical allusions to deepen and complicate Hamlet's predicament.

Imagery

Disease and decay imagery permeates the entire play, from the opening act to the final carnage.

Extended Metaphor

Hamlet's "To be, or not to be" soliloquy features a powerful metaphor, likening life to a sea of troubles that the mind battles against — a mix of military and maritime imagery that shifts into themes of sleep, dreams, and an unknown afterlife.

Juxtaposition

Shakespeare often sets up contrasting characters to highlight Hamlet through opposition.

Paradox

The play is full of paradoxes that defy resolution.

Elegy

Though it's a tragedy rather than a lyric poem, Hamlet is filled with a sense of elegy—grief for the dead king, for lost innocence, and for a Denmark that was whole before the murder.

Motif

The theme of performance and acting appears in nearly every act.