English 1B - Seminar 9
Shakespeare – Hamlet

What is Hamlet’s problem?

Directions: 

Read Hamlet and write a brief (1-2 paragraph) response to one of the questions below. Include at least one quote.

• Why does Hamlet wait so long to take his revenge on Claudius for the murder of his father? What forces work to make him hesitate? What questions does he agonize over during the time it takes him to make a decision?
• Why does he treat Ophelia so harshly? What is the nature of their relationship before the murder of his father, and how does it change afterward? What reasons can you discern for the way he treats her, and what effect does it have on Ophelia?