Hamlet Act 1 Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. After meeting the ghost, Hamlet says he may adopt an “antic disposition.” What does he mean?
He will imitate the ghost to frighten Claudius
He will challenge Fortinbras to single combat
He intends to perform comic plays at court
He may pretend to behave irrationally or madly
2. Why is Horatio initially reluctant to accept the guards’ account of the ghost?
He believes ghosts can appear only inside churches
He suspects the guards are supporting Fortinbras
He already knows the figure is Claudius in disguise
He is skeptical and wants evidence before believing them
3. After Ophelia describes Hamlet’s attention to her, how does Polonius interpret Hamlet’s vows?
As potentially deceptive promises meant to win her affection
As a diplomatic plan to unite Denmark and France
As evidence that Hamlet intends to renounce the throne
As proof that Hamlet has secretly married Ophelia
4. Whom does the ghost seen by the guards closely resemble?
The late King Hamlet
Prince Fortinbras
King Claudius
Polonius
5. What political threat helps explain Denmark’s military preparations in Act 1?
England is preparing to seize Elsinore
Laertes is organizing a rebellion in France
Young Fortinbras seeks to recover lands lost by his father
Wittenberg has refused to recognize Claudius as king
6. Where are Bernardo and Francisco when Act 1 begins?
At the harbor outside Copenhagen
Inside the royal council chamber
On the battlements of Elsinore Castle
On a battlefield near Norway
7. Marcellus says, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” What larger idea does the line convey?
The castle’s food stores have been deliberately spoiled
Denmark’s soldiers are physically unprepared for war
Serious moral and political disorder lies beneath the court’s surface
The ghost has brought a disease across the border
8. Polonius gives Laertes a long series of maxims before his departure. What does this scene chiefly establish about Polonius?
He rejects conventional ideas about reputation and restraint
He is fond of giving elaborate, conventional advice about conduct
He wants Laertes to become a soldier instead of returning to France
He distrusts every form of friendship outside the family
9. Which concern dominates Hamlet’s first soliloquy, beginning “O, that this too too solid flesh would melt”?
His grief and disgust over his mother’s rapid remarriage
His desire to inherit Polonius’s court position
His uncertainty about whether the ghost exists
His fear that Fortinbras will defeat Denmark
10. Horatio recalls supernatural events before Julius Caesar’s assassination. Why does he make that comparison?
He thinks Hamlet should abandon Denmark for Italy
He believes Claudius plans to invade ancient Rome
He wants the guards to perform a Roman funeral rite
He suspects the ghost may warn of upheaval in Denmark
11. Claudius speaks of his brother’s death and his marriage to Gertrude almost together. What tension does this create?
Religious devotion is set against military ambition
Public mourning is uneasily combined with political celebration
Romantic love is presented as stronger than family duty
Denmark’s prosperity is contrasted with Norway’s poverty
12. When Hamlet calls himself “a little more than kin, and less than kind,” what is he mainly expressing?
Pride in becoming the direct heir to Denmark
Confusion about his relationship to Fortinbras
Concern that Horatio is no longer a loyal friend
Resentment at Claudius being both his uncle and stepfather
13. According to the ghost, how was the late King Hamlet murdered?
Fortinbras stabbed him during private negotiations
Claudius poured poison into his ear while he slept
Claudius poisoned a cup served at a royal feast
A court physician gave him a deliberately fatal remedy
14. Why does Laertes warn Ophelia not to rely on Hamlet’s professions of love?
Hamlet has announced that he will enter a monastery
Hamlet has already arranged to marry someone in Wittenberg
As a prince, Hamlet may have to put Denmark’s needs before personal choice
As Polonius’s daughter, Ophelia is legally barred from marriage
15. What instruction does the ghost give Hamlet concerning Gertrude?
Expose her publicly as a participant in the murder
Leave her to heaven and the workings of her conscience
Persuade her to leave Denmark with Horatio
Make her surrender the crown before confronting Claudius
16. Claudius permits Laertes to return to France but urges Hamlet to remain in Denmark. What does this contrast most clearly reveal?
Claudius wants to keep Hamlet close and under royal influence
Laertes holds a higher rank at court than Hamlet
Claudius considers France safer than Wittenberg
Hamlet has secretly volunteered for military service