Hamlet Trivia Quiz

Answer:

The play opens with a scene on the castle ramparts where Marcellus is on watch for a ghost which has been reported. The ghost is the murdered king, Hamlet, and father of the title character of the same name. Horatio makes his first appearance here, also looking for the ghost. He is a long time friend of Prince Hamlet and Hamlet himself is summoned when the ghost duly appears and tells his son that he was murdered by Claudius, who is now the king.

In Act I we also meet Polonius, the counsellor to the king, his son Laertes and daughter Ophelia, who has been the subject of Prince Hamlet's attentions. Laertes warns her not to take his interest in her too seriously. Laertes then departs on a visit to France.

Hamlet, already angry at the rapid remarriage of his mother, Gertrude, to Claudius decides to pretend madness. He begins treating Ophelia unkindly while Polonius and Claudius attempt to ascertain the reasons for the sudden change in Hamlet's behaviour. Claudius summons two other friends from Hamlet's schooldays, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, inadvertently sealing their ultimate fates when Hamlet orders their deaths.

Claudius confirms his guilt by his reaction to a play devised by Hamlet, who foregoes a chance to kill his uncle as he is knelt in prayer. Hamlet then meets with his mother, not knowing Polonius is hiding behind a tapestry. Hamlet stabs at the embroidery and kills Polonius in the process. Ophelia is distraught at her treatment by Hamlet and the death of her father, and drowns.

Hamlet and Horatio are in the graveyard when Ophelia's funeral takes place and a duel is arranged between Laertes, who has taken his father's place at court, and Hamlet. Claudius plans to kill Hamlet, with poisoned wine or by being allowing him to be cut by a poisoned rapier. The plan goes wrong - Gertrude drinks the wine and dies and both Laertes and Hamlet are fatally injured by the rapier. Hamlet manages to kill Claudius before expiring himself.

The only characters in the list not mentioned so far are Osric, who has a minor part as the courtier who summons Hamlet to the duel and Fortinbras who is the Prince of Norway and will become the new Danish king since nobody else is left. He appears in person only at the end of the play and he and Horatio, who also survives, appear in the final scene. Osric is the only other survivor from the ten names listed.

The other characters are from different plays. Lodovico is from 'Othello', Olivia from 'Twelfth Night' and Cinna appears in 'Julius Caesar'. 'As You Like It' features Rosalind and Ferdinand is from 'The Tempest'.