Hamlet

8 ways to start a deeper conversation.

Contains spoilers for the entire book.

Discussion topics

Topic 01 of 08

Why does Hamlet believe the ghost, and why does he still need more proof?

There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.

Why does Hamlet believe the ghost, and why does he still need more proof?
Keep the conversation going
- Does the ghost's command to avenge but not harm his mother make sense?
- What does the ghost tell us about the world of the play?
Why does Hamlet take so long to act?
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- Is his hesitation a weakness, a strength, or a sign of conscience?
- What did you make of him sparing Claudius at prayer?
Is Hamlet ever truly mad, or only pretending?
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- How does his 'antic disposition' affect the people around him?
- Where does the pretence and the reality blur?
What happens to Ophelia, and who is responsible?
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- How did you read Hamlet's cruelty to her?
- What does her madness reveal that others cannot say?
How much does Gertrude know, and how much is she to blame?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of the closet scene?
- Does she change after it?
What does The Mousetrap prove, and to whom?
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- What does Hamlet's advice to the players say about theatre and truth?
- Why does Claudius react the way he does?
What is Hamlet really weighing in 'To be, or not to be'?
Keep the conversation going
- How does his thinking about death change by the graveyard scene?
- What does Yorick's skull make him realise?
Is the ending a tragedy of fate, or of choices?
Keep the conversation going
- What changes in Hamlet before the duel?
- What does Fortinbras's arrival mean for Denmark?

There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.