Hamlet book club questions
by William Shakespeare · a kit for five meetings · 15 questions · printable
Fifteen discussion questions for Hamlet, grouped by the tragedy's five acts, with a reading plan, themes to talk about and a sheet you can print. Two good openers: what might Horatio hope to gain by telling Lord Hamlet about the apparition, and what risks might that choice carry? And how should Ophelia weigh advice from Laertes against a direct command from her father?
The reading plan
Meeting 1
Act 1, scenes 1 to 5
About 30 min to read
Meeting 2
Act 2, scenes 1 to 2
About 26 min to read
Meeting 3
Act 3, scenes 1 to 4
About 33 min to read
Meeting 4
Act 4, scenes 1 to 7
About 25 min to read
Meeting 5
Act 5, scenes 1 to 2
About 27 min to read
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Meeting 1: Act 1
- What might Horatio hope to gain by telling Lord Hamlet about the apparition, and what risks might that choice carry?
- How should Ophelia weigh advice from Laertes against a direct command from her father?
- How much trust should Lord Hamlet place in the Ghost's accusation before accepting a duty of revenge?
Meeting 2: Act 2
- When, if ever, is spying a fair way to resolve doubts about someone?
- How much weight should Polonius give Ophelia's frightening encounter when judging Lord Hamlet?
- What makes rejected love a convincing or unconvincing explanation for Lord Hamlet's distress?
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Meeting 3: Act 3
- How should we judge Lord Hamlet's treatment of Ophelia alongside his thoughts about death?
- What kinds of evidence could Lord Hamlet reasonably draw from watching his uncle during a staged poisoning?
- Does sparing the King during apparent prayer show restraint, misplaced trust, or something else?
Meeting 4: Act 4
- What does the King's secret execution command suggest about how he uses authority?
- Does Lord Hamlet's refusal to reveal the body seem like resistance, cruelty, or something else?
- Is an army's dispute over worthless land a sound reason for Lord Hamlet to question his delay?
Meeting 5: Act 5
- What do the gravedigger's jokes allow a discussion of death to do that grief alone might not?
- How does the setting of Ophelia's funeral shape your judgment of the violent clash between Lord Hamlet and Laertes?
- What does the fencing match suggest about the relationship between secrecy and violence?
Themes to talk about
Tips for the host
- Open each meeting with one question everyone can answer, then go deeper.
- Anyone who fell behind can catch up with the 15-minute summary.
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
15-minute summaries today, eBooks and audiobooks as each book opens, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
Try 3 months freeMore book club kits: Wuthering Heights · The Odyssey · Romeo and Juliet · All kits
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