Find five questions that drive the theme, characters, or plot of the play.

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sagetrieb | College Teacher | (Level 3) Educator

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Some of these questions are specfic, and others are more broad.  all should help you understand the theme, characters, and plot of the play. Some, but not all, derive from eNotes on Hamlet.

  • What is the play’s attitude toward kinship as we see it in the play within the play and the fate of Rosencranz and Guildenstern? 
  • How is Hamlet a "tragic hero" by Aristotlean definitions of the generic role? (see eNotes Literary Terms)
  • How does Hamlet use comedy and the concept of "comic relief"? (see especially the scene with the gravediggers)
  • How are "disease", "dirt", and physical corruption used in Hamlet? How can they be read thematically? (See, for ex. 1.1.9; 1.1.20;   1.1.39;  3.4.147;  4.3.9;   4.7.124)
  • How is Hamlet’s fourth soliloquy (3.1.58-90) different from the first two? Think about the way Hamlet's mind works within the first two--is the same thing happening here? What is the main idea of this third soliloquy?
  • What do Rosencrantz and Guildenstern learn from Hamlet? (4.2)
  • What is Laertes' approach to revenging his father's death? How does it compare to Hamlet's? How much support does he have? Whom does he initially blame? (4.5)
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Jamie Wheeler | College Teacher | eNotes Employee

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These Q&A are from the eNotes pages on Quizzes. (some have been edited here for space.) 

What are Hamlet’s reasons for objecting to his mother’s remarriage?

The marriage was too soon after his father’s death; he can’t see how his mother could have so soon forgotten her love and devotion to her husband.

What do Claudius and Gertrude conclude after hearing Hamlet's letter to Ophelia?

Polonius orders Ophelia to shun Hamlet; the prince’s appears to be mad.  The Queen agrees. This is a shift from Gertrude’s earlier assumption that “it is no other but the main, His father’s death and our o’erhasty marriage.” 

What is ironic about Hamlet’s failure to kill Claudius while the King is kneeling in prayer?

Claudius kneels but is unable to pray. Had Hamlet killed him then, as he first intended, Claudius’ soul would have been damned.

What reasons does Claudius give Laertes for not taking action against Hamlet, who, Claudius says, “Pursued [his] life”?

Claudius says that Hamlet’s mother loves him and . . .  that the cannot do anything which would hurt her. Secondly, he says that public sentiment is solidly behind Hamlet.

Why does Hamlet forbid Horatio to drink the rest of the poisoned cup?

He wants Horatio to tell his (Hamlet’s) story so that his name will be cleared rather than “wounded.”

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arjun | College Teacher | (Level 1) Valedictorian

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Your query is very appreciable because the writer tries to keep
the plot clear in his mind and for that he draws out line that seems
as the series of questions leading the play to its end. According to
my idea the following queries may be:
1. Why did Gertrude marry Claudius?
It is the query that bothers Hamlet a lot and for that he is reluctant
to his mother but in order to satisfy himself he says,” Frailty
thou thy name of woman?"
The other query is regarding the ghost, why did he disclose the secret
of Hamlet’s father?
Hamlet gets a new mission to search out the enemy and avenge
of his father’s death.
The third query can be;
Why did he not kill Claudius in prayer?
It gives a great advantage to the plot because it becomes the
cause of delay and enemy is going to be empowered, leading him to catastrophe.
The fourth question is that:
Why did Hamlet kill Polinus?
By killing Polinus he widens the passage of tragedy. With his killing
he loses his love and gets enmity with Laerates that goes in favours of
the king ,his great enemy who uses Hamlet.
The last question is that:
Why did the king arrange combat between Hamlet and Laerates?
It leads the drama to the tragic end. Here in the conspiracy was
to kill Hamlet and for that he uses two tricks. One is poisonous drink and other is poison-tipped sword. At last this question brings tragedy to Hamlet ere he kills his enemy.
I think without these questions plot can’t be strong and tragedy might not have taken place.

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