• READ the Primary Reading: Hamlet (324-391)
• Secondary Reading: Jonson, “Masque of Blackness” (469)
1. Should Hamlet trust the ghost? Consider sides pro and con. Then what should he do?
2. What is Hamlet doing in the middle of the play (putting on an antic show, playing the Mousetrap, and not killing Claudius)? Is it all part of his master plan?
3. Describe Laertes (or Fortinbras) as a parallel (or contrast) to Hamlet.
4. Is Hamlet crazy? Why or why not?
5. Why does Ophelia die, and who is responsible?
6. What modern show has key elements of the masque?
7. Neatly summarize one act.