50 Hamlet Quiz Questions and Answers: To Pass or Not to Pass, That is the Question!

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It’s time to test your knowledge of one of the most famous Shakespeare pieces!

In this Hamlet Quiz, you will find 5 rounds of questions and answers. We will start with the easy ones and will then move onto the more challenging questions.

Make sure to take a sheet of paper and a pen because it will make it easier for you to count your points at the end.

Each correct answer is worth 1 point.

Round 1: Easy Hamlet Trivia Questions

1. How many acts does Hamlet have?
2. What country is Hamlet set in?
3. What is the name of Hamlet’s uncle?
4. Who married their brother-in-law after their husband died?
5. Which of Shakespeare’s four main genres is Hamlet considered to be?
6. What is Hamlet holding when he delivers the ‘to be or not to be’ speech?
7. Who does Hamlet stab through a curtain?
8. What country is Hamlet sent to by his uncle, supposedly for a change of scenery?
9. What relation is Laertes to Ophelia?
10. How does Ophelia die?

Round 1: Easy Hamlet Trivia Questions and Answers

1. How many acts does Hamlet have? Five 
2. What country is Hamlet set in? Demark
3. What is the name of Hamlet’s uncle? Claudius
4. Who married their brother-in-law after their husband died? Gertrude
5. Which of Shakespeare’s four main genres is Hamlet considered to be? Tragedy
6. What is Hamlet holding when he delivers the ‘to be or not to be’ speech? A skull
7. Who does Hamlet stab through a curtain? Polonius
8. What country is Hamlet sent to by his uncle, supposedly for a change of scenery? England
9. What relation is Laertes to Ophelia? Her brother
10. How does Ophelia die? Drowning

Round 2: Hamlet Multiple Choice Questions

1. All of the following lines come from a Shakespeare play. Which one is from Hamlet?
   1. ‘Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon.’
   2. ‘Let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings.’
   3. ‘My noble father, I do perceive here a divided duty’
   4. ‘Listen to many, speak to a few.’
2. Hamlet is one of five Shakespeare plays to feature a ghost. Which of the following is not one of them?
   1. Julius Caesar
   2. Tempest
   3. Macbeth
   4. Richard III
3. Who has the first line of Act I?
   1. Hamlet
   2. Horatio
   3. Francisco
   4. Bernardo
4. What country is Fortenbras from?
   1. Denmark
   2. Sweden
   3. Norway
   4. England
5. Why doesn’t Hamlet kill Claudius while he’s praying?
   1. Because he gets nervous
   2. Because he doesn’t want him to go heaven
   3. Because he doesn’t want to murder someone in a church
   4. Because he father was very religious
6. How many times does the ghost appear throughout the play?
   1. 2
   2. 3
   3. 4
   4. 5
7. Who is the first person to die during the play?
   1. Polonius
   2. Claudius
   3. Ophelia
   4. Rosencrantz
8. How does Hamlet eventually kill Claudius?
   1. Stabbed through a curtain
   2. Cut with a sword
   3. Poisoned with wine
   4. Cut with a sword and poisoned with wine
9. Which of the following characters does not die by the end of the play?
   1. Hamlet
   2. Gertrude
   3. Guildenstern
   4. Horatio
10. What is the modern name for the town of Elsinore in which Hamlet takes place?
    1. Hørsholm
    2. Helsingør
    3. Helsinge
    4. Roskilde

Round 2: Hamlet Multiple Choice Questions and Answers

1. All of the following lines come from a Shakespeare play. Which one is from Hamlet? D. ‘Listen to many, speak to a few.’
2. Hamlet is one of five Shakespeare plays to feature a ghost. Which of the following is not one of them? B. Tempest
3. Who has the first line of Act I? D. Bernardo
4. What country is Fortenbras from? C. Norway
5. Why doesn’t Hamlet kill Claudius while he’s praying? B. Because he doesn’t want him to go to heaven
6. How many times does the ghost appear throughout the play? C. 4
7. Who is the first person to die during the play? A. Polonius
8. How does Hamlet eventually kill Claudius? D. Cut with a sword and poisoned with wine
9. Which of the following characters does not die by the end of the play? D. Horatio
10. What is the modern name for the town of Elsinore in which Hamlet takes place? B. Helsingør

Round 3: Hamlet Quiz – True or False

1. We don’t know exactly when Hamlet was written.
2. The first Quarto of Hamlet is called the ‘Bad Quarto’ because it seems to have been badly transcribed by memory by an actor.
3. Hamlet is the second longest Shakespeare play, only being shorter than Richard III.
4. Hamlet’s father was also called Hamlet.
5. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were executed in England for spying.
6. Polonius believes that the cause of Hamlet’s madness is that he’s mourning his father.
7. Claudius cries when he sees the murder scene in Hamlet’s play.
8. The ghost appears in front of Gertrude in Act 3 but she can’t see it.
9. Gertrude tells Hamlet that Ophelia killed herself.
10. The iconic painting of Ophelia by John Everett Millais is the most expensive artwork ever sold.

Round 3: Hamlet Quiz Answers- True or False

1. We don’t know exactly when Hamlet was written. True
2. The first Quarto of Hamlet is called the ‘Bad Quarto’ because it seems to have been badly transcribed by memory by an actor. True
3. Hamlet is the second longest Shakespeare play, only being shorter than Richard III. False, Hamlet is the longest Shakespeare play
4. Hamlet’s father was also called Hamlet. True
5. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were executed in England for spying. False
6. Polonius believes that the cause of Hamlet’s madness is that he’s mourning his father. False, he believes it’s because of unrequited love for Ophelia.
7. Claudius cries when he sees the murder scene in Hamlet’s play. False
8. The ghost appears in front of Gertrude in Act 3 but she can’t see it. True
9. Gertrude tells Hamlet that Ophelia killed herself. False, she tells him that she died accidentally
10. The iconic painting of Ophelia by John Everett Millais is the most expensive artwork ever sold. False.

Round 4: Medium Hamlet Trivia Questions

1. Who is Hamlet speaking to when he says ‘Get thee to a nunnery?’
2. What was the name of Shakespeare’s son that the character Hamlet was based on?
3. During which act does Hamlet put on a play to assess his uncle’s guilt?
4. Who is described in the character list as ‘servant to Polonius’?
5. What is the name of the gravedigger that Hamlet meets in Act 5?
6. Whose grave is being dug when Hamlet speaks to the gravedigger?
7. Who has the line ‘How is it that the clouds still hang on you?’
8. Only two characters know that Hamlet is not really mad. One of them is Horatio, who is the other?
9. What kind of animal does Hamlet say he’s trying to kill when he stabs the curtain?
10. Who dies by drinking poisoned wine?

Round 4: Medium Hamlet Trivia Questions and Answers

1. Who is Hamlet speaking to when he says ‘Get thee to a nunnery?’ Ophelia
2. What was the name of Shakespeare’s son that the character Hamlet was based on? Hamnet
3. During which act does Hamlet put on a play to assess his uncle’s guilt? Act 3
4. Who is described in the character list as ‘servant to Polonius’? Reynaldo
5. What is the name of the gravedigger that Hamlet meets in Act 5? Yorick
6. Whose grave is being dug when Hamlet speaks to the gravedigger? Ophelia’s
7. Who has the line ‘How is it that the clouds still hang on you?’ Claudius
8. Only two characters know that Hamlet is not really mad. One of them is Horatio, who is the other? Marcellus
9. What kind of animal does Hamlet say he’s trying to kill when he stabs the curtain? A Rat
10. Who dies by drinking poisoned wine? Gertrude 

Round 5: Hard Hamlet Trivia Questions

1. Who plays Ophelia in the 1996 film adaptation of Hamlet, directed by Sir Kenneth Branagh?
2. How many other characters speak before Hamlet has his first line?
3. In which city did Hamlet go to university?
4. What is Polonius’ official title?
5. What is the name of the play that Hamlet stages before the royal court?
6. Who has the line ‘Your lordship is right welcome back to Denmark’?
7. Fill in the missing word from Ophelia’s line: ‘They say the __ is the baker’s daughter.’
8. What country is Laertes in when he hears of Ophelia’s death?
9. Who played Hamlet in the 2015 National Theatre production of Hamlet?
10. Who wrote the 1966 spin-off play ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead’?

Round 5: Hard Hamlet Trivia Questions and Answers

1. Who plays Ophelia in the 1996 film adaptation of Hamlet, directed by Sir Kenneth Branagh? Kate Winslet
2. How many other characters speak before Hamlet has his first line? Nine
3. In which city did Hamlet go to university? Wittenberg
4. What is Polonius’ official title? The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius’s Court
5. What is the name of the play that Hamlet stages before the royal court? The Murder of Gonzago
6. Who has the line ‘Your lordship is right welcome back to Denmark’? Oscric
7. Fill in the missing word from Ophelia’s line: ‘They say the __ is the baker’s daughter.’ Owl
8. What country is Laertes in when he hears of Ophelia’s death? France
9. Who played Hamlet in the 2015 National Theatre production of Hamlet? Benedict Cumberbatch
10. Who wrote the 1966 spin-off play ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead’? Tom Stoppard

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