HAMLET ACT 4 SUMMARY
2026–2027 – PLOT,
CHARACTERS & KEY
THEMES
Comprehensive Examination: Hamlet Act 4 Summary
2026–2027
Plot, Characters, Themes & Key Events
Instructions: This examination covers Act 4 of William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Correct
answers are bolded and include rationales explaining why each answer is correct.
Section 1: Act 4, Scene 1 – Claudius Learns of Polonius's
Death (Questions 1-25)
1. Who informs Claudius about Polonius's death at the beginning of Act 4?
A) Horatio
B) Gertrude
C) Rosencrantz
D) Ophelia
,Rationale: Gertrude enters and tells Claudius about the death of Polonius, explaining that
Hamlet killed him in a fit of madness.
2. According to Gertrude, what did Hamlet do after killing Polonius?
A) He immediately confessed to the murder
B) He dragged the body away and hid it
C) He fled the castle
D) He attempted to kill himself
Rationale: Gertrude describes how Hamlet, in his madness, "whips out his rapier, cries 'A
rat, a rat!'" and kills Polonius, then drags the body away.
3. How does Gertrude describe Hamlet's mental state when she reports Polonius's
death?
A) Completely calm and rational
B) Mad, with " ecstasy" in his behavior
C) Suicidal and depressed
D) Possessed by demons
Rationale: Gertrude describes Hamlet as "mad as the sea and wind when both contend
which is the mightier."
4. What does Claudius fear will happen to him because of Polonius's death?
A) He will be arrested
B) He will be blamed and lose his throne
C) Hamlet will kill him next
D) Gertrude will leave him
Rationale: Claudius says, "It will be laid to us, whose providence should have kept short,
restrained and out of haunt this mad young man."
5. What does Claudius decide must happen to Hamlet immediately?
A) He must be crowned king
B) He must be sent to England
C) He must be imprisoned in Elsinore
,D) He must be executed publicly
Rationale: Claudius orders that Hamlet be sent to England "for the demand of our neglect"
and to protect himself from danger.
6. Who does Claudius send to find Hamlet and Polonius's body?
A) Horatio and Marcellus
B) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
C) The palace guards
D) Gertrude and Ophelia
Rationale: Claudius calls for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to seek out Hamlet and bring
the body to the chapel.
7. What does Gertrude say about Hamlet's words when he was with her?
A) He confessed everything
B) He spoke like a madman, mixing sense and nonsense
C) He was completely silent
D) He threatened to kill her
Rationale: Gertrude describes how Hamlet's words were "like the man and wife," with his
"words like so many bullets" that he shot at her.
8. What reason does Claudius give for not immediately punishing Hamlet?
A) He loves Hamlet too much
B) Hamlet is loved by the people, and punishing him would cause unrest
C) Gertrude begged him not to
D) Polonius deserved to die
Rationale: Claudius explains that the public loves Hamlet, and his "arrows" of punishment
would be "too slightly timber'd" and would return to his bow.
9. How does Gertrude describe Hamlet's madness in Act 4, Scene 1?
A) As a performance he is putting on
B) As genuine, comparing him to the sea and wind
C) As caused by Ophelia's rejection
, D) As controlled and calculated
Rationale: Gertrude says, "Mad as the sea and wind when both contend which is the
mightier."
10. What does Claudius reveal about his plans for Hamlet at the end of Act 4,
Scene 1?
A) He plans to marry Hamlet to Ophelia
B) He plans to send Hamlet to England, where he has secret plans
C) He plans to make Hamlet king
D) He plans to banish Hamlet permanently
Rationale: Claudius's final soliloquy in Scene 1 reveals he has written to the English king
about Hamlet, hinting at deadly intentions.
11. What does Claudius say about his "love" for Gertrude in this scene?
A) He loves her but fears her
B) She is "conjunctive to my life and soul"
C) He plans to divorce her
D) He married her only for political reasons
Rationale: Claudius describes Gertrude as being so joined to his life and soul that he
cannot act without her.
12. What does Gertrude say about Hamlet's behavior toward her?
A) He was completely respectful
B) He made her feel like she was not a queen but a prisoner
C) He ignored her completely
D) He apologized profusely
Rationale: Gertrude describes how Hamlet's words "like daggers" entered her ears and
made her feel that she was not the queen.
13. What is Claudius's primary concern when he hears about Polonius's death?
A) Ophelia's grief
B) His own safety and political survival
2026–2027 – PLOT,
CHARACTERS & KEY
THEMES
Comprehensive Examination: Hamlet Act 4 Summary
2026–2027
Plot, Characters, Themes & Key Events
Instructions: This examination covers Act 4 of William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Correct
answers are bolded and include rationales explaining why each answer is correct.
Section 1: Act 4, Scene 1 – Claudius Learns of Polonius's
Death (Questions 1-25)
1. Who informs Claudius about Polonius's death at the beginning of Act 4?
A) Horatio
B) Gertrude
C) Rosencrantz
D) Ophelia
,Rationale: Gertrude enters and tells Claudius about the death of Polonius, explaining that
Hamlet killed him in a fit of madness.
2. According to Gertrude, what did Hamlet do after killing Polonius?
A) He immediately confessed to the murder
B) He dragged the body away and hid it
C) He fled the castle
D) He attempted to kill himself
Rationale: Gertrude describes how Hamlet, in his madness, "whips out his rapier, cries 'A
rat, a rat!'" and kills Polonius, then drags the body away.
3. How does Gertrude describe Hamlet's mental state when she reports Polonius's
death?
A) Completely calm and rational
B) Mad, with " ecstasy" in his behavior
C) Suicidal and depressed
D) Possessed by demons
Rationale: Gertrude describes Hamlet as "mad as the sea and wind when both contend
which is the mightier."
4. What does Claudius fear will happen to him because of Polonius's death?
A) He will be arrested
B) He will be blamed and lose his throne
C) Hamlet will kill him next
D) Gertrude will leave him
Rationale: Claudius says, "It will be laid to us, whose providence should have kept short,
restrained and out of haunt this mad young man."
5. What does Claudius decide must happen to Hamlet immediately?
A) He must be crowned king
B) He must be sent to England
C) He must be imprisoned in Elsinore
,D) He must be executed publicly
Rationale: Claudius orders that Hamlet be sent to England "for the demand of our neglect"
and to protect himself from danger.
6. Who does Claudius send to find Hamlet and Polonius's body?
A) Horatio and Marcellus
B) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
C) The palace guards
D) Gertrude and Ophelia
Rationale: Claudius calls for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to seek out Hamlet and bring
the body to the chapel.
7. What does Gertrude say about Hamlet's words when he was with her?
A) He confessed everything
B) He spoke like a madman, mixing sense and nonsense
C) He was completely silent
D) He threatened to kill her
Rationale: Gertrude describes how Hamlet's words were "like the man and wife," with his
"words like so many bullets" that he shot at her.
8. What reason does Claudius give for not immediately punishing Hamlet?
A) He loves Hamlet too much
B) Hamlet is loved by the people, and punishing him would cause unrest
C) Gertrude begged him not to
D) Polonius deserved to die
Rationale: Claudius explains that the public loves Hamlet, and his "arrows" of punishment
would be "too slightly timber'd" and would return to his bow.
9. How does Gertrude describe Hamlet's madness in Act 4, Scene 1?
A) As a performance he is putting on
B) As genuine, comparing him to the sea and wind
C) As caused by Ophelia's rejection
, D) As controlled and calculated
Rationale: Gertrude says, "Mad as the sea and wind when both contend which is the
mightier."
10. What does Claudius reveal about his plans for Hamlet at the end of Act 4,
Scene 1?
A) He plans to marry Hamlet to Ophelia
B) He plans to send Hamlet to England, where he has secret plans
C) He plans to make Hamlet king
D) He plans to banish Hamlet permanently
Rationale: Claudius's final soliloquy in Scene 1 reveals he has written to the English king
about Hamlet, hinting at deadly intentions.
11. What does Claudius say about his "love" for Gertrude in this scene?
A) He loves her but fears her
B) She is "conjunctive to my life and soul"
C) He plans to divorce her
D) He married her only for political reasons
Rationale: Claudius describes Gertrude as being so joined to his life and soul that he
cannot act without her.
12. What does Gertrude say about Hamlet's behavior toward her?
A) He was completely respectful
B) He made her feel like she was not a queen but a prisoner
C) He ignored her completely
D) He apologized profusely
Rationale: Gertrude describes how Hamlet's words "like daggers" entered her ears and
made her feel that she was not the queen.
13. What is Claudius's primary concern when he hears about Polonius's death?
A) Ophelia's grief
B) His own safety and political survival
