Hamlet, Part 1: An Introduction to Elizabethan Theater
Question 5 • *HSA 26-27 English IV A -IC
Read the excerpt from Hamlet, Act I, Scene i.Horatio: That can I; At least, the whisper goes so. Our last king, Whose image even but now appear’d to us, Was, as you know, by Fortinbras of Norway, Thereto prick’d on by a most emulate pride,Dar’d to the combat; in which our valiant Hamlet— For so this side of our known world esteem’d him— Did slay this Fortinbras; who, by a seal’d compact, Well ratified by law and heraldry, Did forfeit with his life all those his landsWhich he stood seiz’d of, to
Answer
t
to describe to the audience the location of the castle and kingdom
t
to help the audience better understand Horatio’s character
t
to inform the audience of the events leading up to this point
t
to explain to the audience how the former king died and became a ghost
Explanation
Horatio explains that the former King Hamlet killed Fortinbras in combat and that a legal agreement caused Fortinbras to forfeit his lands. This background informs the audience about earlier events that explain the conflict surrounding the play. The passage does not say how the former king died, so D is not correct.
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