Hamlet, Part 3: Figurative Language and Allusions — Quiz
Question 9 • British Literature and Composition
Read the excerpt from Act II of Hamlet . But I am pigeon-liver’d, and lack gall To make oppression bitter, or ere this I should have fatted all the region kites With this slave’s offal. Bloody, bawdy villain! Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain! O! vengeance! Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave That I, the son of a dear father murder’d, Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, Must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words, And fall a-cursing, like a very drab, A scullion! What is the effect of the figurative language used in this excerpt? Choose two correct answers.
Answer
A
It reveals Hamlet’s love for Ophelia.
B
It reveals Hamlet’s plan for retaliation.
C
It reveals Hamlet’s hesitation to act.
D
It reveals Hamlet’s distrust of Gertrude.
E
It reveals Hamlet’s anger with himself.
Explanation
Hamlet calls himself “pigeon-liver’d,” suggesting he lacks the courage or fierceness to take revenge, and he angrily insults himself as an “ass.” These comparisons reveal his frustration with himself. He also says he is “unpack[ing]” his heart with words and cursing instead of acting, which shows his hesitation to carry out revenge.
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