Hamlet, Part 5: Characteristics of Elizabethan Drama — Quiz
Question 29 • British Literature and Composition
Read the excerpt from the play within a play in Act III of Hamlet . Player Queen: O! confound the rest; Such love must needs be treason in my breast: In second husband let me be accurst; None wed the second but who kill’d the first. Hamlet: [Aside.] Wormwood, wormwood. Player Queen: The instances that second marriage move, Are base respects of thrift, but none of love; A second time I kill my husband dead, When second husband kisses me in bed. This excerpt best supports the claim that Hamlet
Answer
A
does not believe in true love.
B
suspects his mother will kill Claudius.
C
treats women unkindly.
D
is critical of his mother’s choices.
Explanation
The Player Queen says that marrying a second husband is like killing the first, and Hamlet responds aside, “Wormwood, wormwood,” expressing bitterness as the words sting. This exchange most strongly suggests that Hamlet is criticizing his mother for marrying Claudius after King Hamlet’s death. The excerpt does not show that Hamlet thinks she will literally kill Claudius; the Player Queen’s speech is about the second marriage itself.
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