Question

405ava v, english 12 sem a: a
hamlet, part 5: characteristics of elizabethan drama
i prithee, when thou seest that act afoot,
even with the very comment of thy soul
observe mine uncle: if his occulted guilt
do not itself unkennel in one speech, (45)
it is a damned ghost that we have seen,
and my imaginations are as foul
as vulcan’s stithy. give him heedful note,
for i mine eyes will rivet to his face,
and after we will both our judgments join (50)
in censure of his seeming
horatio: well, my lord!
if he steal aught the whilst this play is playing,
and ’scape detecting, i will pay the theft.
hamlet: they are coming to the play; i must be idle: (55)
get you a place.
how do hamlet and horatio intend to find out if king claudius is guilty of murdering hamlet’s father?
by hiding behind a curtain
and eavesdropping on
claudius
by flattering claudius in
order to trick him into
confessing
by asking the ghost to
prove that hamlet’s father
was murdered
by watching claudius
during the play to see how
he reacts

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the text from Hamlet. The lines “Give him heedful note, For I mine eyes will rivet to his face, And after we will both our judgments join In censure of his seeming” and “If he steal aught the whilst this play is playing, And ’scape detecting, I will pay the theft” show that Hamlet and Horatio plan to watch Claudius during the play to observe his reaction, as this will reveal his guilt (or lack thereof). The other options don't match: hiding/eavesdropping isn't indicated, flattering to trick isn't mentioned, and asking the ghost isn't the plan here (the ghost already appeared, and they're using the play to test Claudius).

Answer:

by watching Claudius during the play to see how he reacts