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ACT One Scene One
setting Shakespeare had to use language to establish setting in his plays, as all plays were performed during the day in open air theatres. Directors did not have the luxury of elaborate set changes, lighting, or special effects to establish time of day, season, location, etc., so the words were essential in conveying the setting for the audience.
TASK: Carefully read the opening lines of the play(1 – 13). Discuss: what words does Shakespeare use in this opening section to reveal the setting of this scene?
setting BERNARDO: ’Tis now struck twelve. Get thee to bed, Francisco. FRANCISCO: For this relief much thanks. ’Tis bitter cold, / And I am sick at heart. Based on these details, what time of day is it? Midnight Based on these details, what time of year is it? Winter
SETTING TASK: Continue Reading: Stop at line 20. DISCUSS: What is happening in the play?
problem In the opening scene, Shakespeare reveals that the guards are concerned about something. TASK: Look carefully at lines 21 - 39. Discuss: what words does Shakespeare use in this opening section to reveal the problem facing the guards?
PROBLEM Marcellus: What, has this thing appear’d again to-night? DISCUSS: Note the use of the word “thing.” If Shakespeare is considered a “master of language” why would he use such a vague, non-descript word here? DISCUSS: Why is the word “appear’d” important in explaining the problem? What does it suggest is happening?
PROBLEM Marcellus: Horatio says ’tis but our fantasy, / And will not let belief take hold of him / Touching this dreaded sight, twice seen of us. / Therefore I have entreated him along . . . to watch the minutes of this night, / That if again this apparition come / He may approve our eyes and speak to it. fantasy: imagination dreaded: regarded with great fear or apprehension apparition: a ghostly figure; unusual or unexpected sight approve: prove; attest What is the problem? The guards have seen a ghost the past two nights.
horatio MARCELLUS: Horatio says ’tis but our fantasy, / And will not let belief take hold of him HORATIO: Tush, tush, ’twill not appear. BERNARDO: . . . let us once again assail your ears, / That are so fortified against our story What is Horatio’s reaction to the guards’ story about seeing a ghost? He believes they are imagining it, and he does not believe any ghost will appear.
The ghost TASK: Look carefully at lines 40 – 51. Discuss: what words reveal who the ghost appears to be?
THE GHOST • “In the same figure, like the King that’s dead.” • “Looks it not like the King?” • “Together with that fair and warlike form / In which the majesty of buried Denmark / Did sometimes march?” Who does the ghost appear to be? The King of Denmark, who is dead. What does he appear to be wearing? Armor or Uniform: Ready for Battle.
horatio What does Horatio ask the ghost? TASK: Continue Reading. Stop at line 69.
horatio What does the ghost do? Find the lines that indicate Horatio now believes the guards’ stories about seeing a ghost. Before my God, I might not this believeWithout the sensible and true avouch Of mine own eyes.
“This bodes some strange eruption to our state.” How does Horatio describe the ghost’s appearance? What is the ghost wearing? TASK: Continue Reading. Stop at line 111 What question has Marcellus asked? What is Horatio’s response? Marcellus asks why the kingdom seems to be preparing for war. Horatio responds that the kingdom believes young Fortinbras may attack their kingdom to reclaim lands lost in a battle between his father Fortinbras and their deceased king, Hamlet.
“This bodes some strange eruption to our state.” Horatio recounts events that preceded the death of Julius Caesar. TASK: Look carefully at Horatio’s lines 112 – 125. Summarize the events that took place in Rome before Julius Caesar was killed. • ghosts roamed the streets • shooting stars and eclipse of the moon • blood mixed with the morning dew Why does Horatio recount this story? Horatio believes that the appearance of the ghost and the strange events at Elsinore are prophetic. He sees the appearance of the ghost as a warning that the Kingdom is in danger. Just as these were warnings of the tragedy that befell Julius Caesar, these too are warnings for Denmark; they should pay attention to them.
THE GHOST TASK: Continue Reading: Stop at end of Scene 1. DISCUSS: What happens with the ghost? What happens when the rooster crows? What does Horatio and Marcellus say about spirits, night, and daytime?
horatio What does Horatio suggest he and the guards should do about the ghost they have seen? Why? Let us impart what we have seen tonight Unto young Hamlet; for, upon my life, This spirit, dumb to us, will speak to him. Horatio suggests they tell Hamlet about the ghost and what they have seen. He believes that the ghost will speak to Hamlet because it appears to be Hamlet’s father, the dead King.
ACT One Scene Two
TASK: Scene two introduces two important characters, King Claudius and Queen Gertrude. Carefully examine The King’s lines 1 – 16. What important details are revealed?
claudius Though yet of Hamlet, our dear brother’s death The memory be green • King Hamlet is dead. • King Hamlet was King Claudius’s brother. • When Claudius says “us” and “we” he means himself – speaking in the “royal we.” • The memory is “green” because his death was recent.
claudius . . . and that it us befitted To bear our hearts in grief and our whole kingdom To be contracted in one brow of woe, Yet so far hath discretion fought with nature That we with wisest sorrow think on him Together with remembrance of ourselves. What is Claudius saying about his brother’s memory and the kingdom’s continued mourning of him? Although it was proper to mourn King Hamlet’s death throughout the kingdom, life still goes on. Claudius thinks he should mourn his brother, but he should also think about his own well being.
claudius Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen, The imperial jointress to this warlike state, [have] Taken to wife What does Claudius reveal about his new marriage? • He married his sister-in-law. She was his brother’s wife. • As King Hamlet’s widow, she is the “jointress” – meaning the one who holds the right of inheritance to her husband’s estate.
claudius NOTE: Why Claudius is crowned King instead of Prince Hamlet. In Denmark, and other Scandinavian countries it was traditionally an election rather than a firm rule of succession that determined the new king. This was not, of course, a democratic election. Only men of royal blood could be elected, and only a select group of nobles would vote. Claudius was certainly eligible to be elected king as the brother of the former king, and he strengthened his position by both marrying the queen, his former sister-in-law, and rushing things along before the son, Hamlet could return. Much of Claudius' opening speeches seem to be aimed at strengthening his position and reminding everyone that he was elected fair and square. Hamlet mentions or implies in the play that he thinks his uncle unfairly stole the election and the throne.
antithesis Antithesis: Juxtaposition of contrasting words or ideas (often, but not always, in parallel structure). Have we, as ’twere with a defeated joy, With an auspicious, and a dropping eye, With mirth in funeral, and with dirge in marriage, In equal scale weighing delight and dole • Note the contrasting ideas in these lines. What emotions is Claudius trying to convey about the death of his brother and the marriage to his new queen?
FORTINBRAS TASK: Continue Reading: Stop at line 41. DISCUSS: Summarize what is happening. Why does Claudius mention young Fortinbras? What does King Claudius command Cornelius and Voltemand to do?
LAERTES TASK: Continue Reading: Stop at line 63. DISCUSS: What is Laertes asking permission to do? Who is Polonius? What does Polonius say?
HAMLET TASK: Continue Reading: Look at line 64. Who is King Claudius addressing now?What does he call him?
aside Aside: An aside is a dramatic device in which a character speaks to the audience, but the other characters are not aware of what he or she says. It may be addressed to the audience expressly (in or out of character) or represent an unspoken thought. It is usually a brief comment. It occurs within the context of the play, and is a true statement of a character's thought; a character may be mistaken in an aside, but he may not be dishonest.
Hamlet’s first words Note: The first time we hear from Hamlet is through an aside. Look at the context of these words. What is happening in the play at the time Hamlet first speaks? Who addresses him? What does this aside reveal about Hamlet’s inner thoughts and emotions? A little more than kin, and less than kind! Hamlet is not happy about the “closeness” of his new family.He believes that his uncle, who has now become his step-father has become too close, creating too many family ties for his liking. The fact that the first words he speaks reveal his inner thoughts indicate that this new relationship weighs heavily on him.
pun Pun: a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect.
Hamlet Note: The next line of Hamlet’s is a pun. What does he mean? KING: How is it that the clouds still hang on you? HAMLET: Not so, my lord: I am too much i’ the sun. • Sun: In the spotlight , attention on him, no way to mourn. • Sun: “Son” – Now he has two fathers.
gertrude TASK: Gertrude’s first lines in the play are to her son, Hamlet. Look at her lines 68 – 73, what does she say to him? Good Hamlet, cast they nighted color off, And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark. Do not for ever with thy vailed lids Seek for thy noble father in the dust. Thou knows’t ’tis common. All that lives must die, Passing through nature to eternity. • Get out of your black clothes and stop mourning. • Be friendly to the King. • You can’t spend your whole life being sad about your dad. People die. It happens all the time. What are your thoughts about Gertrude’s words to her son?
Hamlet’s melancholy Hamlet: Ay, madam, it is common. Gertrude: If it be, Why seems it so particular with thee? TASK: Look carefully at how Hamlet responds to his mother’s question. Read lines 76 – 86. Highlight words and phrases that indicate Hamlet’s state of mind and his display of grief over his father’s death.
Hamlet’s melancholy “Seems,” madam? Nay, it is. I know not “seems.” 'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, Nor customary suits of solemn black, Nor windy suspiration of forced breath, No, nor the fruitful river in the eye, Nor the dejected havior of the visage, Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief, That can denote me truly. These indeed “seem,” For they are actions that a man might play. But I have that within which passeth show, These but the trappings and the suits of woe.
Hamlet’s melancholy No Fear Shakespeare translation: “Seems,” mother? No, it is. I don’t know what you mean by “seems.” Neither my black clothes, my dear mother, nor my heavy sighs, nor my weeping, nor my downcast eyes, nor any other display of grief can show what I really feel. It’s true that all these things “seem” like grief, since a person could use them to fake grief if he wanted to. But I’ve got more real grief inside me than you could ever see on the surface. These clothes are just a hint of it. Based on what you have heard from Hamlet to this point, what are your thoughts about him?
Claudius to hamlet TASK: Carefully read the King’s lines (87– 117). Highlight words and phrases that indicate the King’s opinion of Hamlet’s behavior and his continued mourning. What does he tell him? Claudius commends Hamlet for being a good son who has mourned his father. However, he tells him to remember that his father lost a father, and that father lost a father, etc., and every time, each son has had to mourn his father for a certain period. But overdoing it is just stubborn. It’s not manly. It’s not what God wants, and it betrays a vulnerable heart and an ignorant and weak mind. Since we know that everyone must die sooner or later, why should we take it to heart? He tells Hamlet that he is committing a crime against heaven, against the dead, and against nature by the continued mourning. He also tells him it is irrational since the truth is that all fathers must die. He tells him to give up his useless mourning and start thinking of Claudius as his new father.
GERTRUDES’ REQUEST TASK: Continue Reading. Lines 118 – 128. What does Gertrude ask Hamlet to do? What is his response?
soliloquy Soliloquy: A long speech in which a character who is usually alone on stage expresses his or her private thoughts or feeelings.
HAMLET’S soliloquy #1 O, that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew! TASK: Read Lines 129 – 158
ANALYIS OF SOLILOQUY • O that this too too solid flesh would melt,Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!Or that the Everlasting had not fix'dHis canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! O God!How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitableSeem to me all the uses of this world! What does Hamlet wish for? Why does he wish this? Why doesn’t he simply kill himself?
ANALYIS OF SOLILOQUY • Fie on't! O fie! 'tis an unweeded garden,That grows to seed; things rank and gross in naturePossess it merely. What is an “unweeded garden”? What does this passage imply about life? What does this passage imply about King Claudius?
ANALYIS OF SOLILOQUY • That it should come to this!But two months dead! — nay, not so much, not two:So excellent a king; that was, to this,Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother,That he might not beteem the winds of heavenVisit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth!Must I remember? How long has Hamlet’s father been dead? What does he call his father? What does that mean? What does he call his uncle? What does that mean? How does he remember his father treating his mother?
ANALYIS OF SOLILOQUY • Why, she would hang on himAs if increase of appetite had grownBy what it fed on: and yet, within a month, — Let me not think on't, — Frailty, thy name is woman! — How does Hamlet remember his mother treating his father? What time frame does he mention in this part of the passage? How is that different from what he just said a moment ago about how long it has been since his father died? What does that tell you about how he feels about his mother’s actions? What does he mean when he says “Frailty, thy name is woman!”
ANALYIS OF SOLILOQUY • A little month; or ere those shoes were oldWith which she followed my poor father's bodyLike Niobe, all tears; — why she, even she, — O God! a beast that wants discourse of reason,Would have mourn'd longer, — married with mine uncle, What is the tone in this passage? Give evidence in support. What is revealed in this passage about Hamlet’s attitude towards his mother’s remarriage?
ANALYIS OF SOLILOQUY • My father's brother; but no more like my fatherThan I to Hercules: within a month;Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tearsHad left the flushing in her galled eyes,She married: — O, most wicked speed, to postWith such dexterity to incestuous sheets!It is not, nor it cannot come to good; How does Hamlet feel about his uncle as his mother’s choice for a new husband? What type of relationship does he call it? Is he angry or sad in this soliloquy? How do you know? What does he seem to be most upset about, his father’s death or his mother’s remarriage? How do you know?
HORATIO & HAMLET TASK: Continue Reading. Lines 159 – 184 Thrift, thrift, Horatio! The funeral baked meats Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables. What does Hamlet mean in this passage? What does he seem to be upset about? Is this an example of hyperbole? Explain.
SOME FOUL PLAY TASK: Continue Reading. Lines 185 – 254 What does Horatio tell Hamlet? What does Hamlet plan to do? My father’s spirit – in arms? All is not well. I doubt some foul play. Would the night were come! Till then sit still, my soul. Foul deeds will rise, Though all the earth o’erwhelm them, to men’s eyes. Why does Hamlet believe there is “foul play?” Speculate: Why do you think the ghost has appeared?
ACT One Scene Three
Laertes & ophelia Act I Scene 3. In this scene, we are introduced to Ophelia. She is Polonius’s daughter, Laertes’s sister, and Hamlet’s girlfriend. As scene three opens, Laertes is making preparations to return to school in France. Before he leaves, he gives Ophelia brotherly advice about her relationship with Hamlet.
