Hamlet Act I

1. Plot Development Scene 1 12 p.m. on cold winter night- guarding Elsinore - Barnardo relieves Francisco Marcellus and Barnardo saw ghost previously- wants Horatio to see ghost Horatio sees ghost who looks like dead king - may mean bad news to country (in terms of attack from Norway) Cock crows- ghost exits scene

1. Plot Development Scene 2 Claudius gives speech to kingdom brushes over King death and new marriage moves on to politics of Denmark (Fortinbras) allows Laertes to return to France addresses Hamlet and tells him to stop grieving King & Queen begs Hamlet to stay to keep eye on him Hamlet agrees, but only to Gertrude Hamlet is bothered about how fast his mom remarried (1st soliloquy) Horatio tells Hamlet of the ghost. He is intrigued and decides to stick around so he can witness this being firsthand

1. Plot Development Scene 3 Laertes warns Ophelia about Hamlet He says Hamlet’s feelings of are not real Laertes leaves - says goodbye, Polonius gives him advice says above all things be true to yourself Polonius speaks to Ophelia forbids Ophelia to see Hamlet Ophelia obeys her father

1. Plot Development Scene 4 Hamlet, Horatio, Marcellus wait for ghost to appear Hamlet commentates that the King’s partying weakens reputation Ghost appears Horatio and Marcellus tell him not to go Hamlet pulls out sword so they won’t follow Hamlet goes anyways Horatio and Marcellus ask Hamlet about what he has witnessed

1. Plot Development Scene 5 Starts with ghost speaking to Hamlet learns father was poisoned in the ear by Claudius tells Hamlet to take revenge on Claudius warns Hamlet to leave Gertrude out of revenge Ghost leaves Hamlet speaks to Horatio and Marcellus makes them swear not to say anything tells them he will act looney and deny everything

1.Plot Development Chart higher bubble the more excitement the explosions are the most excitement Hamlet sees ghost sees ghost Hamlet waits for ghost Polonius speaks to Ophelia about Hamlet Claudius’s speech to Court and Hamlet watching on tower Laertes leaves

2. Settings Entire scene- Elsinore, Denmark Scene 1- top of guard tower, 12 p.m, winter Scene 2- in castle, two months after death of King Hamlet Scene 3- Polonius’s home Scene 4- top of guard tower, around 12 p.m. Scene 5- another part of guard tower, around 12 p.m.

2. Settings Explained Winter- It is significant that the play started during winter. This sets the dreary tone for the tragedy. Winter sometimes represents a new beginning. In this case, the elder Hamlet is now gone and it is up to Hamlet to avenge his tragic death. Two months- The fact that the Claudius tells Hamlet to stop grieving after two months reveals his personality. You can already get the feeling that Claudius is not to be favored or trusted. Cock crows- This highlights the belief that the rooster’s crow acts as a universal signal to force all ghosts to return to the underworld

3. Characters Bernardo, Francisco, Marcellus- watchmen Horatio- Hamlet’s best friend, a symbol of hope for the future of Denmark Ghost- possibly old spirit of King Hamlet, perhaps foreshadows the darkness that is about to engulf the royal family Claudius- new King of Denmark, brother of King Hamlet Gertrude- Hamlet’s mother, wife of Claudius, widow of King Hamlet, we aren’t sure whether or not to trust her Polonius- Claudius’s right hand man, father to Laertes and Ophelia Laertes- son of Polonius Ophelia- daughter of Polonius

3. Characters Explained Horatio- His best friend status with Hamlet is important because he seems to be the only one on Hamlet’s side. He is a foil to Hamlet. At first, Hamlet envies Horatio’s courage and ability to act in the face of opposition. Ghost- This character is vital because he reveals the truth which initiates the conflict. It is also possible that this character is misleading Hamlet. Note that in one account, Gertrude cannot see the ghost before her. Claudius- His heartless ways are revealed when he first speaks to Hamlet. He is immediately not a character to be trusted. Ophelia- This character’s obedient attitude toward her father makes her another victim of circumstance. She is unable to form her own opinions and act upon feelings towards Hamlet.

4. Quotes “O, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt” (Hamlet-1.2.133) This quote really displays appearance vs. reality well. Flesh melting could indeed be reality; however it more than likely constitutes appearance above all else. “Frailty, thy name is woman!” [Hamlet 1.2.150] Hamlet says this when he is speaking to Ophelia. Throughout the play Ophelia is used to symbolize weakness and frailty. She is even referred to as a flower sometimes for how weak and delicate she is. ...the primrose path of dalliance” (Ophelia-1.3.54) Some of the significance of this quote is that it was spoken by Ophelia, who can represent the weak flower. The primrose path is referring to the easy life, or an weedless garden if you will. In a sense it symbolizes a path that is covered with flowers that is riddened of any sort of weeds. “This above all: To thine own self be true” [Polonius 1.3.84] This is what Polonius tells Laertes before he leaves to France. He wants him to remain true to himself and to not forget who he is or where he came from.

4. Quotes “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” [Marcellus 1.4.100] This quote from Marcellus is one of the first pictures we are given of decay. It sets the tone for everything falling apart for the rest of the act from Hamlet discovering the truth about his uncle to Gertrude’s illegitimate marriage. “Murder most foul, as in the best it is…” (Ghost-1.5.33) This line is spoken from the Ghost to Hamlet. This is in fact one of the only times we hear the ghost speak. The Ghost is most likely old King Hamlet. This is the first sense that we get of revenge in the play. In the scene, the ghost tells Hamlet that he needs to avenge his uncle over his father’s death. The ghost speaking of this revenge really gets the plot rolling for the rest of the play because the revenge is the driving factor of the performance. It also turns Hamlet into a revenge possessed and paranoid individual for almost the entire onset of the play. “

5. Style Metaphor - “Haste me to know’t, that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to my revenge.” - Hamlet, 1.5.35 Hyperbole - “In the most high and palmy state of Rome, a little ere the mightiest Julius fell, the graves stood tenantless and the sheeted dead did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets: As stars with trains of fire and dews of blood, disasters in the sun; and the moist star upon whose influence Neptune’s empire stands was sick almost to doomsday with eclipse:”- Horatio, 1.1.125 Alliteration - “With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts…” - Ghost, 1.5.50 Couplet - “Foul deeds will rise, Though all the earth o’erwhelm them, to men’s eyes.” - Hamlet, 1.2.279 Allusion - “Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother…” - Hamlet, 1.2.144 Simile - “Make thy two eyes, like stars, start from their spheres…” - Ghost, 1.5.22 Apostrophe - “O, most wicked speed, to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets!” - Hamlet, 1.2.161 Silibance- “O most wicked speed, to post with such dexterity to incenstuous sheets!” - Hamlet, 1.2 161

6. Hamlet His attitude about life makes a drastic shift. Upset about marriage between his mother and Claudius which leads to anger and disgust His two soliloquies show how his thoughts about death and not wanting to live anymore become more severe After meeting the ghost, his thoughts about Claudius become more hateful and seeking his revenge becomes his main priority

Hamlet in Film Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. A play is meant to be seen. Here are some of the most famous productions of Hamlet. Laurence Olivier 1948 Grigori Kozintsev 1964 Tony Richardson 1969 Franco Zeffirelli 1990 Kenneth Branagh 1996 Michael Almereyda 2000

Hamlet in Film Mel Gibson’s “To be or not to be” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf2TpWsPvgI

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