1. Double Entry Journal: Act I
“If there be any good thing to be done/That may do thee to ease, and grace tome/Speak to me.” ( )
Horatio: He doubted the existence of the king’s ghost, but when he sees the ghost himself he begs the ghost to explain his presence. The ghost leaves and Horatio wants Hamlet to see the ghost because he thinks the ghost will speak to Hamlet. Horatio treats the ghost like a friend.

2. “A little more than kin, and less than kind.” (1.2.66)
Hamlet: In an aside, Hamlet uses this pun to show that he is unhappy with Claudius being so closely related now that he is married to Gertrude. This is the first time Hamlet speaks. The audience learns that he is witty and clever and that he is not a fan of Claudius.

3. “Tis unmanly grief…” (1.2.96)
King: Claudius suggests that Hamlet’s grieving is excessive. This shows Claudius’s evil nature, as we learn that he is responsible for Hamlet’s grief.

4. “O that this too too- solid flesh would melt,” (1.2.131)
Hamlet (first soliloquy): Hamlet reveals his depression and his desire for death. He rejects suicide as it is against God’s law. We learn that he is saddened by the world (which he sees as corrupt and decaying), his father’s death, and his mother’s hasty marriage to Claudius. The blank verse shows his status and the soliloquy reveals his honest emotions.

5. “Frailty, thy name is woman…” (1.2.148)
Hamlet (first soliloquy): Hamlet condemns all women for being weak. He is reacting to his mother’s hasty marriage. This is the first glimpse of Hamlet’s view of women.