1. Hamlet
Act I Notes

2. Act I, scene i
Marcellus and Bernardo invite Horatio to witness the ghost
Horatio does not believe the ghost exists, but changes his mind when it appears
Horatio agrees the ghost looks like the recently deceased King Hamlet
Horatio attempts to speak to it, but it disappears because dawn is approaching
They all agree to tell Hamlet Jr. of what they witnessed

3. Act I, scene ii King Claudius says
that the time for mourning should be over and
all of Denmark should be celebrating his marriage to his former sister-in-law
Tells Hamlet he should not still be grieving his father because all sons must bury their fathers
The queen believes he is acting sad, but really isn’t
Hamlet says he loved his father and will not pretend to be happy when he is truly saddened by his death

4. Act I, scene ii
Hamlet announces he will stay in Denmark and not return to school
Hamlet is angry with his mother for marrying his uncle so quickly after his father’s death
He questions whether she really loved him and
considers her to be fickle
Horatio informs Hamlet of the ghost of his father
Hamlet pleads with them to not speak of what they saw to anyone else

5. Act I, scene iii Laertes advises Ophelia about Hamlet
He is flirting, but it is temporary
He may want to marry, but as a royal what he wants does not always matter. He will marry who will be best for Denmark politically
Do not give him your body because he says he loves you
She agrees to keep the advice in mind, but warns her brother not to be a hypocrite

6. Act I, scene iii Polonius gives his son advice before he leaves
Don’t say what you are thinking, nor act before thinking
Be friendly and keep the friends you trust
Don’t pick fights, but hold your own when you get in one
Clothes make the man so spend money on good clothes, but not flashy
Don’t borrow or lend money
Be true to yourself

7. Act I, scene iii Polonius then talks about Hamlet with Ophelia
He tells her to be careful, for he will not be the laughing-stock because she fell for love’s pretty words
He tells her that a man will say anything when he is in the moment, but he may not actually mean it
Then he tells her to spend less time with him from now on
She agrees to her father’s command, even though she believes Hamlet truly loves her

8. Act I, scene iv
Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus meet up to see the ghost
Hamlet says King Claudius is up partying
Hamlet talks about how other countries see Denmark as a party country. They are all drunks.
The ghost appears and Hamlet sees it does look like his father
The ghost wants Hamlet to go off with him, Horatio and Marcellus do not want to him to go and try to hold him back.
Hamlet fights them off and leaves with the ghost
Horatio and Marcellus decide to follow, even though Hamlet told them not to.

9. Act I, scene v The ghost confirms he is Hamlets father
He tells Hamlet needs to be ready for revenge, but not to pity him
The ghost says he was murdered by his brother, Claudius, who is now the king and husband to Hamlet’s mother.
Claudius snuck up on him in the garden
Put poison in his ear, that killed him quickly
Hamlet must avenge his father’s death so he may rest peacefully

10. Critical Theory Reminders
Historical: looking at the character through historical context of the author’s time.
Marxist: looking at the character through a social class and economic perspective. Are they not allowed/allowed to do something because of their position in society/money.
Archetype: characters/themes that appear in most literature; ie the hero, villain, temptress, innocent, wise old one, etc.
Psychoanalytical: looking at the character as a pschologist

11. Critical Theory
Directions: In pairs go through and add these to your character map, then on a separate piece of paper explain how each of these is accurate for the character.
Hamlet: Marxist, Archetypal, Psychoanalytic, Historical
Hamlet Sr. (ghost): historical
Gertrude: Psychoanalytical, historical
King Claudius: Archetype, Historical, Marxist
Ophelia: Marxist, Archetypal, Psychoanalytic, Historical
Polonius (Ophelia’s dad): Historical, Marxist, Psychoanalytic
Laertes: Historical, Marxist
Fortinbras Jr.: Historical, Marxist
Old Norway: Historical, Marxist
Fortinbras Sr.: Historical
Horatio: Historical, Marxist