HAMLET

Act I, scene 1
On a dark winter night outside Elsinore Castle in Denmark, an officer named Bernardo comes to relieve the
watchman Francisco. In the heavy darkness, the men cannot see each other. Bernardo hears a footstep near
him and cries, “Who’s there?” After both men ensure that the other is also a watchman, they relax. Cold, tired,
and apprehensive from his many hours of guarding the castle, Francisco thanks Bernardo and prepares to go
home and go to bed.
Shortly thereafter, Bernardo is joined by Marcellus, another watchman, and Horatio, a friend of Prince Hamlet.
Bernardo and Marcellus have urged Horatio to stand watch with them, because they believe they have
something shocking to show him. In hushed tones, they discuss the apparition they have seen for the past two
nights, and which they now hope to show Horatio: the ghost of the recently deceased King Hamlet, which they
claim has appeared before them on the castle ramparts in the late hours of the night.
Horatio is skeptical, but the ghost suddenly appears before the men and just as suddenly vanishes. Terrified,
Horatio acknowledges that the specter does indeed resemble the dead King of Denmark, To further confirm
that the ghost is the vivid image of the dead King. Horatio remarks that it was wearing the same armor the
King wore when fighting Norway. Everyone's got a bad feeling about this. Horatio declares that the ghost
must bring warning of impending misfortune for Denmark, perhaps in the form of a military attack. Marcellus
asks Horatio for a little history lesson He recounts the story of King Hamlet’s conquest of certain lands once
belonging to Norway, saying that Fortinbras, the young Prince of Norway, now seeks to reconquer those lands
hid fasther lost when killed by King Hamlet and also wants revenge for his dad's death, naturally.
Because the kingdom of Denmark is preparing for war with Norway, Horatio's number one concern is that a
dead man walking about in ghost form might be a sign that Denmark is going to lose. Horatio is busy detailing
just how bad an omen this is, with many references to Julius Caesar's death and all the nasty things that came
before it, when the ghost comes back.
The ghost materializes for a second time, and Horatio tries to speak to it. The ghost remains silent, however,
and disappears again just as the cock crows at the first hint of dawn and scares it off.
Horatio suggests that they tell Prince Hamlet, the dead king’s son, about the apparition. He believes that
though the ghost did not speak to him, if it is really the ghost of King Hamlet, it will not refuse to speak to his
beloved son.

Analysis:
Hamlet was written around the year 1600 in the final years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, who had been
the monarch of England for more than forty years and was then in her late sixties. The prospect of Elizabeth’s
death and the question of who would succeed her was a subject of grave anxiety at the time, since Elizabeth
had no children, and the only person with a legitimate royal claim, James of Scotland, was the son of Mary,
Queen of Scots, and therefore represented a political faction to which Elizabeth was opposed. (When
Elizabeth died in 1603, James did inherit the throne, becoming King James I.)
It is no surprise, then, that many of Shakespeare’s plays from this period, including Hamlet, concern transfers
of power from one monarch to the next. These plays focus particularly on the uncertainties, betrayals, and
upheavals that accompany such shifts in power, and the general sense of anxiety and fear that surround them.
The situation Shakespeare presents at the beginning of Hamlet is that a strong and beloved king has died, and
the throne has been inherited not by his son, as we might expect, but by his brother. Still grieving the old king,
no one knows yet what to expect from the new one, and the guards outside the castle are fearful and
suspicious.
The apparition of the ghost indicates immediately that something is wrong in Denmark. Horatio in particular
sees the ghost as an ill omen ( foresahdowing – presagio) boding violence and turmoil in Denmark’s future,
comparing it to the supernatural omens that supposedly presaged the assassination of Julius Caesar in ancient
Rome.
Act 1 Scene 2
The morning after Horatio and the guardsmen see the ghost, King Claudius gives a speech to his courtiers,
explaining his recent marriage to Gertrude, his brother’s widow and the mother of Prince Hamlet. Claudius
says that he mourns his brother but has chosen to balance Denmark’s mourning with the delight of his
marriage. He mentions that young Fortinbras has written to him, rashly demanding the surrender of the lands
King Hamlet won from Fortinbras’s father, and dispatches Cornelius and Voltimand with a message for the
King of Norway, Fortinbras’s elderly uncle.
His speech concluded, Claudius turns to Laertes, the son of Polonius. Laertes expresses his desire to return to
France, where he was staying before his return to Denmark for Claudius’s coronation. Polonius gives his son
permission, and Claudius jovially grants Laertes his consent as well.

Turning to Prince Hamlet, Claudius wants to know why he is so sad, depressed and
asks why “the clouds still hang” upon him, as Hamlet is still wearing black mourning clothes ([Link].66). Gertrude
urges him to cast off his “nightly colour,” but he replies bitterly that his inner sorrow is so great that his dour
appearance is merely a poor mirror of it ([Link].68). Affecting a tone of fatherly advice, Claudius declares that all
fathers die, and all sons must lose their fathers. When a son loses a father, he is duty-bound to mourn, but to
mourn for too long is unmanly and inappropriate.
Hamlet responds tensely and sarcastically
Claudius urges Hamlet to think of him as a father, reminding the prince that he stands in line to succeed to
the throne upon Claudius’s death.
With this in mind, Claudius says that he does not wish for Hamlet to return to school at Wittenberg Germany,
(where he had been studying before his father’s death), as Hamlet has asked to do. For some reason both
Claudius and Gertrude would rather have Hamlet stay with them for now.
Gertrude echoes her husband, professing a desire for Hamlet to remain close to her.
Hamlet stiffly agrees to obey her.
Claudius claims to be so pleased by Hamlet’s decision to stay that he will celebrate with festivities and cannon
fire, an old custom called “the king’s rouse.” Ordering Gertrude to follow him, he escorts her from the room,
and the court follows.
A soliloquy: /sa ´li la kwe/ is spoken by a character who is alone

 What's the difference between a soliloquy and a monologue?

 Soliloquies and monologues have one thing in common: they each involve a solitary speaker. The
difference between the two doesn't have to do with who's talking but with who's listening.
 A monologue — from the Greek monos ("single") and legein ("to speak") — is a speech given by a
single person to an audience.
 But a soliloquy — from the Latin solus ("alone") and loqui ("to speak") — is a speech that one gives to
oneself. In a play, a character delivering a soliloquy talks to herself — thinking out loud, as it were — so
that the audience better understands what is happening to the character internally.
Alone, Hamlet exclaims that he wishes he could die, that he could evaporate and cease to exist. He wishes
bitterly that God had not made suicide a sin. Anguished, he laments his father’s death and his mother’s
hasty / heisti/ ( = all of a sudden ) marriage to his uncle.
He remembers how deeply in love his parents seemed, and he curses the thought that now, not yet two
month after his father’s death, his mother has married his father’s brother.
Enter Horatio, one of Hamlet's buddies from Wittenberg and the guy we saw earlier on the battlements.
He's accompanied by Marcellus and Bernardo, whom we also saw on the battlements. Horatio explains that
he's in town for King Hamlet's funeral to which Hamlet curtly replies that Horatio came to see his mother’s
wedding. Horatio agrees that the one followed closely on the heels of the other. “Thrift, thrift, Horatio. The
funeral baked meats” (meaning that they used the leafover of the funeral to serve at the wedding –
figuratively)
He then tells Hamlet that he, Marcellus, and Bernardo have seen what appears to be his father’s ghost.
Stunned, Hamlet agrees to keep watch with them that night, in the hope that he will be able to speak to the
apparition.
Act 1 scene 3
A private room in Polonius House. Enter Laertes & Ophelia
Laertes, a young lord about to depart for Paris, has some dear parting words with his sister, Ophelia. He tells
her she shouldn't take any of Hamlet's flirting seriously.
Laertes says that because Hamlet is way above her (in the social status way), he might have to marry someone
else for the sake of the state. So, Ophelia needs to make sure she doesn't let Hamlet take advantage of her. He
warns her not to have sex with Hamlet. And also said that as a prince, he must marry in the interest of the
state.
Ophelia thanks her brother for the talk, but she also tells him he better not be a hypocrite, like so many people
who are quick to give advice to others. If he's telling her not to sleep around outside of marriage, he'd better
be holding himself to the same standard.
Their dad, Polonius,enters. He tells Laertes that he must hurry to his ship but then delays him by giving him
lot of life advice ( friendship, quarreling, judgement, dress, money and consistency) . Mainly, he says Laertes
should: listen more than he talks; not borrow or lend money; not bling himself out; and, most famously, be
true to himself above all else. It's actually really good advice.
Polonius asks her about her relationship with Hamlet.
He's written her love letters and made some pretty serious promises, too. She tells him that Hamlet claims to
love her.
Polonius sternly echoes Laertes’ advice and forbids Ophelia to associate with Hamlet anymore. He tells his
daughter that Hamlet only wants to sleep with her.
Ophelia agrees to obey her father's wishes.

Act 1 scene 4
At the gun platform
Enter Hamlet, Horatio & Marcellus
We're back to the battlement with Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus. While waiting for the ghost, , Shortly after
midnight, trumpets and gunfire sound from the castle. Hamlet and Horatio look through the windows of the
palace at Claudius, who is carousing / kəˈrouziNG/ ( de parranda) drunkenly. Hamlet is disgusted.
Horatio asks Hamlet if this late night dance party is a custom, and Hamlet admits that it is, but it's not one he's
fond of. He says other countries make fun of Denmark for its party vibe, and he thinks all the drinking does
take away from their achievements. Plus, it only takes a tiny seed of evil to ruin a man entirely.
The ghost shows up,
and Hamlet is freaked out. He wonders if it's a friendly ghost, or an evil spirit sent from hell.
He decides to speak to the ghost, who he believes is his dad, and asks him why he's risen from his grave. What
does he want? What should Hamlet do?
Horatio tries to persuade Hamlet not to follow the ghost. They're worried that the ghost might make him
jump into the sea. Or that once Hamlet is off in some deserted place with the ghost, it will change shape and
make him go mad.
Hamlet himself is unsure whether his father’s apparition is truly the king’s spirit or an evil demon, but he
declares that he cares nothing for his life and that, if his soul is immortal, the ghost can do nothing to harm his
soul.
And the appearance of the ghost is again seen as a sign of Denmark’s decay, this time by Marcellus, who
famously declares, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” ([Link].67). and decide to follow them

Act 1 scene 5
The walls of Elsinore Castle.
Enter Ghost & Hamlet
The ghost (who says he is indeed the ghost of Hamlet's father) says he needs revenge, and sooner rather than
later, since he's doomed to burn in eternal flames until he gets it. So, if Hamlet ever loved him, it's time for
him to get revenge for his father's murder.
King Hamlet´s ghost says that everyone is under the impression he died from a poisonous snakebite, but that's
not true. He was murdered. Luckily, he knows who did it. Surprise: It's Claudius!
I knew it! says Hamlet. Remember, back in 1.2, after he heard about the ghost, Hamlet said he suspected foul
play. And he really doesn't like his uncle.
But how did Claudius do it? The ghost reveals the details.
To make a long story short: while King Hamlet (a.k.a., the ghost) was sleeping and Claudius poured poison in
his ear. He died with no chance to confess his sins,
King Hamlet's ghost implores his son to avenge him. He should kill Claudius, for sure, but the ghost tells
Hamlet to leave his mother be. She'll be punished enough by the guilt she feels in her heart over this whole
ordeal.
Hamlet promises to avenge his father's death. He's pretty torn up about his mom's involvement in the whole
thing, and has a hard time with his uncle's overall duplicity. How can he smile and be such a villain at the same
time? Even so, he swears he's going to avenge his dad's murder.
Horatio and Marcellus rush in, wanting to know what's happened, but Hamlet is reluctant to tell them. They
promise they won't blab, so Hamlet admits the ghost has informed him there's a villain in Denmark. Horartio
basically says, "Duh. We didn't need a ghost to tell us that."
Hamlet won't share any details about his chat with the ghost with his friends , but he does make them swear
(Three times the ghost’s voice echoes from beneath the ground, proclaiming, “Swear.”) that they won't
breathe a word of what they've seen to anybody
Horatio and Marcellus take the oath upon Hamlet’s sword, and the three men exit toward the castle.
Hamlet also warns his friends that he might start behaving madly. he's just acting on instructions given to him
by the ghost of his dead father. Specifically, he says he's going to put on an "antic disposition," which means
he's going to pretend to be crazy, like an "antic" (which is the role of a theater clown or a grotesque). He tells
his buddies not to let on that they know what might be making him act weird (ahem, the whole ghost
encounter). He makes them swear to this, too.