Hamlet - William Shakespe e

ACT 1 (pag 6-71)

• The play opens at midnight, the spookiest hour of the night. We are on the battlements of the
Castle Elsinore, the home of the Danish Royal Family and a couple of guards are on watch.
They’re pretty spooked; apparently the castle is haunted. Horatio, Hamlet’s friend, doesn’t really
believe in ghosts and assures the man that nothing will appear tonight, except that something
does. The ghost of old Hamlet, the recently deceased king materialises right in front of them,
freaking everyone out. Horatio demands answers from the ghosts, but in the tradition of
Shakespearian’s ghosts, it refuses to answer. When the cock crows, the ghost disappears. Clearly
something is not right in Elsinore: the man debate whether or not the ghost is a good or evil spirit,
but Horatio decides that whatever the answer, Hamlet must be told about the haunting.
• Later on, everyone is gathered in the royal court: Claudius tells everyone to cheer up, after all the
Old King Hamlet has bee dead for a couple of months now and Claudius has married the widow
Gertrude, so everyone should really be celebrating. He is also trying to figure out what to do
about Fortinbras, the Prince of Norway whose father was killed by Old King Hamlet (this
happened before the play began = subplot). Fortinbras wants to invade Denmark to avenge his
dead father but Claudius reckons: he’s got it all sorted and sends off some of his advisers to deal
with it. Next, Claudius imparts some fatherly wisdom on Laertes, the son of his closest advisor,
Polonius. Laertes wants to go to France to study but needs Claudius’ permission first; lucky for
him Claudius is still trying to gain the sympathy of everyone, so he agrees. Then Claudius moves
on to his nephew/stepson Hamlet. He and Gertrude tell Hamlet to suck it up and get over his grief.
Gertrude tells Hamlet that everything dies eventually, so he shouldn’t be so sad about his dad: it’s
just the big circle of life. When everyone has left the room, Hamlet collapses under the weight of
his grief; he tells the audience that he can’t bear the fact that his mother married his uncle less
than a month after his father died. He is so upset that he wishes he was dead. Horatio and the rest
of the guards arrive and tell Hamlet the strange news of the ghost: Hamlet cheers up a little bit
because maybe he can see his father again.
• Elsewhere at Polonius’ house, later that day, Laertes has packed his bags and is saying farewell to
his family; he warns his sister Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet, after all Hamlet is only after
one thing, and her virginity is the most important thing she has, so she ad better protect it. After
Laertes leaves, Ophelia admits to Polonius that she and Hamlet have been getting pretty close.
Polonius is worried and repeats Laertes warnings: he also thinks that Hamlet is up to no good.
• Later that night, Hamlet and the gang have gathered on the battlements of the castle, waiting for
the ghost. When it appears, it beckons Hamlet to follow it. When they are alone, the ghost reveals
to Hamlet that he did not die of a snake bite like the official record shows, instead he was
murdered by Claudius. Hamlet is shocked and swears that he will have his revenge (plot twist).
He makes his friends swear that they won’t tell anybody about the ghost; he also tells them that
from now on he’s going to pretend to go a little crazy, so the Act ends where it started, at midnight
in darkness and in the middle of a juicy mystery.
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Scene 1 (pag 6-19)

Sentinels Bernardo and Francisco stand the nightwatch at Denmark’s Elsinore Castle. Francisco is
about to go off duty, when another sentinel, Marcellus, appears with Horatio, a friend of the young
orince Hamlet. After Francisco leaves, Marcellus and Bernardo discuss a ghost they have been
seeing on watch lately. The ghost they say looks a lot like the late King Hamlet, Prince Hamlet’s
father, but Horatio is skeptical. As they try to convince him what they saw was the ghost of King
Hamlet, the ghost suddenly appears. The guards urge Horatio to try to speak with the ghost, but
when he politely asks him to speak, it disappears. Horatio is terrified and suggests that the ghost
presence might be a bad omen for Denmark. Noticing that the ghost was wearing the armor King
Hamlet wore when he fought old Fortinbras of Norway, he recounts the story: in a battle over a
small piece of land, old Fortinbras was killed by King Hamlet. Now Fortinbras’ son also named
Fortinbras seeks to avenge his father’s death and reclaim the land. As Horatio concludes his story,
the ghost appears again and seems as though it were about to speak. Suddenly, however the sun
rises and the ghost slips away hearing the cock crowing. Horatio suggests that they inform Hamlet
of what they’ve seen.

In the first scene of Act 1, Shakespeare pulls the audience in with an intriguing “ghost episode”.
Horatio’s account gives readers a good amount of backstory in a relatively short scene. For instance,
readers learn of the recent death of Old King Hamlet, they learn of the tensions between Denmark
and Norway and of Denmark’s current state of unrest. This backstory will become the plot that
unfolds over the course of “Hamlet”. Horatio goes from being skeptical to now fearing what they
saw was ghost foreshadows, especially for his good friend Prince Hamlet’s father. In this scene
Horatio also introduces the Fortinbras subplot which will gain importance as “Hamlet” progresses.
The information that Fortinbras has a desire to avenge his father’s loss introduces a theme critical to
understanding “Hamlet”s characters. That is to say, the theme of thought 🆚 action. In “Hamlet”,
Fortinbras described as a man of action, will serve as a foil to young Prince Hamlet.

Scene 2 (page 19-39)

King Claudius holds court and thanks everyone for their support through the recent death of his
brother King Hamlet, the marriage between him and Queen Gertrude and his coronation. He
proceeds to justify the swift marriage due to the war hungry young Fortinbras, whom he suspects
may try to attack the kingdom under the assumption that the Danes are in a weak position to defend
themselves. Claudius assures the court that he has taken the proper action by writing to Fortinbras’
uncle, the king of Norway, in order to persuade his nephew to leave Denmark alone. Laertes, the
son of Claudius’ counselor Polonius, asks if he can go back to France to school: Claudius agrees.
After holding coirt, Claudius and Gertrude turned to a depressed Prince Hamlet and scold him for
his excessive mourning. Claudius tells Hamlet to look at him as a father and hopes Hamlet will stay
in Denmark instead of going back to school in Wittenberg. Gertrude echoes her new husband’s
words and Hamlet agrees to stay. After Claudius and Gertrude leave, Prince Hamlet reveals his
despair: not only is he filled with sorrow over the death of his father but he is also shocked and
upset by the inappropriate wedding between his mother and uncle. He says if it were not against
God’s law, he would contemplate suicide. Hamlet’s grief is then interrupted by the entrance of
Horatio, Marcellus and Bernardo: they tell him about the ghost they saw and he excitedly asks
questions. Hamlet decides to stand watch with them that night. As the men start to leave Hamlet
asks them not to tell anyone about this and the three men give him their word.
Shakespeare packs this scene with a lot of informations through dialogues. The scene introduces
many of the main characters of “Hamlet”. The audience is revealed Prince Hamlet’s despair, the
result of the death of his father and the subsequent marriage between his uncle and mother.
Claudius’ treatment of Hamlet shows little to no affection. Gertrude’s plea for Hamlet to stay in
Denmark, suggests she is genuinely worried about Hamlet. His obedience shows devotion to his
mother. Nonetheless in his soliloquy (an act of speaking one’s thoughts aloud when by oneself or
regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play) he questions his mother’s decision to
marry so quickly: he feels betrayed and believes his mother to be disloyal. He end his soliloquy
saying that while his heartbis breaking he must hold his tongue, although his reason is not made
clear.

Scene 3

This scene begins before Laertes departs for France. He and his sister Ophelia talked about his trip
promising to write each other oftem, however Laertes quickly steers the conversation to Ophelia
and Hamlet’s relationship. He tells her it’s not a good idea to get too involved with Prince Hamlet’s
despair because a man of Hamlet’s stature doesn’t really get to choose his wife, so showing
affection could get her reputation into trouble. While Ophelia promises to take his advice to heart,
their father interrupts, surprised to see Laertes as it left yet. After Laertes leaves, Polonius reiterates
what Laertes told Ophelia regarding Hamlet. Ophelia claims that Hamlet’s expressions of love are
sincere, but her father still says no. As the scene closes, Polonius forbids her to see Hamlet and
Ophelia submits.

This scene acts to introduce and develop characters further, building the framework for the olot and
to get to know Ophelia and Laertes. For instance, Laertes shows himself to be a caring brother; he
comes off as polite and practical and being well traveled: clearly he knows the etiquette of the elite.
Ophelia for her part shows herself to be young and inexperienced but also earnest and without
cunning; she is sincere in her love to Hamlet but appears oblivious to the potential darker side of
Hamlet’s intentions. Nonetheless, the scene introduces their relationship and the audience sees
Hamlet through a new lens. Both Ophelia and Laertes seemed thoughtful, which contrasts to what
we see with their father Polonius. Polonius seems self-absorbed and politically minded, even
speaking in political fashion with his children. Scene 3 acts to provide more backstory and to move
the plot along as well as to expose more of the social customs and hierarchy of Denmark.

Scene 4

In this scene Hamlet and Horatio accompany Marcellus on his watch, while waiting for the ghost
they hear much reverly from within the castle. Hamlet remarks that the new king is drinking and
partying again. He talks for a while about how Claudius’ behaviour gives Denmark a poor
reputation, taking away from its better qualities. Carrying the thought further, Hamlet talks about
how one fault can overwhelm all the positive attrributes someone has. Hamlet is then stunned by the
ghost appearance: it really does look his late father. He begs the ghist to speak and tell him why he
has come. In response, the ghost ominously beckons Hamlet to follow him which Hamlet is eager to
do. Horatio cautions Hamlet not to follow the ghost bceause it’s probably dangerous. Horatio and
Marcellus try to stop Hamlet but he breaks free and follows the ghost. The two friends in turn
follow Hamlet.
This short powerful scene at last confronts Hamlet with the ghost: Claudius’ characters is further
tainted with his drunken celebrations: not a great way to honor the memory of his dead brother and
this kind of behaviour makes Denmark look bad, although Claudius is not the first ruler to indulge
in such revelry, Hamlet seems to think it’s pretty excessive given the circumstances. The scene
shifts shortly with the appearance of the ghost, a harsh contrast is set between Hamlet’s distant and
negative view of his uncle and his devotion to his father, literally following him even in death.
Shakespeare uses this tension-filled moment to introduce a few important ideas. First, the depth of
Hamlet’s sadness: “I do not set my life at a pin’s fee” ➡ Hamlet thinks his life has no value.
Second, the theme of madness. Horatio warns Hamlet that if he follows the ghost he could go mad.
Madness whether real or pretended plays a central role, much of what transpired with Hamlet and
the ghost takes place out of sight and earshot.

Scene 5

In this scene Hamlet follow the ghost who tells him he must avenge his murder. The ghost explains
that the citizens of Denmark believe that the king died after being bitten by a snake while napping
in his orchard. In reality, it was Claudius who killed him, poruing poison into the king’s ear while
he was napping thus stealing his life, his crown amd his wife. As the ghost reiterates the demand to
take revenge on Claudius, it also tells Hamlet not to harm his mother Queen Gertrude. Hamlet,
overwhelmed, delivers a soliloquy that is borh sorrowful and raging, closing with a commitment to
avenge his father’s death. Horatio and Marcellus finally find him and want to hear what the ghost
said. He responds to their questions by talking in circles and finally tells them about his duty. He
swears them to secrecy and adds that they must hold to their promise no matter how strangely he
acts in the future: he’s going to pretend to act crazy. Three times before they can swear, the ghost
cries out “Swear, swear, swear!”. Horatio and Marcellus promise and the three men leave.

Each scene with the ghost of King Hamlet adds tremendous complexity to the plot. Now that the
ghost is present and speaking, he reveals actions and motivations the audience would otherwise not
know like his own death. King Hamlet is a catalyst, capable of turning the course of the play’s
action; he is also a pivotal element regarding themes such as madness or revenge; his order to
Hamlet to avenge his death builds tension. The information he conveys takes the play froma a
simple drama to a story of revenge. Even at this point, Hamlet’s life parallels Fortinbras’. They are
both princes, both have dead king fathers, both with uncles tutors and both exact revenge.
Additionally, the ghost appearence moves Hamlet from being a grieving son to an aggrieved one,
although still sorrowfull, Hamlet is now also full of rage.
ACT 2

• After the tense and thrilling paranormal activity that closed out Act 1, Act 2 brings things down a
notch, beginning in Polonius’ house; but things are still a bit shady becuase Polonius is paying his
servant, Reynaldo, to go to France and pry on Laertes, his son. He wants to find out if Laertes has
been acting honorably or if he has been dirtying the family name. He even says it would be okay
for Reynaldo to use lies to entrap Laertes.
• Suddenly, Ophelia burtst in: she’s just had a run-in with Hamlet and it has left her pretty shaken.
Remember in the last act, Polonius and Laertes both warned her tonstay away from Hamlet. Later
that day, Ophelia tells her father that Hamlet seemed half mad; she says that his clothes were all
dorty and he was pale and trembling and he didn’t say a word to her, just stumbled about and left.
Polonius thinks that is great that Ophelia’s rejection has sent Hamlet over the edge, proving how
much he is in love with her. He thinks he has misjudged Hamlet’s intentions towards his daughter
and rushes off to update Claudius. In a room of the roytal court in Elsinore, a similar scene is
unfolding: Claudius receives two men called Rosencrantz and Guildenstern who are friends of
Hamlet. He seems really concerned about the huge changes that have occurred in his nephew
lately, and asks them to spy on him. Claudius’ wife Gertrude is also very worried about her son
and tells Rosencrantz and Guildernstern that if they can keep an eye on him, they will get a huge
reward: they leave and Polonius arrives, bursting to tell the king and queen what has happened
between Ophelia and Hamlet. Polonius announces that he has found the cause of Hamlet’s lunacy.
But before that happens, Claudius needs to do some kingly things and hear what the ambassadors
from Norway (Voltimand and Cornelius) have to sayabout the threat Fortinbras poses. The
ambassadors tell him that Fortinbras will behave if he gets permission to march his army through
Denmark on his way to a battle in Poland. Claudius says he needs to think about this and
dismisses the ambassadors.
• Finally, Polonius is able to pass on his news about Hamlet, he reads out a letter from Hamlet to
his daughter Ophelia, that shows how desperately in love he is with her. He argues that it is
Ophelia’s rejection that has plunged the prince into madness. Polonius remembers that Ophelia is
meeting with Hamlet later to return a bunch of his stuff and suggests that they hide between a
tapestry to spy on them. After Claudius and Gertrude leave, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern entered
to catch up with their old school friend. Hamlet suspects that they have been sent to spy on him
and he’s very upset by this. A troupe of travelling actors known as “Players” arrive and Hamlet
perks up a bit; he asks one of the players to perform a dramatic speech about a horrible death.
Hamlet is very moved, he asks the players to perform another play and this time for the whole
court. The play will be “The Murder of Gonzago” to which he will add some original lines.
• When he is alone, Hamlet wallows in despair and self-hatred as he has been too scared to carry
out revenge on Claudius. He reveals that the play will be a mouse trap, as it will include a scene
which mimics the way that the ghost said he was murdered. When Claudius reacts to the scene,
Hamlet will know whether or not he really committed the terrible crime, just to make sure that the
ghost is telling the truth. He hopes that proof will help him be more brave in carrying out his
revenge.