Themes:
- Revenge: Hamlet is trying to get revenge on Claudius by showing the play about what he did to Old Hamlet. This is meant to not only embarrass him, but show everyone what he's done, and let Claudius know that Hamlet is aware of his secret.
- Death: He discusses death during the garden metaphor. He's suggesting that, though the sun can make a garden beautiful, it can also cause death and decay.
- Humanity: Hamlet gives a monologue about humanity, talking about how people are brilliant and graceful and even god-like, but really it's meaningless.
- Corruption or living in an unjust world: Hamlet says people are liars, "to be an honest man is to be 1 in 10,000". He discusses Denmark as a prison, and so is the world. He's saying that there's a lot of bad things in the world, and it's impossible to escape them. He talks about the garden, and uses the idea that the sun can breed good things and bad things.
- Prostitution: Fortune is a prostitute because she uses men to do her will. Polonius is more of a pimp because he sells his family for his own desires. For example, he's trying to orchestrate the marriage of Ophelia and Hamlet so he can be closer to the throne.This can fit the theme of revenge, depending on how the prostitution is used, or it can fit the theme of corruption. It could also fit the theme of humanity, because prostitution displays people as objects rather than people.
- Spying: The king and queen are spying on Hamlet, so they can find out what's really wrong with him. Polonius is spying on Laertes in France, and on Hamlet using Ophelia. Hamlet is spying on everybody by acting mad, because nobody is afraid to let their true colors show in front of a crazy person. This can fit the themes of revenge and corruption.
- Garden: Hamlet is the sun (son), which he has discussed can make things beautiful or make them decay. Claudius is the serpent, which is an allusion to Satan tempting Eve in Eden. Old King Hamlet is the sun god, giving birth to all things beautiful. Polonius is a weed, choking out everything good, and taking over the garden ruthlessly. Ophelia, however, is supposed to be a flower. She is good, pure, beautiful, and innocent.
- Dreams: Heroes and kings are the shadow of the lower class, just as dreams are a shadow of reality. This shows that Kings are just supposed to be a tool of the people.
1. He has sent for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
2. He wants to use their old friendship so they can get close to Hamlet and find out what's making him mad.
3. Old Norway didn't know what Fortinbras was doing. He stopped Fortinbras and gave him 3000 crowns and an army to attack Poland instead of Denmark.
4. To allow Fortinbras's army safe passage through Denmark on his way to Poland.
5. His speech is not brief, and he always talks a lot. He's being played as a sort of fool. He talks to make himself sound smarter, but actually sounds dumber.
6. That Ophelia should go to Hamlet when Hamlet is walking, while Claudius and Polonius spy on them to see how Hamlet acts toward her.
7. He's prostituting Ophelia for his own reason. He wants her to marry Hamlet so he can become closer to the throne.
8. He says that madness gets the point across where sanity wouldn't do as well.
9. He feels trapped there because of his uncle. He can't really take joy in anything because he's a pessimistic baby who views the whole world as a prison.
10. He says he's depressed because he can't take joy in anything.
11. There's been an uprising of a certain type of theatre that the players are not part of, so they're forced to go on the road.
12. He asks them why they were sent for, which lets them know that he's aware they aren't there of their own volition.
13. Jephtha is a man in the Bible who kills his daughter for political power, which is what Polonius is metaphorically doing with Ophelia.
14. He is like Pyrrhus because they are both vengeful because their fathers were murdered, they're both wearing black, they both use deceit and trickery to get back at their fathers' murderers, and they both think Fortune is a strumpet. They are unalike because Hamlet is vengeful toward his uncle whereas Pyrrhus is vengeful toward the Trojan king, Pyrrhus is in a war while Hamlet it not, and Pyrrhus is taking action while Hamlet is just talking.
15. Does he know, "The Murder of Gonzago", and can Hamlet put some extra lines in there.
16. He says it because he's comparing himself to the players, and how they're acting when he can't even though he loves it so much. He's referring back to the "shadows of the beggars" speech he made before.
17. To spy on Claudius using the play by seeing what his reaction is.
18. He feels this way because nobody will believe Claudius is guilty unless there's evidence.
19. Polonius spies on Laertes with the help of Reynaldo, Polonius and Claudius spy on Hamlet using Ophelia, Hamlet is spying on Claudius using the actors, and the king and queen spy on Hamlet using Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
20. Despondent, he talks a lot but he doesn't do anything about it, makes excuses about why he won't take action, clever and smart, morbid, indecisive, passionate about acting, angry, insulting to Polonius/Claudius/Gertrude/Ophelia (sort of rude), jealous, obsessive, and antisocial.
2. He wants to use their old friendship so they can get close to Hamlet and find out what's making him mad.
3. Old Norway didn't know what Fortinbras was doing. He stopped Fortinbras and gave him 3000 crowns and an army to attack Poland instead of Denmark.
4. To allow Fortinbras's army safe passage through Denmark on his way to Poland.
5. His speech is not brief, and he always talks a lot. He's being played as a sort of fool. He talks to make himself sound smarter, but actually sounds dumber.
6. That Ophelia should go to Hamlet when Hamlet is walking, while Claudius and Polonius spy on them to see how Hamlet acts toward her.
7. He's prostituting Ophelia for his own reason. He wants her to marry Hamlet so he can become closer to the throne.
8. He says that madness gets the point across where sanity wouldn't do as well.
9. He feels trapped there because of his uncle. He can't really take joy in anything because he's a pessimistic baby who views the whole world as a prison.
10. He says he's depressed because he can't take joy in anything.
11. There's been an uprising of a certain type of theatre that the players are not part of, so they're forced to go on the road.
12. He asks them why they were sent for, which lets them know that he's aware they aren't there of their own volition.
13. Jephtha is a man in the Bible who kills his daughter for political power, which is what Polonius is metaphorically doing with Ophelia.
14. He is like Pyrrhus because they are both vengeful because their fathers were murdered, they're both wearing black, they both use deceit and trickery to get back at their fathers' murderers, and they both think Fortune is a strumpet. They are unalike because Hamlet is vengeful toward his uncle whereas Pyrrhus is vengeful toward the Trojan king, Pyrrhus is in a war while Hamlet it not, and Pyrrhus is taking action while Hamlet is just talking.
15. Does he know, "The Murder of Gonzago", and can Hamlet put some extra lines in there.
16. He says it because he's comparing himself to the players, and how they're acting when he can't even though he loves it so much. He's referring back to the "shadows of the beggars" speech he made before.
17. To spy on Claudius using the play by seeing what his reaction is.
18. He feels this way because nobody will believe Claudius is guilty unless there's evidence.
19. Polonius spies on Laertes with the help of Reynaldo, Polonius and Claudius spy on Hamlet using Ophelia, Hamlet is spying on Claudius using the actors, and the king and queen spy on Hamlet using Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
20. Despondent, he talks a lot but he doesn't do anything about it, makes excuses about why he won't take action, clever and smart, morbid, indecisive, passionate about acting, angry, insulting to Polonius/Claudius/Gertrude/Ophelia (sort of rude), jealous, obsessive, and antisocial.
1. In the beginning of act two, Polonius is trying to get Reynaldo to spy on Laertes for him.
2. He does this because he has a good idea of what Laertes is doing in France, so he tells Reynaldo to get the real story. He disapproves of Laertes's activities.
3. The plan is to have Reynaldo spread lies about Laertes (but no so much as to dishonor him) and gauge the reactions he gets. By this method, they hope to find out what is true and what is not so Polonius knows exactly what Laertes is up to in France.
4. This tells us that Polonius is very selfish. He wants to spy on his own son and spread lies about him, potentially ruining his reputation, but only so much as it does not reflect poorly on the family. Polonius cares more about being embarrassed himself than about his children. However, it does reveal that Polonius is quite cunning, which could be a foreshadow.
5. Reynaldo doesn't really want to do it, and he wants to know why he has to. Reynaldo seems almost bored into compliance, however, because he's giving two and three word answers to Polonius. It seems as though he'll do what Polonius says just to get him to shut up.
6. She says he showed up in her bedroom with no hat, an unbuttoned shirt, dirty stockings that were undone and down around his ankles. He was pale and his knees were knocking together. He looked as if he’d just come back from hell. He grabbed her by the wrist and held on, then backed away and just stared at her, and stayed like that for a while. Then he shook her, nodded, and sighed deeply. He let her go and stared at her as he walked out.
7. Polonius thinks Hamlet is love-crazy because Ophelia did what she was told and sent back Hamlet's letters and refused to see him.
2. He does this because he has a good idea of what Laertes is doing in France, so he tells Reynaldo to get the real story. He disapproves of Laertes's activities.
3. The plan is to have Reynaldo spread lies about Laertes (but no so much as to dishonor him) and gauge the reactions he gets. By this method, they hope to find out what is true and what is not so Polonius knows exactly what Laertes is up to in France.
4. This tells us that Polonius is very selfish. He wants to spy on his own son and spread lies about him, potentially ruining his reputation, but only so much as it does not reflect poorly on the family. Polonius cares more about being embarrassed himself than about his children. However, it does reveal that Polonius is quite cunning, which could be a foreshadow.
5. Reynaldo doesn't really want to do it, and he wants to know why he has to. Reynaldo seems almost bored into compliance, however, because he's giving two and three word answers to Polonius. It seems as though he'll do what Polonius says just to get him to shut up.
6. She says he showed up in her bedroom with no hat, an unbuttoned shirt, dirty stockings that were undone and down around his ankles. He was pale and his knees were knocking together. He looked as if he’d just come back from hell. He grabbed her by the wrist and held on, then backed away and just stared at her, and stayed like that for a while. Then he shook her, nodded, and sighed deeply. He let her go and stared at her as he walked out.
7. Polonius thinks Hamlet is love-crazy because Ophelia did what she was told and sent back Hamlet's letters and refused to see him.
1. Laertes tells Ophelia to not get caught up in Hamlet's confessions of love because Hamlet is using Ophelia and if she gives in to him she will be ruined and bring shame on herself and her family.
2. This fits the concept of the decaying garden because it's comparing women to the garden and the canker to sex. Sex means being ruined. By calling the women "infants" it implies that they are innocent. After the canker comes to the flowers, or after the women lose their virginity, they are ruined forever.
3. She tells him that she knows what he does in France, so he should quit preaching. She means that he needs to quit being a hypocrite and take his own advice, because he's fooling around with women himself.
4. Keep your thoughts to yourself and don't share them because it will turn out badly. Keep your judgments to yourself but listen to what others think. Don't borrow money or lend money. Figure out who your real friends are and keep them. To thine own self be true.
5. "Think yourself a baby that you have ta'en these tender for true pay...you'll tender me a fool." Polonius is trying to say that Ophelia is being naive, as if she were a child, because she believes Hamlet's love is pure and true, when Polonius believes it is not.
6. "As stars with trains of fire and dews of blood, disasters in the sun" What is trying to be said in this metaphor is that catastrophe will come soon. This is a foreshadow to the fall of Denmark, which represents the fall of mankind. Fire could represent a war, while blood implies that the war will be extremely bloody and gory.
7. He commands her to stop seeing Hamlet.
8. He is speaking mostly about the reputation of the castle and of Denmark. He says the people in the castle are known for partying and drinking and that it is lessening the value of their achievements because all people see is their bad reputation.
9. Horatio believes the ghost may not be peaceful and if Hamlet follows him the ghost will work his way into Hamlet's head and eventually convince him to commit suicide.
10. He tells them to stay where they are and not follow him to see the ghost.
2. This fits the concept of the decaying garden because it's comparing women to the garden and the canker to sex. Sex means being ruined. By calling the women "infants" it implies that they are innocent. After the canker comes to the flowers, or after the women lose their virginity, they are ruined forever.
3. She tells him that she knows what he does in France, so he should quit preaching. She means that he needs to quit being a hypocrite and take his own advice, because he's fooling around with women himself.
4. Keep your thoughts to yourself and don't share them because it will turn out badly. Keep your judgments to yourself but listen to what others think. Don't borrow money or lend money. Figure out who your real friends are and keep them. To thine own self be true.
5. "Think yourself a baby that you have ta'en these tender for true pay...you'll tender me a fool." Polonius is trying to say that Ophelia is being naive, as if she were a child, because she believes Hamlet's love is pure and true, when Polonius believes it is not.
6. "As stars with trains of fire and dews of blood, disasters in the sun" What is trying to be said in this metaphor is that catastrophe will come soon. This is a foreshadow to the fall of Denmark, which represents the fall of mankind. Fire could represent a war, while blood implies that the war will be extremely bloody and gory.
7. He commands her to stop seeing Hamlet.
8. He is speaking mostly about the reputation of the castle and of Denmark. He says the people in the castle are known for partying and drinking and that it is lessening the value of their achievements because all people see is their bad reputation.
9. Horatio believes the ghost may not be peaceful and if Hamlet follows him the ghost will work his way into Hamlet's head and eventually convince him to commit suicide.
10. He tells them to stay where they are and not follow him to see the ghost.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Hamlet 1.2
1. He is all in black. He is still mourning the loss of his father, yet shows up at his mother's wedding (which he does not approve of).
2. One reason is that it was considered incest for him to marry his brother's wife. Another is that his brother has barely been dead for a month when they get married.
3. He asks to go back to France.
4. He is insulting Claudius for marrying Gertrude. He's saying that Claudius is his relative twice because he's his uncle and his step-father, but 'less than kind' means that he doesn't exactly treat him like they're that close.
5. He is in the spotlight of Denmark because he's the prince. He's also the 'son' because of Claudius's marriage to Gertrude.
6. His mom got married only about a month after his father's death, and to his uncle no less.
7. He's upset. He's saying that everything isn't quite what it seems. He's saying that he's dressed like he's mourning and to everyone else it looks like he's upset about his father's funeral, but he's really mourning his mother's marriage. He's also saying that his outward appearance matches his feelings.
8. You could keep the food from the funeral cold long enough to serve it at the wedding because they are so close together.
9. That there is the ghost of his dead father roaming around in armor.
2. One reason is that it was considered incest for him to marry his brother's wife. Another is that his brother has barely been dead for a month when they get married.
3. He asks to go back to France.
4. He is insulting Claudius for marrying Gertrude. He's saying that Claudius is his relative twice because he's his uncle and his step-father, but 'less than kind' means that he doesn't exactly treat him like they're that close.
5. He is in the spotlight of Denmark because he's the prince. He's also the 'son' because of Claudius's marriage to Gertrude.
6. His mom got married only about a month after his father's death, and to his uncle no less.
7. He's upset. He's saying that everything isn't quite what it seems. He's saying that he's dressed like he's mourning and to everyone else it looks like he's upset about his father's funeral, but he's really mourning his mother's marriage. He's also saying that his outward appearance matches his feelings.
8. You could keep the food from the funeral cold long enough to serve it at the wedding because they are so close together.
9. That there is the ghost of his dead father roaming around in armor.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Hamlet 1.1
1. The first scene sets up a mystery. We see the ghost, he's dressed in armor, but he won't speak to anybody. We are intrigued and want to keep reading because we want to know what happens.
2. We understand that the ghost is actually the dead king, that he's dressed in armor, he will not speak, and we are given some of the backstory such as the deaths of King Hamlet and Fortinbras, and the state their countries are in now.
3. The ghost reappears yet again. Once the guards learn it will not speak to them, one of them tries to get the ghost to stay by hitting it. The ghost, of course, immediately leaves. The guards then wonder what the ghost is trying to tell them, and decide to bring the story to Hamlet to see if the ghost will speak to him instead. The reader wants to see this meeting with Hamlet.
4. The scene has a mood of uncertainty or doubt. The guards are arguing amongst themselves about whether they actually saw a ghost, or if this is even possible. When it is made clear to them that there is an apparition and they see it is their king dressed in armor, they cannot figure out why this would be the case. They have doubts throughout the whole scene.
5. They are apprehensive because they are confused. The ghost keeps disappearing and reappearing, and they're having arguments about whether what they saw was really a ghost or not. The second reason is that the ghost is the ghost of their king, and he's dressed in armor. They realize that this can be nothing but a warning.
6. Horatio optimistically says that the king might have come back to tell them of treasures and how to get them. His more grim (and more correct) prediction is that the king has come to warn them, like an omen.
7. Horatio, Marcellus, Barnardo, Francisco, King's Ghost, Old Fortinbras is mentioned.
8. He states that King Hamlet was a great enemy of King Fortinbras, and they had a battle.
9. He is the son of Old Fortinbras of Norway, and is in much the same situation as Hamlet. His father has died and his uncle has taken over the throne.
10. He said corpses rose out of their graves speaking a language nobody could understand and they were walking the streets of Rome. He also says that stars fell from the sky leaving nothing but blood in their wakes, and that the moon was almost completely eclipsed.
11. Horatio at first does not believe there is a ghost at all. After it becomes clear to him that it's true, he consistently provides us with a different point of view from the others. He's also a scholar, so the reader is supposed to trust his opinion about what the ghost means and why it's there, as opposed to the other characters who are just awe stricken. He also provides a huge part of the backstory.
12. Horatio is present in this scene firstly to create conflict. He is always disagreeing with the other guards or presenting us with a different point of view. Also, because he's a scholar, Horatio is present to show us the history behind the events that are happening now and to set up the backstory, because it was thought back then that only intellectuals could speak with ghosts.
13. We learn that Denmark and Norway are sort of in a feud because Old Hamlet killed Old Fortinbras and took his land out of greed.
2. We understand that the ghost is actually the dead king, that he's dressed in armor, he will not speak, and we are given some of the backstory such as the deaths of King Hamlet and Fortinbras, and the state their countries are in now.
3. The ghost reappears yet again. Once the guards learn it will not speak to them, one of them tries to get the ghost to stay by hitting it. The ghost, of course, immediately leaves. The guards then wonder what the ghost is trying to tell them, and decide to bring the story to Hamlet to see if the ghost will speak to him instead. The reader wants to see this meeting with Hamlet.
4. The scene has a mood of uncertainty or doubt. The guards are arguing amongst themselves about whether they actually saw a ghost, or if this is even possible. When it is made clear to them that there is an apparition and they see it is their king dressed in armor, they cannot figure out why this would be the case. They have doubts throughout the whole scene.
5. They are apprehensive because they are confused. The ghost keeps disappearing and reappearing, and they're having arguments about whether what they saw was really a ghost or not. The second reason is that the ghost is the ghost of their king, and he's dressed in armor. They realize that this can be nothing but a warning.
6. Horatio optimistically says that the king might have come back to tell them of treasures and how to get them. His more grim (and more correct) prediction is that the king has come to warn them, like an omen.
7. Horatio, Marcellus, Barnardo, Francisco, King's Ghost, Old Fortinbras is mentioned.
8. He states that King Hamlet was a great enemy of King Fortinbras, and they had a battle.
9. He is the son of Old Fortinbras of Norway, and is in much the same situation as Hamlet. His father has died and his uncle has taken over the throne.
10. He said corpses rose out of their graves speaking a language nobody could understand and they were walking the streets of Rome. He also says that stars fell from the sky leaving nothing but blood in their wakes, and that the moon was almost completely eclipsed.
11. Horatio at first does not believe there is a ghost at all. After it becomes clear to him that it's true, he consistently provides us with a different point of view from the others. He's also a scholar, so the reader is supposed to trust his opinion about what the ghost means and why it's there, as opposed to the other characters who are just awe stricken. He also provides a huge part of the backstory.
12. Horatio is present in this scene firstly to create conflict. He is always disagreeing with the other guards or presenting us with a different point of view. Also, because he's a scholar, Horatio is present to show us the history behind the events that are happening now and to set up the backstory, because it was thought back then that only intellectuals could speak with ghosts.
13. We learn that Denmark and Norway are sort of in a feud because Old Hamlet killed Old Fortinbras and took his land out of greed.
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