1. Write a short summary of what happened in each of the 5 scenes of Act 1, paying attention to a) what happened; b) who appeared and what we learned about his or her character; c) what issues or themes or questions were raised in each scene; and d) any patterns or trends in theme or image or mood you see appearing.
In scene 1, we meet Barnardo, Francisco, Marcellus, and Horatio. The first three are guards, while Horatio is a scholar, and friend of Hamlet. The character encounter the ghost for the third and fourth time, and are perplexed by its appearance and its possible reasons for showing itself to them. The mood is dark, tense, and mysterious. At the end of this scene, the reader wonders what the ghost's motives are, and whether it truly is the recently deceased king.
In scene 2, we are introduced to King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, Polonius, Laertes, and Hamlet. We learn that Claudius has recently taken over the throne, and married Queen Gertrude, the widow of the previous king, and mother of Hamlet. Claudius is the brother of the deceased king, which makes him Hamlet's uncle. We learn of the impending threats from Fortinbras, and Claudius sends Cornelius and Voltemand to scope out the situation. As Hamlet speaks to his uncle, his uncle questions why "the clouds still hang on [him]," [line 67] establishing that Hamlet is still grieving for his father. Claudius and Gertrude somehow seem to have moved past the King's death, which Hamlet notes. Hamlet is not permitted to return to his studies in Wittenberg. Horatio tells Hamlet of the ghost's appearance, and that it may be an apparition of his father. Hamlet says he will speak to it, which brings up the question again of whether the ghost is his father or not.
In scene 3, Ophelia, Hamlet's love interest, enters. Her brother Laertes insists that Hamlet doesn't mean what he says to Ophelia, which their father Polonius reiterates. Polonius tells Ophelia not to meet with Hamlet again. There is a tone of warning in their speeches, leading to a tense mood which makes me wonder why they believe Hamlet would be lying to her.
In scene 4, Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus attempt once again to make contact with the ghost. It flees the scene, and the group follows it. They are nervous, and the scene takes place at night, giving it a mysterious and perhaps ominous mood. Will the ghost speak to Hamlet? We find out in scene 5.
In scene 5, Hamlet is able to speak to the ghost, and it tells him that it is indeed his father, and that he was murdered by King Claudius, who covered up his death by blaming a snake bite. Hamlet swears that he will exact revenge on the King, and informs Horatio and Marcellus of the situation. He makes the pair swear that they will not tell a soul what his father told him. Once again, this confrontation with the ghost takes place at night, which gives a mood of mystery. I want to know how Hamlet is going to avenge his father's death, and what will unfold.
2. Find one example from each scene where appearance does not match reality. Why is each of these important?
In scene 1, Barnardo may believe that Francisco is the ghost, because he asks "who's there?" [line 1] This is quickly resolved, but is important because we see how apprehenxive the guards are at the chance of a possible reappearance of the ghost.
In scene 2, King Claudius says that he has been greatly upset by the death of the previous king, but we later learn from the ghost that he was the one who killed him. Claudius is trying to cover up the fact that he killed the previous king to gain the throne, and is important because it drives the plot of the entire play.
In scene 3, Ophelia's brother and father both tell her that Hamlet is lying to her about his affections for her. This most likely does not match reality, as Ophelia is established in the Characters page of the play as Hamlet's love interest. We wonder why her family wants her to stay away from Hamlet.
In scene 4, Hamlet states that he is unsure whether the ghost wants to "horridly shake our disposition" [line 61]. We later learn that the ghost means no harm to Hamlet or any of the good people, but wants Hamlet to exact revenge on King Claudius. This is once again important because it drives the plot of the play.
In scene 5, we learn that the previous king's death was a set up. It appeared that he was bitten by a serpent, but in reality, he was poisoned by King Claudius. This is important because we finally learn the true cause of his death.
3. In Scene 4 we hear “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” and in Scene 5, “The time is out of joint.” As a result, what sort of theme or motif might we anticipate being important from here on out?
From here on out, we may be approaching a theme of darkness or a motif of death and tragedy. These lines sound like foreshadowing to the buildup of a major event that could be a pivotal point of the play. The connotation of the word "rotten" gives me a mental image of complete and total decay of Denmark, which was set into motion by Claudius's murder of the previous king.
4. What sorts of connections do we see emerging between family and politics?
In this monarchy, we see that politics are perhaps in the way of meaningful family relationships and instill jealousy among family members. King Claudius killed his own brother to gain the throne, and married his brother's wife. Power corrupts peoples' minds to a point where they would even kill their own family members to achieve it. Family appears to mean little to King Claudius.
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