AO2: Act 1 Flashcards
‘Tis bitter cold, And I am sick at heart.’
Francisco 1:1
Introduces the motif of disease/illness
The mightiest Julius fell… and the sheeted dead did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets;
Horatio 1:1
Sets up the idea that disasters lie ahead following the sight of the ghost. It parallels Macbeth - world going wild after regicide - in this describes the dead coming back to life. Horatio recalls the famous assassination of a Roman dictator the omens that proceeded Caesar’s death. Foreshadowing
Opening of Act 1, scene 2
‘A flourish of trumpets’ - forced ceremony/celebration, which juxtaposes scene 1. Brightly lit + ceremonial = appearance vs reality.
Hamlet (dressed in black) visual juxtaposition
Claudius’ first address to the court
‘…our dear brother’s death/ The memory be green…’
Irony of ‘dear’ - as he was his brother’s killer. Acknowledges that the death was recent, ‘green’ = fresh but also trying to suggest that moving on is natural due to the link to nature. He uses the royal we. this reminds the court of Claudius’ royal authority as king. The blank verse of the speech is so polished and carefully rehearse.
Oxymorons: ‘wisest sorrow’, ‘defeated joy’, ‘mirth in funeral’ - ingenuity
‘A little more than kin, and less than kind’
Hamlet’s aside about Claudius (1:2). It is also his first line - most of Hamlet’s inner thoughts are shown through soliloquy. Tells audience that H is witty, clever and not a fan of C. Hamlet speaks in riddles so that he can be rude to Claudius. We see Hamlet’s isolation from the aside because no one else is hostile to Claudius. Hamlet is using puns to show that he’s unhappy with C being so closely related now he’s wed G.
‘… my inky cloak’
Hamlet 1:2
A metaphor to show how miserable Hamlet is as he grieves for his father. Hamlet is once again cast as a solitary figure as he is the only character in mourning clothes. This is in visual contrast with the colourful costumes of the rest of the cast. Furthermore, suggests something is wrong in Denmark because mourning clothes should be worn for a year after the death of a king at the time.
‘…‘tis unmanly grief/…/ A heart unfortified, a mind impatient’
Claudius to Hamlet 1:2
Claudius suggests that Hamlet’s grieving is excessive. Shows Claudius’ evil nature as it is he who has caused Hamlet’s grief. This is a direct criticism of Hamlet because Claudius is giving a clear indication of what masculinity should be. (Hamlet too weak, grieving too much). By referring to heart and mind Claudius links them suggesting that Hamlet is too emotional.
The subplot
We learn through Horatio in 1:1 that Fortinbras’s father, the previous King of Norway, was killed by King Hamlet in battle some years before the events of the play.
As a result, Prince Fortinbras of Norway is invading Denmark to reclaim lands his father lost.
Fortinbras serves as a foil to Hamlet through their approach to avenging their fathers. While Hamlet is hesitant and contemplative, spending much of the play contemplating revenge, Fortinbras is depicted as decisive and action-oriented.
Hamlet’s first soliloquy
1:2 - The blank verse shows status and the soliloquy reveals honest emotions. He seems much more angered by marriage than death. Shakespeare uses soliloquy so Hamlet can share with the audience feelings he could not voice in public.
‘O, that this too too solid flesh would melt’
Hamlet considers suicide however he will not as its against God’s law.
‘… ‘tis an unweeded garden/ that grows to seed, things rank and gross in/ nature’
Hamlet about the effect of corruption on Denmark. Hamlet is using the metaphor of an Eden neglected and unloved so only weeds flourish. Hamlet is fed up with the world because it allows unnatural things to flourish. Hamlet seems overwhelmed by the sinfulness of the world around him. To Hamlet, deeply affected by grief, all living things become corrupt.
‘How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable’
The listless tempo of the words conveys his weariness. The speech contrasts dramatically with Claudius’s flowing lines. The verse starts and stops, punctuated by expressions of pain and confusion. The disjointed rhythm and dislocated progress of Hamlet’s thoughts convey to us his inner turmoil. These are like the sentiments of someone in a state of depression. Therefore, the listing is suggesting he has a form of depression.
‘So excellent a king, that was to this / Hyperion to a Satyr’
Hamlet compares his uncle and his father. The first hint that Claudius is a villain. Use of classical allusions juxtaposing the greek god of the sun (Hyperion, representing old hamlet) with the Satyr (half human, half goat, representing Claudius). The specific connotations of lechery associated with the satyr portray Claudius as sexually corrupt and depraved as well.
‘… frailty, thy name is/ woman’
The quote condemns all women for being weak. ‘Frailty’ is the personification of an abstract noun. This has the effect of it being held equal to women. We can see that Gertrude has made him lose faith in women because Gertrude is blamed through his anger. - This could be the first evidence of Hamlet’s misogynous tendencies. Hamlet’s language becomes less controlled and deliberate - enjambment suggests angry free flow of thoughts that he can’t contain.
‘O most wicked speed, to post/ With such dexterity to incestuous sheets.’
This shows Hamlet’s fury at how quickly his mother re-married - he sees the marriage as immoral, like incest. The hissing sibilants show Hamlet’s revulsion. The sheets are ‘incestuous’ because marriage to a brother’s wife was explicitly banned in the Book of Common Prayer (Elizabeth on the throne). The ‘sheets’ is a very detailed description. Shows that Hamlet is grossed out because his mother is forcing to him to see her as a newlywed. A contemporary audience may draw parallels to Queen Mary of Scots, who shocked many people by marrying very soon after her husbands death. The ref. to incest, forbidden in the bible, shows that Hamlet considers Gertrude’s remarriage as a crime against God and Nature. Sexual corruption.
‘Foul deeds will rise,/ Though all the earth o’erwhelm them, to men’s eyes.’
AO2: The scene ends with Hamlet alone and with a rhyming couplet. The rhyming couplet increases the sense of finality and summarizes the emotional impact of the scene. The final message is that evil will always be found out. The imagery of ‘foul deeds’ being buried in the ‘earth’ suggests Hamlet strongly suspects ‘foul play’ around his fathers death.
AO4: It implies that the ghost with reveal something terrible. hamlet believes that his father’s ghost is a sign that his death was suspicious. Hamlet suggests that crimes of great magnitude cannot remain hidden.
AO3: ghosts = typical aspect of revenge tragedy
‘… chaste treasure’
Laertes to Ophelia 1:3
Laertes has a complicated relationship with his sister. His use of sexual imagery, fixation on her ‘chaste treasure’ and the affectionate language between them creates an incestuous undertone similar to Hamlet and Gertrude. Laertes worries about Ophelia’s honor because if she ruins it it will bring shame on the family. We can see the value of Ophelia’s virginity, as the metaphor uses the vehicle ‘treasure’ to show the worth of Ophelia’s marriage and therefore, virginity to the family’.
AO3: Ophelia is described as a ‘chaste treasure’ - her virginity is monetised and romanticised, and she is objectified with the use of ‘treasure’ to describe her > this links to the importance placed upon chastity in Elizabethan England. At the time young lady was only worth as much as her chastity and appearance of complete innocence. Once led astray, she was the fallen woman, and nothing could reconcile that till she died.
‘… hiself the primrose path of dalliance treads,/ and recks not his own rede’.
Ophelia to Laertes 1:3
Ophelia makes the point that Laertes should follow his own advice. This moment is quite sassy as Ophelia shows some spirit. This disrupts the passive attitude typical of Ophelia’s sanity. However, her argument is not as confident as other Shakespearean heroines such as Emilia in Othello. Shakespeare could be using Ophelia to critique the double standards of women during the Elizabethan era as through this quote he encourages the comparison of the siblings.
‘… to thine own self be true’
Polonius’ lists precepts to Laertes. Polonius’ 1:3
The advice is fairly typical of father/son - there genuinely seems to be some love behind the thinly veiled orders. This contrasts Hamlet’s distant relationship with his uncle The subplot is used to juxtapose Hamlet’s dysfunctional family as Polonius, Laertes and Ophelia are a typically conventional family.
AO3: Polonius gives Laertes strong advice but Ophelia orders.
‘He hath my lord of late made many tenders/ of his affection to me’
Ophelia to Polonius. 1:3
Polonius picks up on Ophelia’s use of the word ‘tenders’ and plays on it by suggesting that her affections are not real. This is also a pun as tenders can be a form of currency. Therefore, we see Polonius’ language of commerce - Ophelia’s value is measured in what her virginity and honour can provide.
Polonius: ‘Tender yourself more dearly, or… you’ll tender me a fool’
‘You speak like a green girl’
1:3 pg53
Polonius to Ophelia
Simile
The phrase “green girl” is used to describe someone who is naive and romantic in their view of the world.Polonius’s tone is condescending and scornful, and he uses the phrase to invalidate Ophelia’s world view and experiences
‘I shall obey, my lord’.
Ophelia to Polonius 1:3
There is a contrast with Hamlet and Claudius - Hamlet rejects Claudius’ advice but Polonius’ kids seem to accept it.
AO5: Ophelia, however, feminist critics say has no choice but to obey her father. On the other hand the short clipped tone makes us wonder if she is agreeing or simply has accepted the futility of arguing with Polonius considering her position in society.
‘Something is rotten in the state of Denmark’
Marcellus 1:4
The guards see the ghost as a sign of chaos. ‘Rotten’ has links to death, decay and destruction. This develops the idea of Denmark being in a poor state. This ominous warning after Hamlet follows the Ghost creates a sense of corruption.
AO3: Elizabethan belief that the health of a state is connected to the moral legitimacy of its ruler.The ghost is a visible sign of the corruption caused by Claudius’s crime.
AO2: Foreshadowing:The line foreshadows Hamlet discovering his father’s murder.
‘Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder.’
Ghost to Hamlet 1:5
This request spurs the central plot as the ghost’s demand for revenge confuse the revenge plot. His ambiguity provides Hamlet with the many doubts that delay his revenge. The ghost’s demand for vengeance is sinful in Christian terms.
Hamlet swears revenge against Claudius, but his hesitation and lack of follow-through are major thematic elements of the play.
‘The serpent that did sting thy father’s life / Now wears his crown.’
Ghost 1:5
Biblical imagery
The line references the serpent in the Garden of Eden, which caused Adam and Eve to fall from grace.
Religious imagery
Serpents are traditionally associated with evil and cunning.By using this image to describe Claudius, the ghost is portraying Claudius as devil-like.
Characterization
The metaphor characterizes Claudius as a villainous character.
‘There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy’
1:5 Hamlet
Horatio is in disbelief by the ghost and Hamlet suggests that the human imagination is limited and that there are many things we don’t know, things that haven’t been discovered and, in fact, things we haven’t even dreamt of.
‘The time is out of joint. O cursed spite,/ That ever I was born to set it right’
End of act 1 (1:5): Hamlet’s summative rhyming couplet. It contrasts the first speech because Hamlet quickly feels like he does not want to do this. Hamlet’s immediate reaction to his mission is to realize the enormity of the task - time itself has been disrupted by his father’s murder. It is much larger than simple vengeance has he has to save the whole state from corruption. He wonders if he is equal to the task. Hamlet also feels like it is his duty not to leave Gertrude to heaven but to persuade her to acknowledge her sins and repent. ‘out of joint’ reference introduces imagery of pain and dislocation, as if the body politic of Denmark has suffered a traumatic injury with the old king’s murder.
Laertes tells Ophelia that her ‘honour’ will be lost if she allows herself to be seduced by Hamlet and her…
chaste treasure open
1:3
money imagery: love is presented as a commercial transaction by Laertes and Polonius.
While these metaphors may reflect reality (that marriage in Elizabethan England was often motivated by financial factors), they also help to portray Polonius as a calculating, conniving character.
“O villain, villain, smiling damned villain!”
Hamlet’s second soliloquy 1:5
Frenzied repetition of ‘villain’ suggests he has momentarily lost composure and is disgusted by the ghosts revelation/his uncles crime.
The verb ‘smiling’ relates to Claudius’ deception of the Danish court. In the next sentence Hamlet reflects that in Denmark, ‘One may smile, and smile, and be a villain’, reinforcing the theme of duplicity.
Body metaphor for the state
Throughout act 1, Shakespeare employs the metaphor of the State being a human body. This metaphor was commonly used in the Elizabethan age.
- Claudius describes the “whole kingdom” of Denmark as “contracted in one brow of woe” because of old Hamlet’s death, portraying the kingdom as united in grief.
- The Ghost refers to Claudius pouring poison into “the whole ear of Denmark”, portraying old Hamlet as the embodiment of Denmark.
“My hour is almost come, / When I to…
**sulph’rous and tormenting flames” - Ghost 1:4
The Ghost introduces the idea of eternal punishment & purgatory (the Christian belief that God will hold all souls accountable on the Day of Judgement), an idea which will later complicate Hamlet’s decision on whether or not to act out his revenge on Claudius.
AO2: Hellish imagery
“With wings as swift / As mediation or the thoughts of love / May sweep to my revenge.”
Hamlet 1:5
Time vs Mediation imagery continues throughout the play with Hamlet’s indecision and lack of action.
Irony - he doesn’t sweep to his revenge.
