Hamlet 1.1 key terms

Question 1

what is taking place in Norway at the beginning of the play?

Answer 1

Fortinbras is preparing to attack Denamark, in revenge for the fact that OH killed his father Old Norway.

Question 2

what is key to notes in the beginning lines of the play?

Answer 2

the word things appears 17 times, highlighting the formless/unknown being that the will prove to be the ghost.
Horatio is a character of high status
Horotaio sees the ghost as evidence for disorder
Marcellus will question why Elsinore is a state of high alert.

Question 3

what does Horatatio explain?

Answer 3

“our valiant hamlet” he is making note of the fact that OH was victorious in battle over King Fortinbras of Norway, taking his lands.

Question 4

what is the significance of classical imagery in this scene?

Answer 4

Julius Caesar, was a populist Roman dictator, politician, military general and historian who played a key role in the rise of the Roman Empire- this may also be a metatheatrical reference, making note of his own play and highlighting parallels with Hamlet.

Question 5

what key dramatic roles are highlighted within this scene?

Answer 5

The protagonist
Confidante- person who the private matters are exposed to.
Antagonist
Chorus- a united, reliable group of voices.

Question 6

What is a key critic quote of this scene?

Answer 6

“in the opening scene, the soldiers do something fundamental to the play: they ask questions……Questions are only asked when people are uncertain. This is the world of Hamlet” (Richard Gill, Mastering Shakespeare, page 235)

Question 7

key themes in the opening scene?

Answer 7

uncertainty, seeing/believing
Revenge
Disruption

This created evident threat of war and introduces the theme of the supernatural.