Hamlet Act 1 Flashcards
Horacio greets the Ghost with skepticism. How does this characterize him?
It shows Horacio downs believe in anything easily, needs to see to believe
Represents common sense and honesty
What does the ghost dressing in battle armour hint at in the future?
Denmark is a war threatened country so they believe Fortinbras of Norway will attack Denmark to regain the land his father lost
How were kings appointed in Denmark?
A process called Tannistry, where all noble families would get together and each family would put a candidate forward for who they wanted to be king
Why would Claudius want hamlet to remain in the cheer and comfort of his eye? What’s ironic about it?
Claudius is trying to sound fatherly and comfort Hamlet, but really he wants to keep a close eye on him because being the son of the old king he can cause a lot of trouble
What is significant about the advice polonium gives laertes before he goes away to France?
Polonius is somewhat an idiot so when we hear the advice given to laertes it is quite good and useful information for a father to give
What is scene 1 about?
Scene 1 starts with Bernardo and Francisco on watch and then horatio comes to join because he does not believe in the ghost and then the ghost appears looking like the king so horatio believes there country is in trouble
What is scene 2 about?
Claudius is telling everyone to move on from the former kings death. He gets Cornelius and volteman to deliver fortunbras’s uncle a letter describing fortinbras’s plans. Laertes asks to go to France and is granted to. Claudius asks why hamlet grieves and he says because of his father then goes to horatio where he tells him he thinks he’s seen the ghost of his father.
What is scene 4 about?
Hamlet horatio and Marcellus our outside waiting for the ghost and then it comes and waves for hamlet to follow it so he does
What is scene 5 about?
The ghost talks to hamlet and says he wasn’t bit by a poisonous snake he was actually killed by his brother who know where’s his crown. The ghost tells him he must take revenge but leave his mother out of it. Horacio and Marcellus pop up and hamlet made them swear notvto tell anyone what happened
What is primogeniture?
The state of being the first born child
Who says “something is rotten in the state of denmark”
Marcellus
Who says “this bodes some strange eruption to our state”
Horatio
