Hamlet Act 2.1 Quotes

Question 1

expense

Answer 1

And how, and who, what means, and where they

keep,

What company, at what expense; and

Pol about the danes in paris
Several interrogative words in rapid succession within a few lines of pentameter - indicates the complete, all-encompassing RANGE of information Polonius wants - atmosphere of espionage even on his own son.&raquo_space;> paranoia, pathological control

Question 2

wanton

Answer 2

such wanton, wild, and usual slips

As are companions noted and most known 25

To youth and liberty.

polonius

Interesting personification of human vices as ‘companions’ to the abstract nouns, and stage of life, ‘youth’, and condition, ‘liberty’.

Possible juxtaposition between ‘wanton, wild’ and ‘usual’ - but perhaps that’s the point - a little bit of wildness is expected in young men, so long as it’s controlled. Food for thought: note how Polonius actively encourages him to besmirch Laertes’s reputation, but the merest hint of naivete from Ophelia leaves her “unsifted in such perilous circumstances.”

Question 3

liberty

Answer 3

That they may seem the taints of liberty,

The flash and outbreak of a fiery mind,

A savageness in unreclaimèd blood,

pol

My central contention as developed from above: Polonius views male wildness as something valuable if it’s well controlled. If it can be controlled, then it’s ultimately no longer wild.

Notice, as well, his entire instruction is this: “Spread fake rumours about my son, but not too bad, and make them seem natural, “merely the taints of liberty””

Question 4

perchance

Answer 4

There falling out at tennis”; or perchance

“I saw him enter such a house of sale”—

pol

Polonius regards himself as a master of information, perhaps as a caricature of Elizabeth I’s famous spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham, but he seems enjoy the fantasies and manipulation more than the real information.

Question 5

falsehood

Answer 5

Your bait of falsehood take this carp of truth;

pol

The fishing metaphor compares catching a fish to uncovering the truth, showing how both require skill and patience. It could mock the overly complicated methods of spies like Sir Francis Walsingham. Or, it might show sympathy for a father’s desperate efforts to find his son.

Question 6

why rumors?

Answer 6

Polonius asks Reynaldo to spread rumors about Laertes to indirectly gather information about his son’s behavior in Paris. By planting false stories, he hopes others will either confirm or deny them, revealing Laertes’ true actions. This sneaky approach reflects Polonius’s manipulative and distrustful nature.

Question 7

unbraced

Answer 7

with his doublet all unbraced,

No hat upon his head, his stockings fouled,

Ungartered, and down-gyvèd to his ankle,

opheli
Rapid, asyndetic list of multiple instances of inappropriate dress

Question 8

pergatory like descrption

Answer 8

As if he had been loosèd out of hell… He took me by the wrist and held me hard.

ophelia

harold bloom ‘hamlet stands authoritatively between life and death’

Question 9

pieous

Answer 9

He raised a sigh so piteous and profound

… to shatter all his bulk

And end his being

ophelia

despite a being a ghost like figure, she uses tactile (touch) imagery as if he is stuck between two worlds (life and death) LIMINAL

end his being - euphemism, sugar coating? ambiguous, poofed out of existence. hyperbole. consistance theme of tactile imagery

Question 10

ecstacy

Answer 10

This is the very ecstasy of love,

Whose violent property fordoes itself

passion/anger do not equate to love, pol prevously justifying men’s actions

Question 11

access

Answer 11

I did repel his letters and denied

His access to me.

ophelia

Question 12

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Answer 12

germanic names, multiple syllables, musical, unserious - you cannot play upon me

Question 13

something

Answer 13

something you have heard

The King’s use of vague and indirect language, like “Something have you heard,” indicates his uncertainty and unease about Hamlet’s madness. It suggests that he feels unsettled and suspicious, struggling to grasp Hamlet’s true intentions or whether his madness is genuine. This guarded phrasing reflects the King’s growing paranoia and anxiety.

Question 14

gentle

Answer 14

thanks, Guildenstern and gentle Rosencrantz.

Gertrude’s use of chiasmus in reversing the King’s address—”thanks, Guildenstern and gentle Rosencrantz”—might indicate her effort to soften the formality of the King’s command. This subtle shift suggests a more personal and conciliatory tone, reflecting Gertrude’s desire to maintain harmony or express genuine gratitude. It contrasts with the King’s more calculated authority, perhaps highlighting her emotional or maternal instincts.

Answer 15

HAMLET My excellent good friends! How dost thou,

warm socially acceptable language vs insulting polonius earlier. suggests he can control his madness

Question 16

fortune

Answer 16

GUILDENSTERN On Fortune’s cap, we are not the very button.

HAMLET Nor the soles of her shoe?

ROSENCRANTZ Neither, my lord.

HAMLET Then you live about her waist, or in the 250

middle of her favors?

…. she is a strumpet.

Discuss this casually misogynistic extended personification of Fortune.

strumpet - whore

Simultaneously giving Fortune genuine (?) power yet in a masculine banter amongst men - ALT: trying to diminish Fortune’s power due to their anxiety - ‘reducing’ her to a woman&raquo_space;> tragedy = story of a great man’s fall partly due to fate

October 17, 2023 at 9:06 AM

Question 17

good or bad

Answer 17

ham Why, then, ’tis none to you, for there is

nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it

so.

Solipsistic argument has its limits&raquo_space;> massive hypocrisy: Hamlet is fully philosophically aware of this idea, yet fails to apply it to his own life: complaining how “weary, stale, flat and unprofitable” (definitely worth dropping in a Part A) and vicious misogyny: “Frailty, thy name is woman”

Sympathising: Shakespeare positions Rosencrantz as an unwitting confirmer of Hamlet’s stereotypical melancholy - in the sense that Denmark is restricted for him, his father’s murderer is the King, and in a metaphysical sense - our lives being finite.

Question 18

ambition

Answer 18

Guildenstern “Which dreams, indeed, are ambition,”

Guildenstern’s line, “Which dreams, indeed, are ambition,” uses a dense metaphor that blurs the lines between reality and illusion, likening ambition to dreams—ephemeral, insubstantial, and fleeting. The reference to “shadows,” possibly alluding to actors, deepens the metaphor, suggesting ambition is as transient and performative as a play on stage. This might hint at the theme of appearances versus reality in Hamlet and underscores the idea that human aspirations, like dreams or actors, lack lasting substance or true significance.

Question 19

Hamlet dynamic w Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

Answer 19

His probing questions (“Were you not sent for?”) reveal his keen observation and capacity to expose deceit, contrasting with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s inability to effectively conceal their intentions.

Question 20

confession

Answer 20

there is a kind of confession in your looks

which your modesties have not craft enough to

color. I know the good king and queen have sent for

you.

ham

Question 21

anticipation

Answer 21

I will tell you why; so shall my anticipation

prevent your discovery, and your secrecy to the

wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth, forgone all

with my disposition that this goodly frame, the

Earth, seems to me a sterile promontory; this most

excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave o’erhanging

firmament, this majestical roof, fretted

with golden fire—why, it appeareth nothing to me

Hamlet’s speech could reflect genuine despair, as he describes the world as a “sterile promontory” and “this majestical roof” appearing “nothing” to him, showing his existential crisis. However, his line “so shall my anticipation prevent your discovery” suggests he may be manipulating Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, pretending to be vulnerable. The exaggerated melancholy may also indicate a calculated performance. Ultimately, Hamlet’s honesty is ambiguous, blending real anguish with strategic deception.

Question 22

noble

Answer 22

HAM What a piece of work is a man, how noble in

reason, how infinite in faculties… beauty of the world, the paragon of animals—and

yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?

god formed adam from dust, alexander the great turned to dust, ashes to

in this passage, Hamlet grapples with these opposing views: the Renaissance humanist conception of man as noble and almost divine, and a nihilistic rejection of humanity as insignificant and meaningless. This internal conflict reveals Hamlet’s deep existential struggle, caught between the promise of human greatness and the disillusionment of his own experiences.

Question 23

delights not

Answer 23

Man
delights not me, no, nor women neither

ham

intersting how he seperated man and woman - man was typically used to define the whole of the human race

Question 24

Majesty

Answer 24

his Majesty shall have tribute on me - Ham

he is making a gracious offer to the lead actor, The actors, can present an image of dignity, nobility, and virtue, qualities that Hamlet finds lacking in Claudius.

Question 25

decieved

Answer 25

But my uncle-father and aunt-mother are
deceived. - ham

Question 26

north-north

Answer 26

HAMLET I am but mad north-north-west. When the

wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.

In Hamlet’s line, “I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw,” he asserts that his madness is strategic and situational. The “wind” metaphor reflects Hamlet’s ability to control when he feigns madness, as he “knows a hawk from a handsaw” when the situation allows. His use of “madness” is a deliberate performance, not a permanent state. The line also explores the fluidity of identity, where Hamlet shifts roles depending on external forces. Ultimately, it highlights his manipulation of perception, contrasting his feigned insanity with his underlying clarity.

Answer 27

POLONIUS The best actors in the world, either for 420

tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral-comical,

historical-pastoral, tragical-historical,

tragical-comical-historical-pastoral,

metathetrical absurd internal rhyme, Shakespeare subtly critiques both the superficiality of Polonius’ character and the larger societal structures that encourage performance over truth.