Hamlet Act One Flashcards
Drama Revision
What are the first words of the play?
Who’s there?
At what time does the play begin?
Midnight
What is happening as the play begins?
There is a changing of the guard.
What is the correct term for a tragic hero’s fatal flaw?
Hamartia
What type of play is Hamlet?
revenge tragedy
Which classical playwright influenced Shakespeare?
Seneca
How is Hamlet different from Shakespeare’s earlier tragedies?
It is more complex - not solely based on violence and sensationalism.
Which other Renaissance play is thought to have influenced Hamlet?
The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd
Who is the scholar and sceptic that we meet in the first scene?
Horatio
What law was passed in 1542?
The Witchcraft Act
Witchcraft became punishable by what in 1542?
Death
Who wrote Daemonologie?
King James I of Scotland
What was Daemonologie?
A pamphlet written by James I warning about the dangers of black magic.
What does Francisco say in 1.1 - ‘I am ______ at heart’
Sick
In 1.1, what does Horatio say of the ghost - ‘it bodes some strange ________ to our state.’
Eruption
How does Marcellus refer to the ghost in 1.1 - ‘a _________ sight’?
Dreaded
How does Horatio refer to the ghost in 1.1 - ‘it harrows me with ______ and _________.’
Fear and Wonder
How is Old Hamlet presented in 1.1?
As a brave and successful warrior.
Whilst the guards watch for the ghost in 1.1, we also learn that Denmark is preparing for what?
War
What is the name of the character that wants to reclaim the lands lost by his father?
Young Fortinbras
The hot-headed young prince desperate for revenge, Young Fortinbras, acts as a what to Hamlet?
Foil
How is Young Fortinbras described in 1.1. - ‘unimproved mettle ______ and full’?
Hot
What does ‘hot’ refer to in ‘unimproved mettle hot and full’ (1.1)?
It refers to Young Fortinbras’ hot-headed and aggressive nature.
Which quotation in 1.1. presents Young Fortinbras as aggressive and violent?
‘Unimproved mettle hot and full.’
The aim of tragedy is to arouse sensations of _______ and _______’ (Aristotle)
Pity and Fear
‘The opening scene of Hamlet is as well _________ as that of any play ever written’ (T.S. Eliot)
Constructed
In 1.1, what does Horatio say of the ghost - ‘it started like a _______ thing’?
Guilty
Who was on the throne when Hamlet was first performed?
Elizabeth I
Why was there anxiety about Elizabeth’s reign during the time the play was performed?
Elizabeth was growing older and had no children or obvious successors.
What was the Bishop’s Ban?
A ban (put in place in 1599) on any play that was seen as blasphemous or unpatriotic.
How long had Elizabeth I reigned for when Hamlet was first performed?
40 years
What is the style of metre used to structure Claudius’ speech in 1.2?
Iambic pentameter
‘Though yet of Hamlet ____ dear brother’s death’ (1.2)
Our
Why does Claudius repeatedly use the plural voice in his 1.2 speech?
To unite the royal court, suggesting they share the same grief.
How does Claudius’ speech in 1.2 juxtapose the previous scene?
His speech is long, calm and measured, juxtaposing the short, snappy rhythms of the opening scene.
‘With one auspicious and a dropping _______’
Eye
‘Claudius shows every sign of being an excellent _______ and king.’ (Knight)
Diplomat
How does Claudius deal with the threat from Young Fortinbras?
He takes a diplomatic route, choosing to write to Norway (the uncle of Young Fortinbras)
In the Branagh version, what does Claudius do with the letter from the envoy as a show of strength?
Tears it up - ‘so much for him’ (1.2)
‘nor have we herein barr’d/Your better ________’
Wisdoms
In 1.2, how is Claudius presented as a different king to Old Hamlet?
Claudius favours a diplomatic approach compared to the valiant, warrior like King of Old Hamlet.
In 1.2, Hamlet is dressed in ‘suits of _______ black.’
solemn
What are some of the words that Claudius uses to appear balance and logical?
‘Though’/’Yet’/’Therefore’
What had Elizabeth I provided to England during her reign?
Stability - there had been a period of significant change and a number of different monarchs before her.
Which critic said ‘Claudius shows every sign of being an excellent diplomat and king?’
Knight
‘________ madam? Nay, it is. I know not __________’ (1.2)
Seems/seems
‘A little more than kin, and less than __________’ (1.2)
Kind
‘I have that within which passes ________’ (1.2)
Show
‘Ay ________, it is common.’ (1.2)
Madam
What formal term does Hamlet call his mother in 1.2?
Madam
What technique is used in the quotation: ‘A little more than kin, and less than kind.’ (1.2)
Pun
‘Hyperion to a _________’ (1.2)
Satyr
What is a satyr?
A lustful half man, half goat (this is what Hamlet calls Claudius)
‘_________ thy name is woman’ (1.2)
frailty
Of whom is the following referring? ‘Frailty, thy name is woman’ (1.2)
Gertrude
‘a _________ that wants discourse of reason/would have mourned longer’ (1.2)
Beast
no more like my father/Than I to ___________’ (1.2)
Hercules
‘the salt of most __________ tears’ (1.2)
unrighteous
Whose tears are called ‘unrighteous’ in 1.2 and what does that word mean?
Gertrude’s - it means insincere
Which Gods does Hamlet compare his father to in 1.2?
Hyperion (Sun-God) and Hercules
Which figure of the time might have influenced the presentation of Gertrude?
Mary Queen of Scots
In what way might Mary Queen of Scots have influenced the presentation of Gertrude?
She also failed to observe a proper mourning period for her husband and married the man many thought to have killed him.
In 1.2, where is Laertes granted permission to return to?
University of Paris
In 1.2, which quotation shows Claudius flattering the royal court?
‘nor have we herein barr’d/Your better wisdoms’
Who is Polonius?
A royal advisor - father of Laertes and Ophelia
‘A _________ in the youth of primy nature’ (1.3)
Violet
‘________ it no more’ (1.3)
Think
Who tells Ophelia, ‘Think it no more’?
Laertes
‘your chaste ________ open’ (1.3)
treasure
What technique is used in the phrase ‘chaste treasure’ (1.3)
Metaphor
Which word does Laertes repeat when speaking to Ophelia in 1.3?
Fear ‘- ‘Fear it, Ophelia, fear it’ / ‘best safety lies in fear’
‘the ________ galls the infants of the spring’ (1.3)
canker
What is the ‘canker’ that Laertes says ‘galls the infants of the spring’? (1.3)
The cankerworm - a phallic image suggests that purity becomes corrupted by sex.
What is the semantic field that Polonius uses in 1.3 when talking to Ophelia about her relationship with Hamlet?
Semantic field of money/currency
Who says ‘contagious blastments are most imminent’ and what is being described?
Laertes in 1.3, describing how Ophelia’s relationship with Hamlet will lead to corruption and contagion.
‘______________ blastments are most imminent’ (1.3)
Contagious
‘Think yourself a _______’ (1.3)
Baby
Who tells Ophelia to ‘think yourself a baby’? (1.3)
Polonius
What does Polonius mean when he orders Ophelia to ‘think yourself a baby’? (1.3)
That she is foolish and naive and does not understand her relationship with Hamlet.
‘You have taken these ______ for true pay’ (1.3)
Tenders
After Polonius lectures Ophelia about her relationship in 1.3, how does she respond?
‘I shall obey, my lord.’
‘You do not understand yourself so clearly/As it behoves my _______’
Daughter
‘you speak like a _______ girl’ (1.3)
Green
Who tells Ophelia ‘you speak like a green girl’? (1.3)
Polonius
Which word (beginning with A) describes a ghost or ghost-like image?
Apparition
Which word (beginning with A) describes something that is uncertain or unclear?
Ambiguous
Which word (beginning with O) describes a public speaker?
Orator
Which word (beginning with E) means to be fluent of persuasive when using words?
Eloquent
Which word (beginning with M) refers to a feeling of deep sadness?
Melancholy
Which word (beginning with d) means a god or godlike figure?
Deity
Which word (beginning with D) means deceitful?
Duplicitous
Which word (beginning with P) refers to a system controlled by men?
Patriarchy
‘they are brokers/Not of the _______ which their investments show’ (1.3)
Dye
What does Polonius mean when he says to Ophelia: ‘they are brokers/Not of the dye which their investments show’ (1.3)?
He uses the metaphor to suggest that Hamlet’s promises are like counterfeit money.
‘Ophelia is deprived of thought, ________ and _________’ (Showalter)
Sexuality and language
Which critic said: ‘Ophelia is deprives of thought, sexuality and language?’
Showalter
‘In Shakespeare’s society, the ideal female is cherished for her youth ______ and purity.’ (Rogers)
beauty
Which critic said: ‘In Shakespeare’s society, the ideal female is cherished for her youth, beauty and purity.’?
Rogers
What did Elizabeth I say of her own femininity: ‘I know I have but the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart of a _______’?
King
In order to appear an untouchable and perfect beauty, Elizabeth I conducted her relationships in the style of a…?’
Petrarchan Lover
Due to her unmarried status and her supposed ‘purity’ what was Elizabeth I sometimes called?
The virgin Queen
In 1.4, how does Hamlet refer to the ghost: ‘spirit of health or a _____ damn’d’?
Goblin
In 1.4, what does Marcellus say suggesting that the ghost perhaps symbolises a corruption within Denmark?
‘Something is rotten in the state of Denmark’ (1.4)
In 1.4, Horatio worries that the ghost may in fact be a devil that will ‘tempt [Hamlet] toward the _______’?
Flood
Where does Hamlet attend university?
Wittenberg
What is the significance of Hamlet attending Wittenberg?
It was the birthplace of the Protestant Reformation, one of the key events of the Renaissance. Thus, Shakespeare presents Hamlet as a product and symbol of this era.
‘Ay springes to catch _______’ (1.3)
Woodcocks
‘Speak I am ________ to hear’ (1.5)
Bound
Who says ‘Speak I am bound to hear’ (1.5) and to whom does he say it?
Hamlet to the Ghost revealing a filial responsibility.
Which word (beginning with F) means the relationship between son and parent?
Filial
‘___________, ___________, O’ __________, if thou didst ever thy dear father love’ (1.5)
List
‘Haste me to know it, that I may _____ to my revenge’ (1.5)
Sweep
‘_____________ me to know it, that I may sweep to my revenge’ (1.5)
Haste
‘The ________ that did sting thy father’s life/Now wears his crown’ (1.5)
Serpent (biblical imagery)
Who is compared to a serpent?
Claudius
What are the connotations of the following: ‘The serpent that did sting they father’s life/Now wears his crown’ (1.5)?
Claudius is compared to the serpent in the Garden of Eden, a figure of deceit whose actions went against God.
‘thy __________ all alone shall live’ (1.5)
Commandment
How might you describe the tone of the ghost’s language in 1.5?
Imperative/commanding
Who says ‘I have sworn’t’ (1.5)
Hamlet
What was the name of Shakespeare’s son?
Hamnet
When did Hamnet (Shakespeare’s son) die?
1596 - approximately five years before Hamlet was first performed.
How might Hamlet have been influenced by Hamnet’s death?
Hamnet/Hamlet were the same name at the time. Some have suggested focus on father-son relationships is shaped by Shakespeare losing his only son.
‘All duties seem ______ to Hamlet’ (Van Goethe)
holy
Which critic said: ‘all duties seem holy to Hamlet’?
Van Goethe
‘Hamlet is rather an _________ than an agent’ (Johnson)
Instrument
Which critic said: ‘Hamlet is rather an instrument than an agent’?
Johnson
