hamlet question 1 - extract Flashcards
A02 - 75% A01 - 25% 15 marks - What happens before and after this extract? (think scene, then act) - Why is this extract significant to the overall development of the play and characters? - What key language, form and structure can you see in this extract?
act 1
sets up circumstances around old hamlets death and hamlets need for revenge. shakespeare has chosen to open the play with the ghost rather than title character hamlet.
act 1, scene 1
marcellus and bernardo seen a ghost on the battlements for two nights. horatio comes to investigate, old hamlet apparation appears, dressed in battle armour. hamlet explains how old fortinbras tried to conquer denmark but was killed by old hamlet
act 1, scene 2
claudius addresses the court, talks about the death of his brother. toasts to his marriage with gertrude. adresses political problems, fortinbras of norway. gives laertes permission to return to studies in france, after corination. gertrude and claudius urge hamlet to stop grieving, hamlet appalled by the new marriage and horatio reports the ghost to him.
act 1, scene 3
ophelia encouraged by laertes not to take hamlets advances seriously. polonius tells her to stay away from hamlet. polonius gives laertes advice.
act 1, scene 4
hamlet meets horatio at night to see ghost. apparation appears. ghost beckons hamlet to follow it
act 1, scene 5
ghost tells hamlet of his murder. reveals claudius poured poison in his ear whilst sleeping in the garden. seduced gertrude. instructs hamlet to get revenge. ghosts diasappears when hamlet tells horatio and marcellus not to tell anyone. ghost reappears, tells them to swear, they give their word.
act 2
hamlets actions change and the people around him observe different behaviour
act 2, scene 1
polonius employs a servant to travel to paris and spy on laertes. learns hamlet has been behaving oddly towards ophelia and physically rough. believes hamlet is sick with love, intends to reports to the king
act 2, scene 2
claudius invites hamlets childhood friends rosencrantz and guildenstern to elsinore, investigate his behaviour. polonius tells claudius and gertrude hamlet is driven to madness because of his for ophelia, reading letter hamlet sent. insists claudius and gertrude should spy on hamlet. hamlet is speakiing in riddles with hidden messages. r+g enter, hamlet tells him he knows their spying. travelling players come to cheer up hamlet, hamlet asks them to peform a moving speech “hecuba and priam”, asks to peform “murder of gonzago” for king and queen. writes a 12 line speech to be included, praises actor for connecting his true emotions, critising himself for unable to express inner feelings
act 3
climax - confirms claudius guilt from his reaction to the play. polonius is killed
act 3 scene 1
r+g report to claudius, dont know why hamlet is behaving oddly. hamlet delivers soliloquy, own existence “to be or not to be” claudius arranges meeting between hamlet and ophelia so him and polonius can hide and watch. ophelia enters, hamlet confuses her with mixed messages. insult ophelia, go to a nunnery. ophelia doesnt understand the way he treats her. claudius decides hamlet is not inlove
act 3, scene 2
hamlet wants play to “hold a mirror up to nature”, plot similar to events leading to fathers death. hamlet wants horatio observe claudius response, any guilt. a married king and queen, player king becomes sick and worries that his queen may marry again. actor enters and poisons the player king. Hamlet announces that this man plots to marry the dead king’s wife, Claudius rises in fury, storms out, gertude follows. hamlet snaps at r+g, tell hamlet to talk to gertrude, he crashes out and tells them he knows their spying. hamlet alone talks about revenge.
act 3, scene 3
claudius tired of hamlets antics, tells r+g to be ready to go to england with hamlet. alone, claudius prays on his knees, confessing murder of old hamlet. hamlet observes, decides not to kill him whilst talking to god.
act 3, scene 4
hamlet visits mother in closet, threatens her. polonius spying. gertrude sceams, polonius makes a noise, hamlet stabs him through arras with knife. suprised when polonius is behind screen. hamlet fury builds, confesses disgust at mothers marraige. ghost appears tells him not be harsh to mother. gertude cannot see ghost. hamlet demands mother change and doesnt tell claudius. reveals he knows about england. hamlet leaves with body of polonius. gertrude tells claudius
act 4
responses to hamlets actions in act 3. gertrude and claudius react different. ophelia commits, laertes returns and plans revenge with king.
act 4, scene 1
gertude still thinks theres hope for hamlet as she tells claudius, he disagrees and dispatches r+g . they find hamlet, tells them he wont obey them. tells them that claudius is using them. refuses to tell them where the body is, answers them in riddles.
act 4, scene 2
claudius worried he cant punish hamlet because denmark love him. Claudius questions Hamlet over the whereabouts of Polonius’ body, answers in riddles before saying that he will smell the corpse ‘as you go up the stairs into the lobby’. tells hamlet he must travel to england for his own “especial safety”. alone, he reveals he sent letters to england ordering “present death” of hamlet
act 4, scene 3
fortinbras orders captain of army to see danish king and claim right to march across denmark
act 4, scene 4
ophelia visits queen, doesnt want to see her but agrees. ophelia sings, claudius comes in, he and gertrude agree ophelia is sick. messangers report laertes returned, danish people want him to be king. laertres enters in rage, demanding to know about his father. sees state of ophelia
act 4, scene 5
horatio receives letter from hamlet saying hes been kidnapped by pirates but taken mercy on them. r+g gone to england. hamlet demands horatio meets him so that he can tell him shocking news
act 4. scene 6
claudius tells laertes hamlet left without being punished. news reaches claudius that hamlet is back, plots with laertes to set up duel between hamlet and laertes. laertes aims to dip his sword into posion. claudius doesnt want risks, prepare a “chalice” of poison. gertude enters with news that ophelia has drowned. laertes too deverstated to cry
act 5
tragic conclusion of play
act 5, scene 1
two gravediggers discussing whether ophelia should have christian burial knowing she killed herself. they throw out bones of other dead people and sing songs. hamlet passes this grave with horatio, shocked to see bones of dead people treated badly. one shows hamlet skull of court jester yorick. hamlet contemplates how we all turn to dust in the end. scene interuppted by royal family and laertes entering to bury ophelia. argument between laretes and hamlet when hamlet leaps into grave, they fight. hamlet leaves and horatio goes after him.
act 5, scene 2
hamlet reveals he found unopened letter claudius written ordering death in england. tells horatio he used his father seal to writw a letter ordering deaths of r+g and swapped the letters. servent invites hamlet to a duel. court comes to watch a fight. hamlet starts to apologising to laertes. the men choose their weapons. start fighting and claudius drinks wine before dropping a poisioned pearl and offers it to hamlet. hamlet refuses, during fight gertrude drinks the wine, claudius tries to stop her but its to late, gertude slowly dies. fight continues both men end up swapping swords, both wouned with poision. in rage, hamlet forces claudius to drink poision and “follow my mother”. before laetres dies, he and hamlet forgive eachother. hamlet tells horatio to tell his story to others, predicitng fortinbras will be king. fortinbras enters with army, celebrating the fact they have claimed poland, ambassadors arrive from england to reveal r+g have been killed. horatio promises t explain the chaos. fortinbras moved by hamlets story and orders a soldiers burial for the dead prince
