HAMLET
Notes on Act 1-
Notes taken from Macrat
,What you need to know.
■ The appearance of the ghost is disturbing because:
– He looks like the dead king Hamlet;
– Ghost’s only appeared when there was a crime;
– Was a sign of trouble coming related to the recen
disputes between the late king and Norway. (The
is seen wearing the armour King Hamlet wore wh
fought against Norway)
– Indicates that “something is rotten in the state of
Denmark”
Denmark is preparing for war because Fortinbras
Norway is getting ready to attack in revenge of his
father’s death and has demanded the return of th
land.
,
,■ It has been less than two months after the death of Hamlet’s father, and
Hamlet resents the fact that (1.) his mother and his uncle have married a
was considered incest and (2) the fact that they got married so quickly. (C
out the tension between the three of them)
– “A LITTLE MORE THAN KIN, AND LESS THANK KIND”
– NOT SO, MY LORD, I AM TOO MUCH I’ THE’ SUN”
,■ Claudius appears as a
caring , confident king
who has the best interest
of the country at heart,
but is this the case?
■ (Look at how he cuts
Hamlet down, attacking
his masculinity “unmanly
tears” and saying his grief
goes against nature)
, ■ Hamlet feels so depressed that
would like to take his own life bu
does not because it was a morta
and he would spend eternity in h
■ The affairs of the world seem so
to him and he is deeply disguste
his mother’s marriage. (Check h
Soliloquy “O, that this too too su
flesh…”)
■ Hamlet takes the news that his
father’s ghost has appeared as
that all is not well. It makes him
suspect that there has been som
foul play. (Hence the multiple
references to the word “foul”)
Notes on Act 1-
Notes taken from Macrat
,What you need to know.
■ The appearance of the ghost is disturbing because:
– He looks like the dead king Hamlet;
– Ghost’s only appeared when there was a crime;
– Was a sign of trouble coming related to the recen
disputes between the late king and Norway. (The
is seen wearing the armour King Hamlet wore wh
fought against Norway)
– Indicates that “something is rotten in the state of
Denmark”
Denmark is preparing for war because Fortinbras
Norway is getting ready to attack in revenge of his
father’s death and has demanded the return of th
land.
,
,■ It has been less than two months after the death of Hamlet’s father, and
Hamlet resents the fact that (1.) his mother and his uncle have married a
was considered incest and (2) the fact that they got married so quickly. (C
out the tension between the three of them)
– “A LITTLE MORE THAN KIN, AND LESS THANK KIND”
– NOT SO, MY LORD, I AM TOO MUCH I’ THE’ SUN”
,■ Claudius appears as a
caring , confident king
who has the best interest
of the country at heart,
but is this the case?
■ (Look at how he cuts
Hamlet down, attacking
his masculinity “unmanly
tears” and saying his grief
goes against nature)
, ■ Hamlet feels so depressed that
would like to take his own life bu
does not because it was a morta
and he would spend eternity in h
■ The affairs of the world seem so
to him and he is deeply disguste
his mother’s marriage. (Check h
Soliloquy “O, that this too too su
flesh…”)
■ Hamlet takes the news that his
father’s ghost has appeared as
that all is not well. It makes him
suspect that there has been som
foul play. (Hence the multiple
references to the word “foul”)
