SCENE 1
Why is Horatio with the guards?
He is a skeptic, but the guards think that he might be able to talk to the ghost.
Explain Hamlet's family situation. How is he taking it?
It's been two months since his father died, and one month since his mother remarried to his uncle. He's so depressed he wishes suicide wasn't a sin.
What does Polonius tell Ophelia about Hamlet's flirtations?
He says that Hamlet only wants to "trap" her in a relationship.
What is Claudius doing as Hamlet and Horatio watch?
Drinking and dancing, with cannon and trumpets - a Danish custom
What is Hamlet's plan?
To fake being insane, in order to draw out his uncle.
Who are the Fortinbras characters Horatio talks about?
Old King Fortinbras, the King of Norway, and his son Fortinbras, who wants revenge
Who is Laertes? What does he want?
Laertes is Polonius' son and Ophelia's brother. He wants to go back to France.
Compare Ophelia's relationship to her brother to that with her father.
She's very close to her brother, but her father treats her like a doormat.
Why does Hamlet want to follow the ghost?
He doesn't care what happens to his body, and the ghost can't do anything to his soul. He's curious.
How do Hamlet's feelings about his mother contrast with the ghost's instructions?
Hamlet has expressed angry and resentful feeling toward his mother, and he considers her choice to marry his uncle weak. The ghost does not wish Hamlet to harm his mother in his quest for revenge; he wants her her to be judged by God and wracked by her own guilt.
What three reasons does Horatio give for the ghost's appearance?
Because it has unfinished business, because it came to warn them about something, and because it might have some buried treasure
What two things to Gertrude and Claudius beg of Hamlet?
To move on from his father's death, and not to go to Wittenberg
What does Polonius tell Ophelia to do about Hamlet?
He tells her to stop seeing him.
How do each of the characters react to the entrance of the ghost?
Hamlet is curious and wants to follow it, and Horatio and Marcellus are concerned about what will happen if he does.
How does Hamlet react to the ghost's revelations?
He vows to take swift revenge. He also notes that he always suspected something shady about Claudius.
Summarize the relationship between Denmark and Norway. What's going on at Elsinore Castle?
Elsinore/Denmark is importing weapons, increasing patrols, and making cannons. Old King Hamlet and Old King Fortinbras fought to the death for territory, and now young Fortinbras wants revenge.
What two things does Claudius discuss during the opening of this scene?
He talks about how he married the queen, and how he's going to send a message to Fortinbras' uncle, to stop his plans.
What topics does Polonius give Laertes advice about?Name one specific piece of advice.
Friendship, clothes, money, etc. He tells Laertes to be true to himself.
How does Shakespeare's ordering this scene build tension?
Horatio/Marcellus' warnings against, and Hamlet's simultaneous insistence on, following the ghost contrast to create a sense of mystery and warning.
How did Old King Hamlet die? What is his existence like now?
Claudius seduced the queen, then poisoned Old King Hamlet while he slept in his orchard. He died without repenting for his sins and now waits in purgatory.
What is one possible way to describe the tone? What is one possible way to describe the mood?
Tone: Uneasy
Mood: Mysterious, Scary
How does Hamlet react to Horatio's news?
Hamlet is pleasantly surprised to see Horatio in Denmark, and immediately believes him and presses him for more details.
Why does Laertes tell Ophelia not to take Hamlet's flirting seriously?
Hamlet is a prince and may be bound by duty to marry someone else. It will also damage her reputation.
What does Hamlet think about what Claudius is doing as he watches with Horatio?
Other countries call them drunk and insult their noble titles, and he'd prefer to ignore it. He compares this custom to a small flaw ruining an otherwise great man.
What themes have been introduced in Act One?
Reputation, and things being not as they appear.