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Hamlet by William Shakespeare Act 1 Scene ii

SETTING: The Council Chamber in the king of Denmark’s castle at Elsinore.

The setting forms a striking contrast to that of Scene i:
Scene i: the dark, bare, cold guard platform where a few lonely
figures were shivering in fear.
Scene ii: the bustle, light, warmth and festive atmosphere of the
king’s Council Chamber.
A crowd of splendidly dressed courtiers are present at the
ceremony of the newly crowned king. Claudius is the new king of
Denmark. He is the brother of Hamlet (senior) and has married
the wife of his deceased brother within a month of his death.
TIME: Later during the day, after the ghost’s appearance to Horatio and
the officers.
ATMOSPHERE: The people are gay/happy/joyous; King Claudius has been
crowned as the new king of Denmark. It is only Hamlet who
broods/mourns in the dark. His beloved father passed away and
his mother married an uncle he despises, all within the same
month.
TONE: A tone of anticipation:
 Young Fortinbras wants to wage war against Denmark.
 King Claudius and Queen Gertrude want Hamlet to decide to
stay at Elsinore Castle and not return to Germany.
 Young Hamlet despises his uncle, who is now his step-father
and the new king of Denmark.
 Horatio tells Hamlet about the ghost; they plan to wait for the
ghost to appear again.

CHARACTERS:

CLAUDIUS:
 He is the brother of late King Hamlet; he is the new king of Denmark. He has succeeded
in persuading the Danish Council of Lords to elect him to the throne and agreeing to his
overhasty marriage to his sister-in-law (Hamlet Junior’s mother).
 Claudius is a statesman and skilful diplomat. He prefers to avoid a war if he can by using
diplomatic methods.
 He is a hypocrite. He speaks lovingly of his late brother and to Hamlet Junior whom he
has deprived of his throne.
 He is also a crafty schemer. He is friendly towards Laertes because he needs the
support of his father Polonius in his secret plans. He insists that Hamlet Junior should
remain in Denmark in order to keep an eye on him.
 Claudius is sensual (loves the pleasures of the body), licentious (living an evil life) and a
drunkard – he never misses an opportunity to drink.

GERTRUDE:
 She is the widow of Hamlet, the late king of Denmark. She married Claudius, her
brother-in-law. She is Prince Hamlet’s mother.
 She is weak; she married Claudius even though she knew it was morally wrong and
against the law of the church.
 She is self-indulgent and sensual.

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 She is emotional, but her feelings are not deep/lasting.

 She loves her son Hamlet, but this love is selfish.

HAMLET:
 He is the son of Hamlet, the late king of Denmark and Gertrude, the present queen of
Denmark.
 He is rebellious and bitter. He has ignored the king’s order that the official period of
mourning for his dead father, whom he loved/admired very much, is over.
 His tone when speaking to the king and queen is sarcastic and rude.
 He is disillusioned and disgusted with humanity. He idolized his parents and his mother’s
over-hasty, incestuous marriage to his uncle whom he dislikes, has hurt him deeply.
 He becomes wide-awake when told about the ghost. He immediately grasps the
importance of this unnatural event.

POLONIUS:
He is the Lord Chamberlain, a high official who manages the affairs of the king’s household.

LAERTES:
Laertes is the son of Polonius, a student at the University of Paris.

OPHELIA:
She is the daughter of Polonius.

CORNELIUS AND VOLTEMAND:

Danish counsellors

NOTE
Hamlet, prince of Denmark, is engrossed in his studies in Germany at the University of
Wittenberg. Suddenly, he is torn from his books when he learns that his father, the king, is
dead. He returns to his childhood home, Elsinore Castle, where he discovers to his horror
that his mother, Queen Gertrude, has married his uncle Claudius - and not only that. He also
discovers that Claudius has seized the throne. Hamlet is in shock.

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ACT I
SCENE ii. Council Chamber in the castle of Elsinore.
Flourish of trumpets. Enter CLAUDIUS, king of Denmark,
GERTRUDE, queen of Denmark, POLONIUS, his son
LAERTES and daughter OPHELIA, and Prince HAMLET
dressed in black, with other courtiers and attendants.
KING CLAUDIUS
Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death
The memory be green, and that it us befitted
To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom
To be contracted in one brow of woe,
Yet so far hath discretion fought with nature
That we with wisest sorrow think on him
Together with remembrance of ourselves.
Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen, former in-law
Th’ imperial jointress to this warlike state,
Have we (as ’twere with a defeated joy,
With an auspicious and a dropping eye,
With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage,
auspicious = happy
In equal scale weighing delight and dole)
Taken to wife.
Nor have we herein barred
Your better wisdoms, which have freely gone
With this affair along. For all, our thanks.
Now follows that you know. Young Fortinbras,
Holding a weak supposal of our worth
Or thinking by our late dear brother’s death
Our state to be disjoint and out of frame,
Colleaguèd with the dream of his advantage,
He hath not fail’d to pester us with message
Importing the surrender of those lands
Lost by his father, with all bonds of law,
To our most valiant brother – so much for him.
Now for ourself and for this time of meeting.
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King Claudius addresses the court.
He says that the thought of his dear
brother’s death is still fresh in their
fresh/recent
memories, and it befitted the court,
mourn as well as the whole of Denmark, to
mourn him.
knitted together
our sense limits us
Nevertheless, common sense must
prevail over their natural sorrow.
While they mourn the dead king,
they should not forget the welfare of
Denmark.
For this reason, he has married
Gertrude, the wife of his late
royal joint ruler/queen brother. She is now the royal
partner of the warlike state of
frustrated
Denmark.
one eye smiles, one cries This marriage happiness is spoiled
by the sorrowing for his brother.
They rejoice and mourn at the
equally happy and sad
same time. Their wedding feels like
a cheerful funeral. It is as if a dirge
(funeral song) is sung on that happy
dole = grief day because they experience both
joy and grief.
He says that they did not take this
important step without freely
consulting the chief councillors of
state and they approved of the
proceedings, for which he thanks
them.
low opinion of our ability He discusses Fortinbras. He says
the young man believes that
Denmark’s military strength has
been weakened or that the country
has been divided and in a state of
thinks he’s strong confusion because of King Hamlet’s
death.
Hoping to turn Denmark’s
about weakness to advantage, he has
continually pestered Claudius with
messages demanding the return of
the land his father lost, according to
a lawful agreement, to late King
Hamlet.
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Thus much the business is: we have here writ
To Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras,
Who, impotent and bed-rid, scarcely hears
Of this his nephew’s purpose, to suppress
His further gait herein, in that the levies,
The lists, and full proportions are all made
Out of his subject; and we here dispatch all Norwegians obey king
You, good Cornelius, and you, Voltemand,
For bearers of this greeting to old Norway,
Giving to you no further personal power
To business with the King, more than the scope
Of these dilated articles allow.
Gives them a paper
Farewell, and let your haste commend your duty.
CORNELIUS/VOLTEMAND
In that and all things will we show our duty.
KING CLAUDIUS
We doubt it nothing. Heartily farewell.
Exeunt VOLTEMAND and CORNELIUS
And now, Laertes, what’s the news with you?
You told us of some suit. What is ’t, Laertes?
You cannot speak of reason to the Dane
And lose your voice. What wouldst thou beg, Laertes,
That shall not be my offer, not thy asking?
The head is not more native to the heart,
The hand more instrumental to the mouth,
Than is the throne of Denmark to thy father.
What wouldst thou have, Laertes?
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Claudius explains the reason for the
meeting of the court. He has written
King of Norway
a letter to the King of Norway, the
uncle of Prince Fortinbras. The
sick/helpless/invalid Norwegian king is a bed-ridden
invalid and evidently doesn’t know
what his nephew is planning.
course In his letter, Claudius requests the
king of Norway to prevent young
Fortinbras from carrying out his
plans because the soldiers that the
prince has recruited to fight against
Denmark are Norwegians; they are
subjects of the king. Claudius sends
Cornelius and Voltemand to Norway
as ambassadors of Denmark.
Cornelius and Voltemand will have
no power to negotiate with the king
of Norway beyond the provisions
detailed instructions set down in their instructions.
King Claudius orders them to leave
at once, saying that the haste with
loyalty to which they carry out their task will
be the measure of their loyalty to
him, their king.
Laertes has made a request.
request
Claudius tells Laertes that he
doesn’t want him to feel as if he
Danish King speaks in vain/wastes his words
(‘lose your voice’); Claudius is
willing to grant Laertes any petition
(request) made by him because of
the great respect the court has for
naturally related Laertes’ father, Polonius. (Claudius
is under a very strong obligation to
dedicated to serving
Polonius for his support in the
election.)
By giving his attention to Laertes,
the new king purposefully ignores
young Hamlet.
Laertes requests Claudius’
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permission to return to France. He

came to Denmark to attend the
LAERTES king’s coronation, but now that he
My dread lord, my respected lord (humble submission to authority)
has done his duty, he wishes to
return and humbly asks to be
Your leave and favour to return to France, allowed to do so.
From whence though willingly I came to Denmark
To show my duty in your coronation,
Yet now I must confess, that duty done,
My thoughts and wishes bend again toward France
And bow them to your gracious leave and pardon. submit for

permission and approval Claudius refers the decision to

KING CLAUDIUS
Have you your father’s leave? What says Polonius?
LORD POLONIUS
He hath, my lord, wrung from me my slow leave
By laboursome petition, and at last
Upon his will I seal’d my hard consent:
I do beseech you, give him leave to go.
KING CLAUDIUS
Take thy fair hour, Laertes; time be thine,
And thy best graces spend it at thy will!
But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son –
Polonius.
The Lord Chamberlain replies that
Laertes has pestered him so much
that he reluctantly agreed to let him
persuaded go and he requests the king to do
the same.
constant asking
Imagery: Polonius’ words play on
desire; reluctant the image of sealing a will or other
document with molten wax, upon
which a pattern from a signet ring is
stamped before the wax cools and
solidifies.
King Claudius addresses his
stepson, but the word ‘son’ seems
desire to have been unwise.
Hamlet speaks immediately and
shows little affection or respect for
his new father.
This is Claudius’ only slip/mistake.

NOTE
Before the action of the play, Hamlet was cheerful by nature. At his very first appearance in
the play, he is seen in a dark melancholy, rebellious mood in which he will remain throughout
the play.
Evidence is given that, in former days, Hamlet was witty and humorous. Now he has become
bitterly sarcastic, especially towards Claudius, Gertrude and Polonius.

HAMLET Hamlet replies bitterly that he is a

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[ASIDE] A little more than kin, and less than kind. little more than kin and less than
kind.
The word ‘kin’ can be interpreted in
two ways:
kin: of the same family
kin: of the same nature

NOTE
HAMLET (ASIDE) means that Hamlet moves to the front of the stage nearest to the
audience and says these words in a loud whisper so that the other characters behind him do
not hear him. An aside is a secret between the character who speaks it and the audience
who hears it.
These words (above) are an example of word play.
Hamlet is more than kin, a distant relative. He is now the king’s son.
Hamlet is less than kind. He hates Claudius for having married his mother incestuously and
for taking the throne rightfully belonging to him.

KING CLAUDIUS The king is surprised to see that

Hamlet is still wearing black clothes
How is it that the clouds still hang on you? and asks him why he seems to be
HAMLET surrounded by dark clouds.
Hamlet replies directly. He says that
Not so, my lord; I am too much i’ th’ sun. pun: sun/son he is too much in the sun.
This may refer to the dark clouds of
QUEEN GERTRUDE his mourning his dead father (black
Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted colour off,black clothes/depression clothes vs brightness or gaiety of
the king and his court who seem to
And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark. King Claudius have forgotten all about King
Hamlet).
Do not for ever with thy vailèd lids downcast/lowered eyes
His mother, Queen Gertrude, begs
Seek for thy noble father in the dust: Hamlet to take off the black
mourning clothes he is wearing; she
Thou know’st ’tis common; all that lives must die, universal wants him to be friendly towards the
king of Denmark, her new husband.
Passing through nature to eternity.
She tells him to stop looking for his
HAMLET dead father in the dust, with
downcast eyes.
Ay, madam, it is common. She also says that it is the law of
nature that everybody must die
sooner or later.

Hamlet agrees with her that death

QUEEN GERTRUDE is common.
If it be, his father’s death

Why seems it so particular with thee? special

His mother expresses her surprise
that his father’s death seems so
special to him.

HAMLET
Seems, madam! nay it is; I know not ‘seems’.
’Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, dark
Hamlet replies bitterly that his
Nor customary suits of solemn black, funeral clothes father’s death does not seem to be
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Nor windy suspiration of forced breath, long/deep breath or sigh of special importance, but it is a
very serious loss to him.
His dark cloak, or the black clothes
No, nor the fruitful river in the eye, abundance of tears
usually worn as a sign of mourning,
or the deep sighs and eyes filled
Nor the dejected ‘havior of the visage, depressed/sad ; face with tears, or the mournful
expression on his face are merely
Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief, the outward symbols of his grief.
That can denote me truly: these indeed seem, describe/explain These things may indeed seem to
be only acting on his part, but his
For they are actions that a man might play: pretend/put up an act inward grief goes beyond such false
pretences.
But I have that within which passeth show;
These but the trappings and the suits of woe. caught in Claudius tries again to soothe
grief
Hamlet. He points out that although
it is sweet and praiseworthy of
KING CLAUDIUS Hamlet to mourn his father so
’Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet, dutifully, he must remember that his
father had lost his father, who had
To give these mourning duties to your father: in turn lost his.
The son is obliged to observe
But, you must know, your father lost a father; dutiful sorrow and mourn the loss of
That father lost, lost his, and the survivor bound his father for some time; but, if this
display of sorrow goes on beyond a
In filial obligation for some term relating to or due from a son/daughter reasonable time, the son is being
sinfully stubborn.
To do obsequious sorrow: but to persever dutiful
It is a show of unmanly grief, which
In obstinate condolement is a course sorrow that refuses comfort proves that he opposes God’s will;
his heart has not been
Of impious stubbornness; ’tis unmanly grief; disrespectful strengthened by his faith; he is
incapable of bearing suffering; and
It shows a will most incorrect to heaven, against divine will
he has a simple, uneducated
A heart unfortified, a mind impatient, prey to emotion/self-indulgent understanding.
Everyone knows that death is as
An understanding simple and unschool’d: uneducated inevitable and as universal as the
For what we know must be and is as common most ordinary things experienced
by man. Therefore, why should we
As any the most vulgar thing to sense, be so deeply affected by it in
fretful/spiteful opposition to God’s
Why should we in our peevish opposition spiteful/bad-tempered
will?
Take it to heart? Fie! ’tis a fault to heaven, use to express disgust Hamlet is committing a sin against
heaven, the dead and nature by
continuing to mourn his dead father.
It appears absurd to anyone with
A fault against the dead, a fault to nature, common sense and reason, which
To reason most absurd: whose common theme ridiculous have always declared, ever since
the first corpse in history (Cain
Is death of fathers, and who still hath cried, killing his brother Abel), that the
habitually death of one’s father is inevitable.
The king begs Hamlet to stop this
From the first corse till he that died to-day, first corpse ever - Abel useless nursing of grief (mental
‘This must be so.’ We pray you, throw to earth obsession) and to regard him, King
Claudius, as a father.
This unprevailing woe, and think of us useless/futile Claudius then makes an important
announcement: he wants the world
As of a father: for let the world take note,
to know that Hamlet is the next heir

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You are the most immediate to our throne;
And with no less nobility of love
Than that which dearest father bears his son,
Do I impart toward you. For your intent
In going back to school in Wittenberg,
It is most retrograde to our desire:
And we beseech you, bend you to remain
Here, in the cheer and comfort of our eye,
Our chiefest courtier, cousin, and our son.
QUEEN GERTRUDE
Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet:
I pray thee, stay with us; go not to Wittenberg.
HAMLET
I shall in all my best obey you, madam.
next in line to the throne of Denmark. Claudius
wants Hamlet to be his successor.
Claudius declares that he loves
Hamlet as deeply as any father has
ever loved his son.
give to Hamlet’s request to be allowed to
return to the University of
Wittenberg is against his mother
opposite/contrary and the king’s desire.
Claudius begs Hamlet to change
his mind and stay at Elsinore.
By doing this he will bring joy and
comfort to his parents and he will
main royal person be the chief courtier, as well as the
king’s nephew and son.
Hamlet does not answer Claudius,
but waits until his mother also urges
him to stay before he agrees to do
so.

NOTE
The University of Wittenberg is in Germany. King Claudius wants to keep Hamlet close.

KING CLAUDIUS Claudius is overjoyed and offers

Why, ’tis a loving and a fair reply:
Be as ourself in Denmark. Madam, come;
This gentle and unforced accord of Hamlet
Sits smiling to my heart: in grace whereof,
No jocund health that Denmark drinks to-day,
But the great cannon to the clouds shall tell,
And the king's rouse the heavens all bruit again,
Re-speaking earthly thunder. Come away.
Exeunt all but HAMLET
Hamlet all the rights and privileges
of a crown prince.
Hamlet’s ready obedience has
agreement made the king so happy that he
decides to spend the evening
celebrating Hamlet’s decision to
merry toast stay. To show his thankfulness, the
king orders the great cannon to be
fired to announce each toast drunk
by him so that the sky can echo his
deep drink;
joy.
report
As the formal audience is now over,
echo/repeat
the king, the queen and all the
courtiers depart leaving Hamlet
alone on the stage.

NOTE
Hamlet is alone on the stage and reveals his inner thoughts to the audience in his first
soliloquy. It is the first reference to Hamlet’s idea of committing suicide.

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HAMLET Hamlet begins with the terrible wish

that his firm body would melt away
O, that this too too solid flesh would melt, by itself.
Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew, become liquid/soft
As this cannot happen, he wishes
that God did not make a law
Or that the Everlasting had not fixed forbidding suicide.
Voicing his despair, he calls on God
His canon ’gainst self-slaughter! O God! God! law; suicide
to witness that he finds this world a
How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable, tired; not fresh; of no gain tiresome, uninteresting and barren
place. It is like an uncared for
Seem to me all the uses of this world! garden in which the weeds have
stopped growing and which is
Fie on ’t! ah fie! ‘Tis an unweeded garden completely overgrown with evil-
That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature smelling, disgusting things.
‘an unweeded garden that grows to
Possess it merely. That it should come to this! weeds control
seed’: becoming much less
attractive, healthy, or
efficient
rank and gross in nature:
fertile overgrowth of vegetation
that is gross/unacceptable

NOTE
Hamlet uses a metaphor. He refers to life itself being an unweeded garden. Hamlet is in an
awful state of depression when he utters these words and feels that there is nothing in life
that is worth the pain and suffering that goes into living it. Life itself is the unweeded garden
that grows to seed; life seems to be beautiful, but is soon corrupted uncontrollably.
Hamlet addresses his thoughts on the uselessness of life several times in the play, most
notably in his “To be or not to be” soliloquy.

But two months dead – nay, not so much, not two.
So excellent a king, that was to this
Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother sun god; ½goat½man
That he might not beteem the winds of heaven
Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth,
Must I remember? Why, she would hang on him
As if increase of appetite had grown
By what it fed on, and yet, within a month –
He reveals the reason for his
sadness and despair.
His mother has married his uncle in
less than two months after his
father’s death. In his opinion, the
would not allow present king cannot stand
comparison with his late father.
King Hamlet was such a wonderful
king: he was like Hyperion (the sun
god); Claudius is like a satyr (an
ugly, lecherous creature, part man
and part goat).
His father was so loving towards his
mother that he would not allow the
winds to blow too roughly on her
face. Hamlet is tortured by the
memories of how his mother used
to cling to his father as if she loved
him more and more every day.
Yet, within a month she marries
again – the thought is so terrible
that Hamlet cannot forget it,
however much he tries.

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Let me not think on ’t; frailty, thy name is woman! –
A little month, or ere those shoes were old
With which she followed my poor father’s body,
Like Niobe, all tears – why she, even she –
O God, a beast, that wants discourse of reason,
Would have mourned longer! – married with my uncle,
My father’s brother, but no more like my father
Than I to Hercules; within a month, Roman hero and god of strength
Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears
Had left the flushing in her gallèd eyes,
She married. O, most wicked speed, to post
With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!
It is not, nor it cannot come to good.
But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue.
Enter HORATIO, MARCELLUS, and BARNARDO
HORATIO
Hail to your lordship!
HAMLET
I am glad to see you well.
Horatio, – or I do forget myself.
HORATIO
The same, my lord, and your poor servant ever.
HAMLET
Sir, my good friend. I’ll change that name with you.
And what make you from Wittenberg, Horatio? –
Marcellus?
MARCELLUS
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In his frustration, he exclaims that
all women are frail (weak – they
before cannot see the difference between
right and wrong). He continues
harping on the same theme:
Greek goddess Gertrude married again before she
has worn out the shoes she had put
capacity of
on for his father’s funeral. On that
day she was as tearful as the
goddess Niobe who cried for the
death of her twelve children.
He exclaims in disgust that even a
dumb animal would have mourned
its dead mate longer. His beloved
mother married her brother-in-law
insincere tears who is as unlike his dead father as
Hamlet himself is to Hercules
sore from rubbing
(Greek hero, famous for his
rush immense strength).
Although he tries to drive the
skill terrible thought out of his mind, it
persists in haunting him: his mother
married again before the salt of her
insincere tears had stopped
reddening her eyes sore from
rubbing.
Hamlet is angered by the speed
with which his mother hurried to the
bed of his uncle. It is an evil deed
and no good can come of it.
Although his heart is breaking, he
cannot say or do anything about it.
Horatio, Marcellus and Barnardo
enter and greet Hamlet.
Immediately, the prince’s mood
changes. He greets his friends
joyfully.
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My good lord –
HAMLET
I am very glad to see you. Good even, sir. –
But what, in faith, make you from Wittenberg?
HORATIO
A truant disposition, good my lord.
HAMLET
I would not hear your enemy say so,
Nor shall you do my ear that violence
To make it truster of your own report
Against yourself. I know you are no truant.
But what is your affair in Elsinore?
We’ll teach you to drink deep ere you depart.
HORATIO
My lord, I came to see your father’s funeral.
HAMLET
I pray thee, do not mock me, fellow student.
I think it was to see my mother’s wedding.
HORATIO
Indeed, my lord, it followed hard upon.
HAMLET
Thrift, thrift, Horatio. The funeral baked meats
Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.
Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven
Or ever I had seen that day, Horatio!
My father – methinks I see my father.
HORATIO
Where, my lord?
HAMLET
In my mind’s eye, Horatio.
HORATIO
I saw him once. He was a goodly king.
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Hamlet is curious about Horatio
being in Denmark and not at the
University of Wittenberg.
In answer to his question, Horatio
says that he is playing truant.
The prince refuses to believe that
and again inquires about the reason
for Horatio’s presence at Elsinore.
He adds that they will teach him to
drink deeply before he goes back to
Wittenberg. This is a bitter
reference to Claudius’ love of
feasting and drinking on any
occasion.
before
Horatio confesses that he came to
attend the late King Hamlet’s
funeral.
Hamlet remarks ironically that he
must have come to see his
mother’s wedding.
Horatio agrees that these two
soon after
events indeed followed quickly
upon each other.
Hamlet says bitterly that it was
merely a matter of economy. The
roast meat left over from the funeral
served cold/leftovers
banquet of his father was again
most grievous/bitter served cold at his mother’s wedding
feast – he would rather have died
and met his deadliest enemy in
heaven than to have attended his
mother’s second wedding. To his
friends’ surprise, Hamlet adds that
he sees his father.
Horatio is shocked by the prince’s
sudden declaration and asks in a
startled tone what he means.
Hamlet replies sadly that he is
picturing the late king in his
imagination.
Horatio says that he once saw King
Hamlet and that he was an
admirable/excellent admirable king.
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HAMLET
He was a man. Take him for all in all,
I shall not look upon his like again.
HORATIO
My lord, I think I saw him yesternight.
HAMLET
Saw? Who?
HORATIO
My lord, the King your father.
HAMLET
The King my father?
HORATIO
Season your admiration for a while control your astonishment
With an attent ear, till I may deliver
Upon the witness of these gentlemen
This marvel to you.
HAMLET
For God’s love, let me hear!
HORATIO
Two nights together had these gentlemen,
Marcellus and Barnardo, on their watch,
In the dead waste and middle of the night,
Been thus encountered: a figure like your father,
Armèd at point exactly, cap-à-pie, at every point from head to foot
Appears before them and with solemn march
Goes slow and stately by them. Thrice he walked
By their oppressed and fear-surprisèd eyes
Within his truncheon’s length, whilst they, distilled
Almost to jelly with the act of fear,
Stand dumb and speak not to him. This to me
In dreadful secrecy impart they did,
And I with them the third night kept the watch,
Where, as they had delivered, both in time,
Form of the thing, each word made true and good,
Hamlet Act 1 Scene ii 2019
Hamlet says that his late father was
a man in every sense of the word
and he will never see his like again,
i.e. a man equal to him.
Horatio tells Hamlet that he saw his
late father the previous night.
Hamlet is startled.
He is not ready to believe Horatio.
attentive Horatio asks Hamlet to control his
surprise. He assures Hamlet that
the two officers are prepared to
confirm what he says.
Horatio proceeds to tell Hamlet in
detail what happened the night
before.
For two nights in succession, while
Marcellus and Barnardo were on
guard duty on the guard platform, at
midnight, when everything was
quiet and the dead walk, a ghostly
figure like Hamlet’s late father
appeared to them. Wearing full
armour from head to foot, it
marched past them at a slow and
stately pace. Three times it
appeared before their troubled,
fearful eyes, walking past them
terrified within the length of its staff of
command.
short staff The poor officers were almost
turned into jelly with fear and were
therefore unable to speak of the
apparition. They reported this to
Horatio in the strictest confidence.
Horatio shared their watch with
them the night before. The ghost
appeared again, at precisely the
same time and in the exact form as
the officers had reported. Horatio
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The apparition comes. I knew your father; had known Hamlet’s late father and
the ghost looked exactly like him.
These hands are not more like.
HAMLET
But where was this?
Hamlet, highly excited, wants to
MARCELLUS know more. He asks where they
My lord, upon the platform where we watch. saw the ghost.

HAMLET Marcellus answers that they saw it

on the guard platform.
Did you not speak to it?
HORATIO Hamlet wants to know if they had
spoken to it.
My lord, I did,
But answer made it none. Yet once methought
Horatio says that he did question
It lifted up its head and did address the apparition, but it did not reply.
Once it lifted its head and moved its
Itself to motion, like as it would speak; lips as if it were about to speak, but
But even then the morning cock crew loud, at that moment a cock crowed and
the ghost vanished.
And at the sound it shrunk in haste away
And vanished from our sight.
HAMLET
’Tis very strange.
Hamlet cannot get over this
HORATIO information.
As I do live, my honoured lord, ’tis true;
And we did think it writ down in our duty
To let you know of it.
HAMLET
Indeed, indeed, sirs, but this troubles me.
Hold you the watch tonight? Hamlet is troubled. He asks
Marcellus and Barnardo if they are
MARCELLUS/BARNARDO on guard duty again that night.
They tell him that they are on duty.
We do, my lord.
HAMLET
Armed, say you?
Hamlet continues questioning the
MARCELLUS/BARNARDO three eye-witnesses about the
Armed, my lord. ghost’s appearance, what it wore
and if they saw its face.
HAMLET
From top to toe?

MARCELLUS/BARNARDO
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My lord, from head to foot.

HAMLET
Then saw you not his face?
HORATIO
O, yes, my lord, he wore his beaver up. movable front of helmet

HAMLET
What, looked he frowningly?
HORATIO
A countenance more in sorrow than in anger. face expression

HAMLET
Horatio reports that the ghost
Pale or red?
looked sad.
HORATIO
Nay, very pale.
HAMLET
And fixed his eyes upon you?
HORATIO
Most constantly.
HAMLET
I would I had been there.
HORATIO
It would have much amazed you. Hamlet wishes that he had been
there.
HAMLET
Very like, very like. Stayed it long?
HORATIO
While one with moderate haste might tell a hundred. In reply to Hamlet’s question how
long the ghost had stayed, Horatio
MARCELLUS/ BARNARDO answers that it lingered about while
one might count to a hundred
Longer, longer. slowly.
HORATIO
Not when I saw ’t.
HAMLET
His beard was grizzled, no? grey
Horatio describes the ghost’s beard
as dark and tinged with grey, just
like King Hamlet’s beard was.
HORATIO
It was as I have seen it in his life,
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A sable silvered. black streaked with white
HAMLET
I will watch tonight.
Perchance ’t will walk again.
maybe
HORATIO
I warrant it will.
HAMLET
If it assume my noble father’s person,
I’ll speak to it, though hell itself should gape
And bid me hold my peace. I pray you all,
If you have hitherto concealed this sight,
Let it be tenable in your silence still;
And whatsoever else shall hap tonight,
Give it an understanding but no tongue.
I will requite your loves. So fare you well.
Upon the platform, ’twixt eleven and twelve,
I’ll visit you.
All
Our duty to your honour.
HAMLET
Your loves, as mine to you. Farewell.
Exeunt all but HAMLET
My father’s spirit – in arms! All is not well.
I doubt some foul play. Would the night were come!
Till then, sit still, my soul. Foul deeds will rise,
Though all the earth o’erwhelm them, to men’s eyes.
Hamlet Act 1 Scene ii
15
Hamlet decides to do guard duty
bet with the others that night in the
hope that the ghost will appear
again.
Horatio assures Hamlet that the
open ghost will appear again.
make me Hamlet says that if the ghost
appears again in the shape of his
late father, he is firmly resolved to
withheld/kept secret speak to it – even if this means that
hell itself will open its large and
occur/happen
dark mouth and tell him to keep
quiet.
He begs Horatio and the officers to
repay your loyalties continue keeping this a close
secret. Whatsoever should happen
that night, they are to watch closely,
but say nothing about it to anyone.
Their loyalty to him will be
rewarded. After arranging to meet
them on the guard platform
between eleven and twelve o’clock
that night, he bids them farewell.
suspect
After everyone has left, Hamlet
again reveals his inner thoughts in
a short soliloquy. The fact that his
father’s spirit is wandering about
Exit armed, confirms his suspicions that
all is not well in Denmark. He
wishes that the night would come
quickly, but decides to be patient,
for evil deeds will be revealed even
if the whole earth tries to cover
them up.
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HAMLET Act 1 Scene ii

Questions

1. Answer the following questions:

1.1. Where does Act 1 Scene ii take place?

Act 1 Scene ii takes place in the Council Chamber in the king of Denmark’s castle at
Elsinore.

1.2. When does it take place?

It takes place after the wedding of Claudius and Queen Gertrude, when King Claudius
addresses the court.

1.3. Whose memory is still fresh in the minds of the Danes, according to Claudius?
The people of Denmark are still thinking about King Hamlet, who recently died.

1.4. Who mourns the dead king of Denmark?

The people of Denmark mourn the death of their king. The son of King Hamlet, young
Hamlet, mourns his death.

1.5. Why has the court stopped mourning the late king?
King Claudius tells the people of the court that common sense must prevail over their
natural sorrow. While they mourn the dead king, they should not forget about the
welfare (safety) of their country.

1.6. Who has Claudius married?

He has married his late brother’s wife, Queen Gertrude – the mother of young
Hamlet.

1.7. In what way is this marriage illegal?

Incest is the love between or the marriage of close relations, e.g. a brother and sister.
According to law, marriage to a brother-in-law was regarded as incest; it was
forbidden by the State and the Church.

1.8. What was Claudius’ motive to marry Gertrude?

He is concerned about the welfare of Denmark. For this reason he marries his former
sister-in-law, Gertrude.

1.9. What is her present status?

She is the queen of Denmark and the royal partner of the warlike state of Denmark.

1.10.Describe the three images used by Claudius to depict their mixed feelings of joy and
sorrow on their wedding day.
Claudius speaks of
- ‘One auspicious and one dropping eye’ – the happy wedding is spoiled by the
sorrow they have for his brother;
- ‘mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage’ – the wedding is like a cheerful funeral
and it is as if they are singing a dirge (funeral song) at the wedding
- ‘equal scale weighing delight and dole’ – they are equally happy and sad.
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1.11. Whose approval did Claudius ask before he married his sister-in-law?
He approached the chief councillors of State (Danish Council of Lords) and asked
them to elect him to the throne and also to approve of his marrying Gertrude (all for
the sake of the country’s welfare).

1.12. What was their attitude towards the marriage?

According to law, it was illegal incest; but, for the sake of the country’s welfare –
Young Fortinbras being an enormous threat – they approve of it.

1.13. What does Prince Fortinbras of Norway seem to think of the present conditions in
Denmark, according to King Claudius?
According to King Claudius, Fortinbras believes that Denmark’s military strength has
been weakened. Fortinbras may even think that the country is divided and in a state
of confusion because of King Hamlet’s death. He hopes to turn Denmark’s weakness
to his advantage.

1.14. How has Prince Fortinbras tried to benefit from the weakened Denmark?
He has pestered King Claudius with messages demanding the return of all the land
that his father, the late King Fortinbras, had lost, according to a lawful agreement, to
the late King Hamlet.

1.15. Describe in detail what Claudius has done to prevent young Fortinbras from attacking
Denmark.
Claudius has written a letter to the king of Norway, the uncle of Prince Fortinbras. The
Norwegian king is a bed-ridden invalid and probably doesn’t know what his nephew,
young Fortinbras, has been planning. In the letter, Claudius requests the king of
Norway to prevent young Fortinbras from carrying out his plans because the soldiers
the prince has recruited to fight against Denmark are Norwegians and the subjects of
the king of Norway.
(N.B. Don’t be confused. Prince Fortinbras and young Fortinbras is the same person.
King Fortinbras of Norway has passed away and his son, who is also named
Fortinbras, is referred to as the prince of Norway, Prince Fortinbras or young
Fortinbras.)

1.16. Who are Cornelius and Voltemand?

They are Danish councillors.

1.17. What powers have been given to them?

They are sent to Norway as ambassadors of Denmark, but they have no power to
negotiate with the king of Norway beyond the provisions set down in their instructions.

1.18. When are they to leave?

They must leave immediately.

1.19. How quickly are they to perform this task?

According to Claudius, the speed with which they carry out their task will be the
measure of their loyalty to him, their king.

1.20.What characteristics does Claudius reveal in planning this scheme?

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Claudius is a statesman and a skilful diplomat who prefers to avoid war if he can do
so by using diplomatic methods.

1.21. In what way are the circumstances of Prince Hamlet and Prince Fortinbras the same?
- Both Hamlet and Fortinbras are named after their fathers;
- Both Hamlet and Fortinbras’ fathers were kings.
- Both Hamlet and Fortinbras’ fathers have died.
- Both Hamlet and Fortinbras’ uncles have become kings in their fathers’ place,
denying them the crown.

1.22. What is the significance of the fact that Claudius first hears Laertes’ suit/request?
By turning his attention to Laertes first, he makes Laertes seem more important. He
ignores Hamlet in the process, making him look less important.

1.23. Why is Claudius very keen to please Laertes?

Claudius is under a very strong obligation to Polonius (Laertes’ father) because of his
support in the election to make Claudius the king of Denmark.

1.24. What does this reveal?

He wishes to win Polonius’ favour by flattering and being good to his son.

1.25. What is Laertes’ request?

He wants to return to France. He only came to Denmark to attend the coronation of
the king, but now his duty is done and he wants permission to leave.

1.26. How does Polonius feel about the matter?

Laertes has pestered him so much that he has reluctantly agreed to let him go. He
requests the king to do the same.

1.27. What advice does Claudius give Laertes?

He tells Laertes to make the best of the opportunity and expresses the wish that the
young man will make use of his finest qualities to guide him in spending his time.

1.28. Read Hamlet’s aside

1.28.1. Quote the aside with which he answers Claudius’ “my cousin Hamlet and my
son”.
“A little more than kin, and less than kind.”

1.28.2. How do you interpret this ‘aside’?

These words are an example of word play. Hamlet is more than kin, a
distant relative. He is now the king’s son. Hamlet is less than kind. He hates
Claudius for having married his mother incestuously and for taking the
throne rightfully belonging to him.

1.29. Why is Claudius surprised when he sees Hamlet?

Hamlet is still wearing black clothes.

1.30. What comparison does the king use to describe Hamlet’s sad expression?
It is a metaphor: “How is it that the clouds still hang on you”.

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1.31. Hamlet’s reply is sarcastic.

1.31.1. Quote his reply.

“Not so, my lord; I am too much i’ th’ sun.”

1.31.2. How do you interpret this remark?

This is wordplay on sun and son. He means that it is an insult to be called
‘son’ by Claudius.
While he is wearing dark clothes and feeling sad, he is standing in the
brightness/gaiety of the king and his court.

1.31.3. Explain the contrast between Claudius and Hamlet’s appearance and
moods.
Hamlet is dressed in dark clothes and is depressed/sad. King Claudius is
not dressed in black (brightly dressed) and happy (in a celebratory mood
because of his coronation and wedding.

1.32. What does Gertrude beg Hamlet to do?

She begs Hamlet to take off the black mourning clothes.

1.33. What should Hamlet’s attitude towards Claudius be, according to Gertrude?
Gertrude wants Hamlet to be friendly towards his uncle, the king of Denmark.

1.34. Quote the image Hamlet’s mother uses to describe him mourning his dead father.
She tells him not to look for his father in the dust with downcast eyes.

1.35. What is the inevitable law of nature, according to the queen?

It is the law of nature that everybody must die sooner or later.

1.36. Describe the contrast between Hamlet’s use of the word ‘common’ and his mother’s
use of the word ‘particular’.
Hamlet agrees that death is ‘common’. It is something that happens to everybody.
She is surprised that his father’s death is so ‘particular’ (special/personal) to him.

1.37. Explain in your own words what Hamlet means by saying:

‘Seems, Madam! Nay, it is. I know not seems.’
Hamlet tells her that his father’s death does not seem to be of special importance. It
is of special importance. It is a very serious loss to him. He is not pretending to
grieve. What he feels is real/strong.

1.38. What feeling does Hamlet express by saying this?

He is bitter towards her.

1.39. List the outward symbols of Hamlet’s grief as described by him.

 the outward symbols of his grief are:
 his dark cloak or black clothes worn as a sign of mourning;
 the deep sighs;
 the eyes filled with tears; and
 the mournful (sad) expression on his face.

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1.40. In what way is this description ironical?

It is a bitterly ironical description of his mother’s false grief at the funeral of his father.

1.41. What does Hamlet mean by saying:

‘I have that within which passes slowly.’
His inner grief is real/strong and he finds it difficult to stop mourning so soon. It will
take time for him to heal.

1.42. Which two words are used by the king to show that Hamlet is mourning his late father
dutifully?
Claudius says it is ‘sweet’ and ‘commendable’ of Hamlet to mourn his father.

1.43. What happened to both Hamlet’s father and grandfather, according to Claudius?
Claudius explains that King Hamlet lost his father who in turn lost his. Both died.

1.44. What are the duties of a son with regard to mourning his dead father?
The son is obliged to observe dutiful sorrow for a certain time.

1.45. List the unpleasant aspects of a prolonged period of mourning, according to Claudius.
If the display of sorrow continues beyond a reasonable time,
 the son is being sinfully stubborn;
 it is unmanly grief;
 it proves that the son opposes God’s will;
 the son’s heart has not been strengthened by his faith;
 the son is incapable of bearing suffering;
 and he has simple, uneducated understanding.

1.46. Read the following quotation:

‘must be and is as common/As any the most vulgar thing to sense’

1.46.1. What is described as that which ‘must be and is as common/As any the
most vulgar thing to sense?’
Claudius is speaking about death.

1.46.2. Explain the meaning of this quotation in your own words.

Everybody knows that death must happen. It is inevitable and as universal
as any most ordinary (vulgar) thing that man can experience.

1.47. What does one reveal if one is too deeply affected by death?
When you show excess grief, it reveals your lack of faith. You go against God’s will.

1.48. Against whom/what is Hamlet committing a sin by continuing to mourn his late father?
Hamlet is committing a sin against heaven (God), the dead and nature (the natural
course of life – aging and dying).

1.49. What has been the theme of reason throughout the ages?
Ever since the first death (the murder of Abel by his brother Cain), it is reasonable to
understand that fathers will eventually die.

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1.50. Claudius speaks of the ‘first corse’

1.50.1. Who is this ‘first corse’?

Abel is the first corpse. He was killed by his brother, Cain.

1.50.2. What ironic parallel does Claudius make by mentioning this murder?
Claudius argues that all death is natural. By mentioning the death of Abel
(the first corse) he admits that his argument is not true. Death caused by
murder is not natural.

1.51. What does Claudius beg Hamlet to do?

He begs Hamlet to stop this useless nursing of his grief and to accept him, Claudius,
as a father.

1.52. What important announcement is made by the king?

He wants the world to know that Hamlet is the next heir to the throne of Denmark.

1.53. What does Claudius hope to achieve with this announcement?

This is a clever political move. Claudius hopes to win Hamlet over by making him feel
important, i.e. by making him the next in line to becoming the king of Denmark.

1.54. What are Claudius’ feelings towards Hamlet?

While Claudius uses endearing terms to win Hamlet over, he fears Hamlet. He
doesn’t trust him.

1.55. What request has been made by Hamlet?

Hamlet wants to return to the University of Wittenberg in Germany.

1.56. Does the king grant Hamlet his wish?

No. Claudius declares that he loves Hamlet as deeply as any father has ever loved
his son. Unfortunately, he can’t grant Hamlet permission to return to Germany.
Claudius wants Hamlet to remain at the court so that he can keep an eye on him.

1.57. What does Claudius request Hamlet to do instead?

He begs Hamlet to change his mind and stay at Elsinore.

1.58. What will be the two important consequences of Hamlet’s decision?

If Hamlet chooses to stay, he will bring joy and comfort to his parents and he will be
the chief courtier.

1.59. How does the king react to Hamlet’s decision?

Claudius is overjoyed and offers Hamlet all the rights and privileges of a crown prince.

1.60. How will Claudius’ joy be celebrated?

The great cannon will be fired to announce each toast drunk by King Claudius so that
the sky can echo his joy.

1.61. What does Hamlet reveal in his first soliloquy?

He reveals his inner thoughts to the audience.

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1.62. Which two wishes does Hamlet express?

He wishes that his firm body would melt away by itself.
He wishes that God did not make a law forbidding suicide.

1.63. Quote two lines from the play, which reveal Hamlet’s world-weariness.
“How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable
Seem to me all the uses of this world.”

1.64. What image does he use to describe ‘this world’?

He describes the world as an uncared for garden.

1.65. For what reason is Hamlet so sad?

Before his return to Elsinore, his mother married his uncle. This was done less than
two months after his father’s death.

1.66. Describe and explain the image used by Hamlet to compare his late father and his
uncle Claudius.
His father is like Hyperion, the sun god. Hyperion was the most striking and the most
handsome of all the gods. Claudius is like Satyr. Satyr is an evil god of the woods and
the ugliest of all gods. He is part man, part goat.

1.67. Give a complete account of the relationship between Hamlet’s late father and his
mother.
His father was so loving towards his mother that he would not allow the winds to blow
too roughly on her face. His mother used to cling to his father as if she loved him
more and more every day.

1.68. How had he regarded his parents?

To Hamlet, his father and mother were the ideal married couple. He loved both of
them very greatly. Each of them was a model of human perfection to him. This is what
makes it so hard for him to understand his mother’s sudden marriage. To him it
means that his mother’s love for his father was false because she now acts in the
same way with another man.

1.69. What terrible thought does Hamlet find unforgettable?

Hamlet finds it hard to understand his mother’s sudden marriage.

1.70. What effect did his mother’s second marriage have on him?
To him the second marriage means that his mother’s love for his father was false
because she now acts in the same way with another man.

1.71. What is incest?

Incest is the love between or the marriage of close relatives, e.g. a brother and sister.
Claudius is Gertrude’s brother-in-law. The marriage of a woman with her dead
husband’s brother was regarded as incestuous by both the Protestant and the Roman
Catholic churches.

1.72. How does Hamlet regard all women?

Women are frail, i.e. morally weak: they cannot see the difference between right and
wrong.

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1.73. Describe the following images in your own words:

1.73.1. the ‘shoe’ image

Gertrude married again too soon after his father’s death. She married before
she had worn out the shoes she had put on for his father’s funeral.

1.73.2. the ‘Niobe’ image

His mother cried so much at his father’s funeral. She was like the goddess
Niobe who cried when her twelve children had died.

1.74. In what way would an animal have been more sincere than Hamlet’s mother,
according to Hamlet?
Hamlet feels that even a dumb animal would have mourned the death of its mate
longer than his mother had mourned the death of his father.

1.75. What comparison does Hamlet draw between his dead father and Claudius?
His dead father and Claudius are so unalike as he, Hamlet, is to Hercules – a strong
Greek hero.

1.76. Describe the ‘tears’ image used by Hamlet to describe his mother’s short period of
mourning.
She married again before the salt of her insincere tears had stopped reddening her
eyes, which were sore from crying.

1.77. What premonition does Hamlet feel with regard to his mother’s evil second marriage?
He feels that no good can come of it.

1.78. What does he decide to do about it?

Although his heart is breaking, there is nothing he can say or do about it, so he
suppresses his thoughts/feelings.

1.79. In what way does Hamlet’s mood change when Horatio enters?
He becomes cheerful.

1.80. Why is Hamlet surprised to see Horatio?

Horatio is supposed to be in Germany at the University of Wittenberg.

1.81. What explanation does Horatio give for being there?

He tells Hamlet that he is playing truant.

1.82. What sarcastic reference does Hamlet make with regard to life at the Danish court?
He tells Horatio that they will teach him to drink deeply before he returns to Germany.
This is a bitter reference to Claudius’ love of feasting and drinking on any occasion.

1.83. What is the real reason why Horatio has come to Elsinore?
He is there because he attended the funeral of King Hamlet.

1.84. What ironic comment does Hamlet make on Horatio’s explanation?

Hamlet remarks ironically that he must have come to see his mother’s wedding.

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1.85. Explain Hamlet’s sarcastic reference to ‘Thrift, thrift, Horatio!’ in your own words.
Hamlet says bitterly that it was merely a matter of economy: the roast meat left over
from the funeral banquet of his father was again served cold at his mother’s wedding
feast.

1.86. What wish does Hamlet express with regard to his mother’s second marriage?
He would rather have died and met his deadliest enemy in heaven than to have
attended his mother’s second wedding.

1.87. Which remark of Hamlet’s shocks Horatio?

He says that he sees his father.

1.88. What does Hamlet reply with regard to his friend’s startled question about King
Hamlet?
Hamlet tells him sadly that he is picturing the late king in his imagination.

1.89. What is Horatio’s opinion of the late king of Denmark?

Horatio says that he once saw King Hamlet and that he was an admirable king.

1.90. How does Hamlet describe his late father?

Hamlet remarks that his late father was a man in every sense of the word and he will
never see his like again.

1.91. How does Hamlet react when Horatio tells him that he saw his father the previous
night?
Hamlet is startled and not willing to believe Horatio.

1.92. List all the questions that Hamlet asks Horatio about the ghost: its appearance, what it
did, etc.
 Where did he see the ghost?
 Did he speak to it?
 What did it wear?
 Did he see its face?
 Was it pale or red?
 Did the ghost look at Horatio?
 How long did the ghost stay?
 Was its beard grey?

1.93. Why did Horatio not get an opportunity to speak to the ghost?
The cock crowed and the ghost vanished.

1.94. How long did the ghost stay, according to Horatio?

Horatio answers that it lingered about while one might count to a hundred slowly.

1.95. What makes Hamlet decide to stand guard duty with Horatio and the officers that
night?
When Horatio describes the ghost’s beard, Hamlet decides to stand watch with them.

1.96. What is Hamlet’s motive for doing this?

He is resolved to speak to it.

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1.97. What danger is Hamlet ready to face in order to speak to the ghost?
The danger is hell opening its mouth and telling him to be quiet.

1.98. Which two events are Horatio and the officers to keep secret?
They must not speak about seeing the ghost.
Whatever happens that night, they must also not speak about it.

1.99. What does Hamlet promise to do with regard to his friends’ loyal support?
He promises that their loyalty to him will be rewarded.

1.100. What arrangements do they make for meeting that night?

They arrange to meet on the guard platform between eleven and twelve o’clock.

1.101. What does the appearance of the ghost in armour imply, according to Hamlet?
The fact that his father’s spirit is wandering around full armour confirms his suspicions
that all is not well in Denmark.

1.102. Why does he wish that the night would come quickly?
He wishes that the night would come quickly.

2. Relate each of the following quotations from Act 1 Scene ii to its context.

2.1. “Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen,

The imperial jointress to this warlike state,
Have we, as ’t were with a defeated joy,
With one auspicious and one dropping eye,
With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage,
In equal scale weighing delight and doel
Taken to wife.”

a) Who says these words? Claudius

b) To whom are the words said? The court
c) Of whom and what are the words said? Queen Gertrude and their wedding.
d) When and where are these words said? It is in the castle court at Elsinore after
the wedding.
e) To whom does the speaker refer by using plural pronouns such as ‘our’, ‘we’, etc.?
It is the royal plural, which includes his wife, the queen. Instead of saying ‘I’, ‘me’,
‘mine’, he says ‘we’, ‘our’ and ‘ours’.
f) Who has the speaker consulted before taking this step? He consulted the chief
councillors of State.
g) For what reason has the speaker ‘taken to wife’ the person of whom he is talking?
He has married Queen Gertrude because he is concerned about the welfare of the
country.

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2.2. “He hath not failed to pester us with message,

Importing the surrender of those lands
Lost by his father, with all bonds of law,
To our most valiant brother.”

a) Who says these words? Claudius

b) To whom are the words said? The court
c) Of whom and what are the words said? King Claudius is talking about Prince
Fortinbras. Young Fortinbras wants King Claudius to return the land that his father,
King Fortinbras, had lost to King Hamlet.
d) What is meant by “pester” and who is the “us”? Pester is a negative word. It
connotes that young Fortinbras is troublesome/bothersome. He continuously
sends messages (pester) to King Claudius (“us” – the royal plural). These
messages upset/anger King Claudius.
e) For what purpose does the person “pester”? Young Fortinbras wants to regain
land that he feels rightfully belongs to his country. He does this with confidence
because he believes that Denmark’s military strength has been weakened; the
country has been divided and in a state of confusion because of King Hamlet’s
death.
f) What are the “bonds of law”?
Young Fortinbras hopes to turn Denmark’s weakness to advantage, demanding the
return of the land his father lost, according to a lawful agreement, to late King
Hamlet.
g) Who is the “valiant brother”? King Hamlet, the deceased brother of King Claudius.

2.3. “You cannot speak of reason to the Dane,

And lose your voice.”

a) Who says these words? Claudius

b) To whom are the words said? Laertes
c) Explain each of the following words.
i) reason: speak
ii) the Dane: King Claudius
iii) lose your voice: waste words
d) Why is the person who speaks these words so willing to listen/help? King
Claudius doesn’t want Laertes to feel as if he cannot approach the king to
speak to him. He wants Laertes to feel that what he has to say to the king is
considered important. The only reason why King Claudius is willing to grant
Laertes anything he asks for is because
 the court has great respect for Laertes’ father, Polonius, and King Claudius
wants to stay in the court’s favour;
 Polonius supported him in the election to become king and now Claudius
feels he is indebted to him.

2.4. “I have that within which passeth slow;

These but the trappings and the suits of woe.”

a) Who says these words? Hamlet

b) To whom are the words said? He speaks to his mother, Queen Gertrude.
c) Explain this quotation in your own words? Hamlet’s inner grief is real/strong. He
finds it difficult to stop mourning so soon. The death of his father is a very serious
loss to him and it will take a long time for him to heal. His dark cloak, or black
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clothes, his deep sighs and eyes filled with tears, or the mournful expression on
his face are merely outward symbols (trappings and the suits of woe). True
suffering is inside him.

2.5. “Fie! ’Tis a fault to heaven,

A fault against the dead, a fault to nature,
To reason most absurd.”

a) Who says these words? King Claudius

b) To whom are the words said? He speak to Hamlet.
c) To what does the word “’Tis” refer? Hamlet is still mourning the death of his father.
d) What has been the ‘common theme’ of reason, according to the speaker?
Everyone knows that death is as inevitable and as universal as the most ordinary
things experienced by man. Therefore, why should we be so deeply affected by it
in fretful/spiteful opposition to God’s will? Hamlet is committing a sin against
heaven, the dead and nature by continuing to mourn his dead father. It appears
absurd to anyone with common sense and reason, which have always declared,
ever since the first corpse in history (Cain killing his brother Abel), that the death
of one’s father is inevitable.

2.6. “It is most retrograde to our desire:

And we beseech you, bend you to remain
Here, in the cheer and comfort of our eye…”

(a) Who says these words? King Claudius

(b) To whom is he speaking? Hamlet
(c) To what does the word ‘It’ refer? Hamlet’s decision to return to the University of
Wittenberg in Germany.
(d) What does retrograde mean? It means opposite or contrary.
(e) To which place does the word ‘Here’ refer? Elsinore Castle/Denmark
(f) Explain in your own words what ‘bend you to remain’ means. To bend suggests
flexibility. Claudius wants Hamlet to be flexible in his thinking. He wants him to
change his mind and not leave again.
(g) What is the speaker’s hidden motive for wishing the person addressed to ‘remain/
Here’? Claudius fears Hamlet and wants him to remain at the court so that he can
keep an eye on him.
(h) What does the speaker mean when he says ‘cheer and comfort of our eye’? If
Hamlet chooses to stay, the king and queen will be happy and comforted to see
him every day.
(i) Explain each of the following words/phrases.
i) retrograde: opposite/contrary
ii) bend you: consent
iii) cheer and comfort: joy and relief

2.7. “in grace whereof

No jocund health that Denmark drinks today,
But the great cannon to the clouds shall tell.”

a) Who says these words? Claudius

b) What does the speaker wish to honour? King Claudius wishes to honour Hamlet’s
decision to stay by celebrating it.

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c) How does he propose to celebrate? To show his thankfulness, the king orders that
the great cannon is fired to announce each toast drunk by him so that the sky can
echo his joy.
d) To what/whom does the word ‘Denmark’ refer? King Claudius
e) What does this prove about the speaker’s habits? He never misses an opportunity
to drink.

2.8. “’tis an unweeded garden

That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature,
Possess it merely!”

a) Who says these words? Hamlet

b) To what does the word “’Tis” refer? The world
c) How does the speaker feel? He is in a state of miserable despair.
d) Which TWO wishes has the speaker expressed just before saying this?
 He wishes that his firm body would melt away by itself.
 He wishes that God did not make a law forbidding suicide.
e) Explain each of the following words as used in this context:
f) What does the word ‘merely’ mean in this context? Although Hamlet
accepts weeds as a natural part of the garden (and more
generally a natural part of life), he feels that the weeds have
grown out of control and now possess nature entirely (merely =
entirely).

2.9. “O, most wicked speed, to post

With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!
It is not, nor it cannot come to good.
But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue.”

a) Who says these words? Hamlet

b) When does he speak these words? Hamlet speaks these lines after enduring the
unpleasant scene at Claudius and Gertrude’s court, then being asked by his
mother and stepfather not to return to his studies at Wittenberg but to remain in
Denmark, presumably against his wishes.
c) To what does the word ‘speed’ refer?
Hamlet refers to the rash/quick marriage between his mother and Claudius.
d) On what is the speaker’s premonition of coming evil based (line 3)?
Hamlet’s premonition of coming evil is based entirely on his mother’s
unfaithfulness to the memory of his late father.
e) Explain line 4 and its consequences.
Hamlet's heart is heavy because he must keep his anguish to himself. The fact
that Hamlet has to suppress his thoughts and feelings throughout the play leads to
his downfall.

2.10. “Season your admiration for a while.

With an attent ear, till I may deliver
Upon the witness of these gentlemen
This marvel to you.”

a) Who says these words? Horatio

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b) To whom and of what are the words said? Horatio is telling Hamlet about the
ghost.
c) Explain each of the following phrases in your own words.
i) Season your admiration: control your astonishment
ii) these gentlemen: Marcellus and Barnardo (who
were on guard duty when the ghost appeared)
iii) This marvel: the appearance of the ghost that
looks like King Hamlet

2.11. “Yet once methought

It lifted up its head and did address
Itself to motion, like as it would speak…”

a) Who says these words? Horatio

b) To whom are the words said? Hamlet
c) To what does the phrase ‘It’ refer? The ghost
d) What prevented ‘It’ from speaking? The ghost was prevented from speaking when
a cock crowed.
e) What happened to ‘It’ immediately afterwards? The ghost vanished.

2.12. “If you have hitherto concealed this sight,

Let it be tenable in your silence still,
And whatsoever else shall hap tonight
Give it an understanding, but no tongue.”

a) Who says these words? Hamlet

b) To whom are the words said? Horatio, Marcellus and Barnardo
c) To what does ‘this sight’ refer? The next appearance of the ghost
d) What does the speaker want them to do about their plans of the coming night?
Whatever happens that night, pertaining to the appearance of the ghost, he wants
them to remain quiet about it; they must keep it a secret.
e) What does he promise to do? Their loyalty to him will be rewarded.
d) Explain each of the following phrases in your own words.
i) be tenable in your silence: withheld in silence/kept secret
ii) an understanding: observe what happens
iii) no tongue: do not speak about it

2.13. “I doubt some foul play. Would the night were come!
Till then, sit still, my soul. Foul deeds will rise,
Though all the earth o’erwhelm them, to men’s eyes.”

a) Who says these words? Hamlet

b) What news received by the speaker has caused him to suspect foul play? The
news about his father’s ghost wandering about armed confirms his suspicions that
all is not well in Denmark.
c) Why does he wish the night would come? He is impatient to see if there is any
truth in what Horatio has told him about his father’s spirit.
d) Explain the last sentence in lines 2-3. Evil deeds will be revealed even if the whole
world tries to cover them up.

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