Hamlet acts 1,2&3

Hecuba -queen of troy/trojans
Priam -Hecubas husband, killed by Pyrrhus
Pyrrhus -great Greek warrior, kills Priam
How does the player react while he describes Hecuba’s behavior after Priam’s murder? -As he is reciting the speech, the player gets so into it he starts crying, polonius stops the player bc he is crying (polonius is not the brightest)
Explain Hamlet’s meaning when he states, “What’s Hecuba to him or he to Hecuba/That he should weep for her.” -Th player is capable of faking emotions, why can’t hamlet get revenge on his uncle (taking action), the player knows nothing about this woman but is crying over her
How does the line, “The play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King” epitomize Hamlet’s plans and his reasons for such plans? -Hamlets plan is to see if the king will be guilty (murder of Gonzago) similar to what the ghost said about his death, the play is similar to what Claudius did to his father
How does Claudius’ aside reveal the depth of his character? -Claudius shows that he has a conscience (FOR THE FIRST TIME), he is guilty about something (doesn’t say) (married Gertrude, spying on his nephew, putting Ophelia on the line, killed his brother)
Explain the following lines from Hamlet’s most famous soliloquy: “To be or not to be” “Ay, there’s the rub” “The undiscovered country” What are the “remembrances” to which Ophelia refers? What does she do with them? How does Hamlet react? -Hamlet is contemplating living, (being/or acting), sleep is to death as Dream is to afterlife, “ay, there’s the rub” (there’s the catch/problem/hitch) to this plan, who would want to live if u can escape this horrible place, the reason we don’t is the fear of the afterlife “undiscovered country.”///Ophelia is giving hamlets love letters/gifts you gave me, hamlet denies ever giving them to her, you gave them to me with great words, professed love to me,
What comment does Hamlet make regarding “honesty” and beauty? What dramatic statement does Hamlet make regarding his relationship with Ophelia? Why does he say to her, “Get thee to a nunnery”? -honesty was more than just truthfulness (purity/virginal) hamlet says “are you pure?” “Are you fare” honesty & beauty can’t go together, beauty corrupts purity, he said he did love her once (dramatic statement) , he asks where her father is ///don’t want to breed sinners like yourself, purify yourself (nunnery)
Explain the effect of Hamlet’s final comment to Ophelia, “Those that are married already, all except one, shall live.” -marriage is terrible, no more, people that are already are fine, except for one. Claudius is the only one he wouldn’t let live
Explain Ophelia’s lines: “O what a noble mind is here o’erthrown/The courtier’s, soldier’s, scholar’s, eye, tongue, sword” “O woe is me/To have seen what I have seen, see what I see” -She is saying it’s so sad, the man she once loved has lost his mind, hamlet can say whatever he wants & gets away, polonius says “love?” This was the opposite
Describe Claudius’ immediate reaction to the spy scene just after Hamlet leaves. -Claudius says this is not love, hamlet never loved Ophelia
What is Polonius’ next spy scene proposal? -Let’s try one more thing, after the play let Gertrude (his mother) speak to him, maybe she could figure out, let me listen to the conversation (bc he is nosy), his reasoning is she is his mother, she might be partial to him
Why does Shakespeare include this scene where Hamlet is coaching one of the players? -Anytime Shakespeare refers to a play/players, emphasizes the power of his art form, why is hamlet coaching, reality needs to be seen within, the idea of the play is like a mirror, a play is suppose to reflect the real world
What do we learn about Horatio here? What is Hamlet asking him to do? -He knows what the ghost told hamlet (Shakespeare never wrote a scene that shows Horatio know) hamlet confided in his friend Horatio.
Why does Hamlet refer to himself as a “chameleon” when speaking with Claudius? p -They blend in. A chameleons tongue is very fast, hamlet is gonna be so quick & so fast he is going to catch Claudius.
What is a dumb show? What happens during this particular one? -Without sound. A pantomime as the play as a whole a prologue without saying any lines. Someone poisons the king, new king steals the wife, pours poison in the king’s ear, dead body is carried away
Explain the Player Queen’s lines here and Hamlet’s succeeding reaction, “Wormwood, wormwood.” -A queen should not re marry if her husband dies, only time that happens is the queen killed the king, “wormwood”- that’s harsh,
Why does Gertrude say, “The lady protests too much, methinks”? -Let me have pain & strike if I should ever remarry.-answer: the lady is over doing it, her way of saying that the lady is making her feel uncomfortable, remarrying her brother in law& the murder, other say she’s bored with the play, more matter less art
How does Claudius react to the play? How does this reaction affect Hamlet’s state of mind? -Claudius has an outburst. Hamlet has a rush of energy & makes him realize the ghost is his father
What is a recorder? How does Hamlet use this device metaphorically with regard to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? -Hamlet is claiming that they’re playing him but can’t play a flute. Confronts them & makes it clear that he knows they’re trying to play him & spying on him.
After Hamlet speaks to rosencrantz and Guildenstern it causes… -a turn in the play, previously it was an indirect play now everything is very direct & action.
How is Claudius’ behavior while alone significant? What do we learn about his character here? Why is he unable to pray? -He is struggling with guilt. He wants to be forgiven (killing his brother). He is not willing to give up everything to own up to it, at the end he says that he’ll try.
Why does Hamlet decide not to kill Claudius here? -He is praying at that moment, by killing him then he would go to heaven bc he is confessing his sins freeing his conscience.
Explain the ironic nature of Claudius’ comment, “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below,/Words without thoughts never to heaven go” -Claudius can’t ask for forgiveness, he is not willing to purify his soul. Hamlet should’ve killed him.
How does Hamlet react immediately after killing Polonius? -A bloody deed. He accuses his mother of killing the king. He wishes it was the king but then says it was for his own good because he was eavesdropping.
Explain the significance and effect of Hamlet’s comment to his mother when he says, “Almost as bad, good mother, as kill a king and marry with his brother.” How does Gertrude react to Hamlet’s statement here? Does her reaction offer any further insight into her character? -She apologizes for marrying his uncle. Did she know about the murder or was she involved or does she have no idea