| Seems, madam! Nay, it is; I know not “seems” | Hamlet to Gertrude Regarding the reality and depth of Hamlet’s grief |
| Frailty, thy name is woman! | Hamlet in his soliloquy about suicideReflects misogyny as a result of Gertrude’s actions following King Hamlet’s death |
| This above all — to thine own self be true; And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man | Polonius to Laertes, Giving him life advice before he leaves for France |
| A little more than kin, and less than kind. | Hamlet in aside while with ClaudiusCommunicates his displeasure about Claudius marrying his mother |
| Something is rotten in the state of Denmark | Marcellus to HoratioBelieving the appearance of the apparition foreshadows future conflict in Denmark |
| Our sometime sister, now our Queen | Claudius in beginning speechHighlights the dual relationship between Claudius and Gertrude |
| O, that this too too solid flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew | Hamlet in his soliloquy about suicideIndicates he’s so depressed he wishes he could disappear |
| Thrift, thrift, Horatio! The funeral bak’d meats Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables. | Hamlet to HoratioIllustrating that the marriage between Claudius and Gertrude came very soon after King Hamlet’s funeral |
| Do not, as some ungracious pastors do, Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven, Whiles, like a puff’d and reckless libertine, Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads. And recks not his own rede. | Ophelia to LaertesIn response to his advice about staying virginal and away from Hamlet |
| My hour is almost come When I to sulphrous and tormenting flames Must render up myself. | Ghost to HamletIndicating King Hamlet spends his days in purgatory |
Hamlet Quote Review, Act I
July 10, 2019