Month: October 2015

In this scene Polonius is talking to his servant Reynaldo about sending him to Paris to spy on Laertes. He tells him to ask danes to gather information about him and to find out his reputation. Polonius even encourages Reynaldo to spread lies about Laertes in order to ‘entrap’ him, after this, Reynaldo leaves to his pursue his duty. Opehlia then enters to inform her father Polonius about her horrifying experience with prince Hamlet. Polonius assumes this is an act of madness of love Opelia obeyed her fathers commands. He decides to take the information his daughter has just given him to the king.

The scene is set outside the walls of the castle of Elsinore in which  Hamlet follows the ghost that admits he is the spirit of King Hamlet. He says he has a short amount of time before he has to return to purgatory.He also says he cannot explain how purgatory is as it is too ‘evil’, he says it would “would harrow up thy soul, freeze thy young blood”. He tells the young prince, Hamlet, that he must avenge his murder and that tells him that during his sleep Claudius crept up on him and poured a lethal poison into his ear which killed him.

In Polonius’s house Laertes is preparing to leave for France. He bids his sister, Ophelia, a farewell but also warns her against falling in love with Hamlet as he believes he is much older than her and cannot love her honorably. Ophelia agrees to keep Laertes as a “watchman” but calls out his irony and urges him not to give advice he does not practise himself.

act 1: scene 2

The day after Horatio had seen the ghost of his father, King Claudius gives a speech to his courtiers explaining his recent marriage to Horatio’s mother and recently widowed, Gertrude. The new king Claudius asks Horatio why “the clouds still hang” upon him as he is wearing mourning clothes. After a calm but heated discussion, Horatio expresses to himself the desire for his existence to be non-existent.

It is a dark winter outside Elsinore castle in Denmark, a watch guard named Bernardo arrives to replace another watch-guard Francisco. Bernardo is joined by Marcellus, another watchman and Horatio, a friend of prince Hamlet. In hushed tones Bernardo and Marcellus discuss about the apparition that has been appearing for two days in a row. Horatio is skeptical of this but the ghost suddenly appears in front of the men and vanishes. Stunned, Horatio admits that the spectre indeed had a strong resemblance to his father, the dead King of Denmark. He even wore the same armour he wore against the armies of Norway. The ghost appears for a second time and Horatio tries to speak to it but the sound of a cockerel alerting that dawn is almost upon them makes the spectre disappear. Horatio believes that even though the ghost did not speak to him, he believes that next time it will speak to him.

act 1 scene 4.

Horatio, Hamlet and Marcellus are on a midnight watch. Whilst on guard Hamlet and Horatio look out of the window to see the King carousing drunkenly, Hamlet is disgusted by this. The ghost appears, which terrifies Hamlet. He says “be thou a spirit of health or goblin damn’d, bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell, be thy intents wicked or charitable” Translation: “is this a friendly ghost? or an evil spirit sent from hell?” The ghost beckons Hamlet to follow it but Horatio and Marcellus tells him not to go. He tells Hamlet “You shall not go, my lord” as they think the ghost could drive Hamlet insane or making him walked off a cliff. Either way Hamlet still follows the ghost for a private conversation.