1. Hamlet

2. Act One Scene One Analysis
BERNARDO Who's there? FRANCISCO Nay, answer me: stand, and unfold yourself. BERNARDO Long live the king! FRANCISCO Bernardo? BERNARDO He. FRANCISCO You come most carefully upon your hour. BERNARDO 'Tis now struck twelve; get thee to bed, Francisco. FRANCISCO For this relief much thanks: 'tis bitter cold, And I am sick at heart. BERNARDO Have you had quiet guard? FRANCISCO Not a mouse stirring. BERNARDO Well, good night. If you do meet Horatio and Marcellus, The rivals of my watch, bid them make haste. FRANCISCO I think I hear them. Stand, ho! Who's there? Enter HORATIO and MARCELLUS
HORATIO Friends to this ground. MARCELLUS And liegemen to the Dane. FRANCISCO Give you good night.
Looking at these opening lines, what sort of tension is being set up? What is the tone?
It is clear that Shakespeare was setting up a ________ tone in order to __________________.
Later in the scene, we discover a variety of things:
King Hamlet, Hamlet’s father fought and defeated the King of Norway and that of the Poles
The dead king’s son, Fortinbras, has raised a force of men to take back the land King Hamlet captured
The men are on the watch because they are looking out for Fortinbras men

3. Act One Scene Two Analysis
KING CLAUDIUS (I ii l. 27) 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 You, good Cornelius, and you, Voltimand, For bearers of this greeting to old Norway;
Through these lines we see that the king is settling comfortably in his new role. What do these lines reveal is happening in tandem (parallel) with the revenge play?
Through these lines, Shakespeare introduces ____________ in an effort to ___________________.

4. Act One Scene Two Analysis
LAERTES (Act I ii l.55)
My thoughts and wishes bend again toward France And bow them to your gracious leave and pardon. 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.
Through these lines, what can you conclude about the relationship between Laertes and his father Polonius? How can you tell?
On the surface it appears that _____________________. This is significant because ____________________________.

5. Act One Scene Two Analysis
KING CLAUDIUS (Act I ii l. 64) But now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son,-- HAMLET [Aside] A little more than kin, and less than kind. KING CLAUDIUS : How is it that the clouds still hang on you? HAMLET : Not so, my lord; I am too much i' the sun. QUEEN GERTRUDE : Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted colour off, And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark. Do not for ever with thy vailed lids Seek for thy noble father in the dust: Thou know'st 'tis common; all that lives must die, Passing through nature to eternity. HAMLET : Ay, madam, it is common. QUEEN GERTRUDE : If it be, Why seems it so particular with thee?
An aside is when a character turns to the audience and speaks directly to us. What is revealed in this aside? By using an aside, Shakespeare reveals Hamlet’s _____.
What do Hamlet’s mother and uncle want from him? Do they seem genuine? Queen Gertrude and King Claudius want Hamlet to ______. They do/do not seem genuine because ___.
Scene two ends with Horatio telling Hamlet that he has seen his father’s ghost and that they will meet with him that night.

6. Hamlet’s First Soliloquy
To explicate means to provide a detailed explanation and analysis of a piece of text.
Our explications will be in 2 columns: The left column will be a sentence-by-sentence paraphrase; the right column will be your in-depth analysis
You may work with your teams on this: Explicate Hamlet’s soliloquy on page 15 (Act I ii (ll )) Note: If you are in AVID, work on this during AVID tutorials, or form a group to meet during HW Central!