Hamlet Act 1 Study Questions

Act One Scene One Question:

   1)       Think about someone asking the question “Who’s there?” In what ways can you interpret the meaning of “being there?”

Act One Scene One Summary: Trick or Treat

Horatio (an educated friend of Hamlet’s), is dragged out to the gates of the castle by two watchmen/ soldiers. They have been trying to convince Horatio that they have seen the ghost of the Old King (Hamlet Sr. who died two months ago). When the ghost appears Horatio, who is a logical and usually calm man, freaks out and is convinced the ghost is a bad sign- possibly foreshadowing something sinister. The prince of Norway, Fortinbras, wants to invade Denmark and take back land that was lost from the previous king, so Horatio guesses the ghost could be warning the nation of Denmark. Horatio decides that the best course of action is to tell prince Hamlet that his dead father’s ghost is roaming around.

Act One Scene Two Questions

   2)     Explain the difference between a monologue and a soliloquy:

   3)     Find two quotes that show Claudius’ fake and political personality in his opening monologue. Explain how each quote supports this assertion:

a.      

b.      

Hamlet’s first Soliloquy:

   4)     What do you notice about Hamlet’s speech in the video in terms of his body language, mood, and tone? How would you characterize him?

   5)     Read through the soliloquy and “ball-park” the text on the right hand margin. What three key topics does Hamlet cover in his first Soliloquy (133-164)?

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Rest of Scene 2 Summary:

After Hamlet gives his soliloquy, Horatio enters the room and tells him that he saw his dead father’s ghost. Not sure whether this is the truth, Hamlet decides he will stand watch at the gates the next night to see if the ghost is real.

Act One Scene Three Questions:

   6)     Read Laertes’s long monologue. What are two reasons he tells Ophelia to be cautious in starting up a relationship with Hamlet?

   7)     Do you believe that Laertes is actually concerned for his sister, or is he just a controlling brother? Why?

   8)     After Laertes tells Ophelia to remember the advice he gave her about Hamlet, she replies to him in lines 92-93 “Tis in my memory locked/ And you yourself shall keep the key of it.” What does this quote say about her relationship with her brother? What does this quote say about Ophelia’s own opinion about herself?

A Brief Summary of Scene 5:

Hamlet is joined by Horatio and Marcellus and is immediately surprised when he sees the ghost of his dead father. In order to see if it is really his ghost, or just an evil demon, Hamlet decides to follow it into the woods to speak to it. Horatio tries to stop him and states the following:

What if it tempt you toward the flood, my lord,

Or to the dreadful summit of the cliff

That beetles o’er his base into the sea

And there assume some other horrible form,

Which might deprive your sovereignty of reason

And draw you into madness?

Ignoring Horatio’s concerns, Hamlet follows the ghost and learns from it that it was Claudius who poisoned the dead king. The ghost then tells Hamlet to seek revenge by killing Claudius, but not before giving Hamlet two pieces of advice: Don’t blame your mother, and don’t lose your mind!!!

   9)     What does Hamlet make Horatio and Marcellus promise? What does he warn them about concerning his future behavior (lines 187-200)?