HamLog+Patrick

Act 1 Scene 1

Bernardo, Marcello and Horatio, three guards to a Danish castle, open the scene. During their shift, Bernardo and Marcello see a ghost, a ghost of King Hamlet. Although Horatio was skeptical at first, he confirmed the existence of the ghost with his eyes shortly after. The appearance of the ghost fuels the subsequent discussion, which touches upon how this ghost may foreshadow darkness on the horizon. Their discussion also delineates an important point–the reason why they are on guard is because the son of Fortinbrad is ready to wage war against the sons of Hamlet. The ghost appears again, but it remains silent. The scene closes as Horatio ponders over whether he should report to Prince Hamlet the oddities of the night’s events.

Act 1 Scene 2

The scene opens with King Claudius’ announcement: his nuptial to the Queen of Denmark, the former wife of King Hamlet. The Norwegians demand the return of ‘their’ land, the land that they lost whilst Hamlet was on the throne. Claudius sends Cornelius and Voltemand to resolve this issue through the methods of diplomacy. Prince Hamlet, sporting black, continues to mourn the death of his father. Claudius attempts to comfort his new step-son, however, this aggravates the emotional state in which young Hamlet is in. The Prince is disgusted by the fact that his mother had moved on so quickly and such bitterness fuels his hatred towards Claudius as well. Horatio enters the scene and he reports on the events of the previous night.

1. (1.2) : Hamlet is bitter

4. King Claudius, having attained his kingship through... ‘improper’ means, seems to be and probably is a phony (borrowing from Holden Caulfield, here). I guess the reader gets to taste deceit lingering in one’s mouth as we see a new king ascend on to the throne due to an untimely death of the former king (although this is not explicitly stated nor confirmed). This is what happened in the Oedipus plays. Creon ascends onto the throne in Antigone due to the death of both Eteocles and Polynices, the two factions vying for the throne. At the time, it seemed fishy to me. And Claudius seems to be a similar case.

“Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s death the memory be green and that it us befitted To bear our hearts in grief and our whole kingdom To be contracted in one brow of woe, Yet so far hath discretion fought with nature That we with wisest sorrow think on him Together with remembrance of ourselves.”

I felt that this was a cool line for several reasons – the way the words flow, the phrase “memory be green” and the fact that he calls Hamlet his dear brother. This line is clearly Elizabethan and Shakespearean english – I have not come across such phrasing of words in real life (unless they were renditions of Shakespeare’s plays). The words “memory be green” really stuck out because... I did not expect it. The juxtaposition of memory to ‘greenery’ was somewhat unique.

Act 1 Scene 3 Laertes is about to leave for France. Before Laertes bids Ophelia farewell, he mentions his disapproval towards the young Hamlet. He warns Ophelia to be careful around the young prince. Polonius, then, enters the scene. He urges Laertes to make haste. And as Laertes is about to board the ship, Polonius gives his son advice on life in Paris. Afterwards, Polonius inquires Ophelia on her current situation with the prince. Much like Laertes, Polonius also disapproves the relationship. He questions Hamlet's faith in his daughter and their relationship, considering he is the direct heir to the throne of Denmark.

Act 1 Scene 4

Hamlet mentions the royal tendency to party before his friends, Horatio and Mercellus. At around 12, they encounter the ghost, the ghost of Hamlet, the King. The prince demands that the ghost reveal his intentions, but the ghost remains silent. Instead, the ghost asks the young Hamlet to follow. Despite the impedance of Horatio and Mercellus, young Hamlet follows through with the ghost’s invitation. As the scene comes to an end, both Horatio and Mercellus decides to trail their King and prince.

Act 1 Scene 5

Father and son converse. The ghost reveals that it is the spirit of the former King and hence the father of young Hamlet. The ghost also reveals that he (the former King) was murdered by Claudius and demands that he takes action upon this atrocity now that he is aware of it. With this demand, the former king bequeaths his rage onto his son. Hamlet decides to obey, shocked with the unexpected news. The ghost tells Hamlet not to harm his mother. Horatio and Mercellus arrive after the ghost disappears and inquires Hamlet on what happened, however Hamlet remains silent.

Act 2 Scene 1

Polonius sends Reynaldo to Laertes’ 'college' to spy on Laertes. Ophelia comes in and tells Polonius about Hamlet’s anger and uncouth actions against her. Polonius speculates that Hamlet is depressed because Ophelia is keeping a distance from Hamlet and goes to inform Claudius about the situation.

Act 2 Scene 2 pg 1-186

Claudius and Gertrude calls over two of Hamlet’s friends to cheer up their son. Then, Claudius hears that Fortinbras will not attack this Kingdom and with this news, he is overjoyed. In midst of his elated state, Polonius enters and suggests that Hamlet’s seemingly insane behavior is due to his relationship with Ophelia. Claudius decides to test this theory out.


 * 1) Ophelia’s indifference when asked about Hamlet when asked by Laertes surprised me. I expected a more dramatic reaction from Ophelia–after all, any girl approached by a prince would show some sort of interest.
 * 2) The tension between Laertes and Hamlet, what does this portray and what does this symbolize?
 * 3) Polonius enters the crowd–without the scene in which Polonius converses with his children, Polonius would be out of the equation and by the looks of things, he seems to assist Claudius in his own political games.

Act 3 Scene 1

Guildenstern and Rosencrantz tell the King and Queen that they weren't able to fulfill their mission: find out what's causing Hamlet so much misery. Polonius and Claudius hide to spy on how Hamlet reacts to Ophelia. Ophelia follows her fathers orders and sees Hamlet come in talking to himself the line, "To be, or not to be: that is the question". When Ophelia tells Hamlet that she wants to give him back the letters, Hamlet gets angry and mocks her. After Hamlet storms out, Ophelia now really thinks that Hamlet is mad and pities him. Then Claudius and Polonius appear back from hiding and they discuss about Hamlet's madness. The opinions of Claudius and his counterpart diverge as they disagree on why Hamlet became mad: one believes that love is the reason, the other something entirely different. They plan to send Hamlet to England where he might regain his own mind again.

Act 3 Scene 2

Hamlet, alongside his entourage of actors, prepare to perform a play before his father. However, he intends his true intentions behind the play to his close associate, Horatio. Hamlet asks Horatio to observe Claudius in the beginning of the scene, while the play depicts the circumstances similar to the death of Hamlet senior. Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius and co. enter the scene and take up their seats in the theatre. Hamlet also takes his seat, next to Ophelia. The two converse in what seems to be a light but revealing conversation. The performance begins and so does the pantomime. As the course of the play makes full circle, the crux of the play (the murder scene which is supposed to depict the murder of Hamlet senior) agitates Claudius and Claudius leaves. Claudius' voluntary departure confirms Hamlet's previous predictions.

Throughout the play, much violence is done to ears. How does Hamlet’s “cleave the general ear” relate to other “ear” references? Shakespeare uses the word ear twenty-seven times in this play. Do any of these resonate with you? The followings are some of the lines that involve ear within the speech (which were found using the ‘find’ option on Firefox): "Let us once again assail your ears" "To ears of flesh and blood' "A Serpent stung me: so the whole ear of Denmark, Is by a forged process of my death"

It is obvious to the audience that Hamlet is alone onstage. What else, then, does he mean when he begins, “Now I am alone”? Hamlet declares inner and outer solitude. His external relationships with his associates have been severed. He forfeited his relationship with his former lover. He has alienated himself in order to act upon his methodic revenge.

Why is the Prince calling himself a “rogue” and “peasant slave”? Hamlet labels himself a rogue as he recognizes his plans to be along the lines of villainous. His deceitful ways have contributed in the process of the Prince earning this title. Peasant Slave is a title in which Hamlet’s views of Danish aristocracy resonates.

Hamlet compares himself to the player. What does this comparison reveal about Hamlet’s self-perception? Unlike the actor who frankly communicates what’s on his mind, Hamlet chose not to speak up despite the potential murderer of his father standing before him as the husband of his mother. This inactivity and lack of execution make Hamlet upset.

Find lines or phrases that explain why Hamlet thinks himself a coward. Do you think he is a coward, or is he acting cautiously by looking for external evidence to prove Claudius’s guilt? “Yet [he], a dull ad muddy-mettled rascal, peaklike John-a-dreams, unpregnant of [his] cause, and say nothing” (2.2. 554-557). To Hamlet, the fact that he could not bring himself to say anything affirms his cowardice. He is torn–he wants to be cautious, ever so cautious and yet his cautiousness forces onto him such a self-humiliating situation.

Character Questions (act 4)  1. What new information did you learn about your character in Act 4 that would help an actor or actress understand him or her better? When Laertes suggests that they should also apply poison on his sword, furthering his chances of finishing Hamlet off. Laertes, a minor character due to his absence, seemed to be morally upright and a caring soul. His last words to his sister Ophelia before his departure cemented a ‘good brother’ image within Laertes. The events of this act obviously suggest otherwise. 2. In each scene where your character appears, what is his or her motivation and objective? In other words, what does this person really want? He wants avenge his father’s death. He wants to kill Hamlet. 3. How does your character feel about the events in Act 4? about Hamlet? He loathes Hamlet as Hamlet is the sole reason why his father, Polonius, met an untimely death. His sister, Ophelia, soon commits suicide as well, adding onto a chain of unfortunate events for Laertes. In the mind of this man, Hamlet is the reason why his life is so screwed up. 4. What do other characters say about your character and how do they react to him? How does your character feel about other characters? Claudius and Gertrude respect Laertes as a human being. Laertes, being the son of the late Polonius, demands respect among his peers and the members of his community, it seems, and Claudius is aware of this fact. 5. How does your character affect the events of each scene in which she appears? How is she affected by the events? Laertes is at the center of the last few scenes of Act 4. Scene 5 portrays the first encounter between the fuming Laertes and Claudius after the murder of Polonius. Scene 7 depicts the revengeful Laertes, the Laertes who is thrilled to plot exactly how they (Laertes and Claudius) should murder Hamlet without raising suspicion. He is severely affected by his father’s death. 6. How is your character important to this act? In other words, do you learn something new about the plot through him? Do you gain any insights about Hamlet by comparing/contrasting him to your character? The very Laertes who advised his sister to stay away from the prince of Denmark, the very Laertes that seemed to be the polar opposite of Hamlet, is similar to Hamlet in that they both desire to avenge their father to the end. The same anger rages in the heart of Laertes as does Hamlet. 7. What questions are raised by your character's words and/or behavior in this act? 8. What was unexpected? What questions that you've previously had are answered by your character's words and /or behavior in this act? Such similitude in Laertes actions to Hamlet was not expected. I guess Laertes is only human and he is of course entitled to freely exercise his emotions. And considering the situation in which Laertes was in, his anger is only natural. However, did I expect this level of similitude? No, I did not.

Act 5 Scene 1 Scene 1 of Act 5 starts out with the conversation between the two gravediggers. The two discuss whether Ophelia deserves a Chrisitian burial. They joke around until the arrival of Hamlet and Horatio. Hamlet and Horatio ask the gravediggers for whom they are digging for but they do not give a straight up answer. Hamlet realizes, after seeing his father's very own jester’s skull, that everyone eventually turn to dust. Soon afterwards, Hamlet sees a funeral proceed and realizes that the funeral is for Ophelia. He erupts with anger and sadness and fights with Laertes in Ophelia’s grave, both claiming that Ophelia was their love. Claudius and Gertrude announce that Hamlet is crazy once more and calm Laertes down.