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He begins by acknowledging the fact that King Hamlet’s death was recent and
that for a time it was appropriate to mourn him. For the sake of the country
though, he has married the queen in spite of his sorrow. He thanks his people for
being wise and accepting him as king. He supports the idea that taking control
was necessary because young Fortinbras was trying to take advantage of the
situation by trying to get back the land Norway lost to Denmark. Claudius then
assures everyone Fortinbras is just a pest and that his uncle the King doesn’t
know what’s going on, so he will fill him in.
Then Claudius gets in some good PR by letting Laertes go back to France. At the
same time he shows the court that he is a kind and reasonable ruler.
He tells Hamlet he can’t go back to Wittenburg where all his friends are, even
though Laertes is allowed to go to France. Keep your friends close and your
enemies closer.
2) The Queen and King talk to Hamlet about his grief. What
arguments do they use to try and get him to “snap out of it.” What is
Hamlet’s response? What elements of the Elizabethan world view
surface in these speeches?
The Queen says that it’s a natural part of life for living things to die, so he needs
to accept it and be nicer to Claudius. Hamlet responds by playing on the word
“common” which can mean “average” or “normal” as Gertrude intends it, but it
can also mean “shared between to parties.” In other words, Gertrude should be
sharing in Hamlet’s grief. He goes on to say that his grief is not a show. He truly
feels grief, implying that Gertrude’s grief was just a show.
Claudius begins by saying that it’s good of Hamlet to mourn his father BUT death
is a natural part of life. It’s part of the natural order. To wish otherwise is to rebel
against the laws set down by God. Hamlet’s behaviour is unmanly, weak-
hearted, simple, unintelligent, and offensive to Heaven. By not accepting his
father’s death, he is not accepting the natural order. He’s also not accepting
Claudius’ rightful place as King which could lead to chaos. Hamlet doesn’t
respond to Claudius at all. He says “I shall in all my best obey you, madam.”
3) What does Hamlet’s first soliloquy reveal about himself, his
situation at court, and his relationship with his mother?
Don’t have sex with Hamlet. He’s just toying with you. He’ll
change his mind.
Polonius gives advice to Laertes: summarize that advice. What does the speech tell us
about Polonius?
5) Before Hamlet sees the ghost, he talks to Horatio about the court at Elsinore—what is
his main concern?
Claudius likes to get drunk and make a fool out of himself. He says the Danes
have a reputation for this abroad and he doesn’t like the fact that Claudius is
proving this to be true. It reflects badly on Hamlet.
Hamlet wonders about the nature of the ghost, as does Horatio. Summarize those
concerns. Are these valid given your understanding of Elizabethan metaphysics.
He isn’t sure whether the ghost is sent from Heaven or Hell. It’s going against the
natural order which is a signal that something is wrong in the world. Horatio is
worried it is there to tempt him to kill himself. These are valid concerns because
the natural order has been disturbed and because Elizabethans believed the
devil actively tempted people to sin.