ipl-logo

Hamlet Act 1 Analysis

496 Words2 Pages

In Act 1, a ghost-who is revealed to be King Hamlet-appears. He won’t talk to the guards, but once Hamlet (his son) arrives, the ghost reveals the truth about how he died. Apparently, Claudius had killed him by putting poison in his ear, but everyone believed that a snake had bit him. In Scene 3, Ophelia is told to be wary of Hamlet’s romantic advances. Laertes departs for France.

Hamlet has told Marcellus and Horatio about what the ghost had said. Marcellus and Horatio will soon go off to Bernardo to tell him what occurred. Thankfully, Bernardo does not spill the beans, but helps Hamlet to plan the revenge. The two decide to put poison into Claudius’s drink.

It was revealed in Act 1 that Hamlet was making romantic advances on Ophelia. The two end up becoming a couple shortly after. Fortinbras holds a hatred towards Hamlet, as his father was killed by Hamlet’s. Therefore, he plans to murder a man, but make it seem as if Hamlet had done it (by leaving the bloody knife in his room). Unfortunately, this plan fails, because Marcellus had seen the murder. Fortinbras is arrested, but swears revenge on not only Hamlet, but Marcellus. Meanwhile, Hamlet is preparing for Claudius’s murder. Claudius becomes suspicious of Hamlet’s odd behaviour and complains to Gertrude. She goes to question Hamlet, but he is planning Claudius 's death. Gertrude overhears what Hamlet is planning and tries to leave the room to go warn Claudius, but is seen by him. He approaches her and tries to make her swear to never tell anyone what she had heard. When she doesn’t, he stabs her to death. Ophelia rushes in the room after hearing the Queen’s screams. Hamlet turns around as she threatens to tell everyone what he had done. …show more content…

He enters it and sees blood soaking through the bed sheets. He lifts them up and sees the Queen and Ophelia, dead. Laertes is filled with deep rage and plans to find Hamlet and murder

Show More
Related
563 Words | 3 Pages

Hamlet uses the secrecy of his plan to be able to surprise the characters that are most effected by his action giving Hamlet the higher ground in conflict. Throughout this scene, Hamlet was able to hold the basis of his secrets by only telling one person of his plan, trying not to make anyone suspicious in his actions, and pushing other to do the act for him so he will not be seen as the violator unto the characters effected. Through using one true and faithful friend that he trusts, Hamlet is able to capture the necessity of making sure other don’t figure out his secret plan to make Claudius and Gertrude guilty. When Horatio arriving to see Hamlet, Hamlet explains that “there is a play to-night before the King. One scene of it comes near the

Read More
801 Words | 4 Pages

Hamlet killed Polonius right in front of Gertrude, thinking he was Claudius. (doc. C). That must have been terrifying for Gertrude; she did not deserve to witness that. Hamlet had no point to treat her in the way that he did.

Read More
701 Words | 3 Pages

Then Hamlet lies to her saying he never really loved her which made her situation worse. And she was set up to see why hamlet is acting crazy and is spied on by Claudius to see where hamlet is week. So, as you can see Ophelia is put

Read More
732 Words | 3 Pages

Laertes believes Hamlet is to blame not only for his father’s death, but also for Ophelia’s death because the death of her father is ultimately what drove her to killing herself. Once Laertes returns, he asks King Claudius who is responsible for the death of his father and is informed that Hamlet is the one to blame. Ophelia enters and reveals to everyone that she has gone crazy and ends up killing herself. Hamlet returns to Denmark and is surprised to find out that Ophelia has died. Laertes and Hamlet start fighting at her burial service and Hamlet says he wants to be

Read More
505 Words | 3 Pages

Hamlet becomes obsessed with getting revenge for his father. He makes a plan to kill Claudius. Gertrude tries to speak to Hamlet and talk some sense into him, but she has no luck. A man named Polonius, who is close to Claudius, is listening into Gertrude’s and Hamlet’s conversation behind a curtain. Hamlet hears polonius make a noise but he thinks it is the King.

Read More
1467 Words | 6 Pages

Hamlet’s mind was set on killing Claudius to get revenge on his father. While plotting to kill his uncle Hamlet, in a fit of rage, stabbed and killed Polonius while he was hiding behind a curtain. After Ophelia found out about her father 's death she became mad and decided that she could take her own life to fix all her pain. Shortly after Laertes discovered his sister killed herself, he wanted to fight and kill

Read More
1140 Words | 5 Pages

The ghost also tells him that he fell asleep in the garden and Claudius poured poison in his ear to kill him. Hamlets fear about his uncle was true after all. “O my prophetic soul!” he cries (1.5.40). After finding out all this information, Hamlet was in a dark spot that lead him to acting insane to investigate the accusations that his father had made.

Read More
796 Words | 4 Pages

Then, Laertes chooses to become a participant in the killing of Hamlet. As aforementioned, this plan for death is a success, but causes many other deaths along with Hamlet to fail.

Read More
575 Words | 3 Pages

When he learns Claudius is responsible for the death of his father, he intends to reveal this newfound information to not only Gertrude, but the rest of the characters. He is smart enough to know that she will not believe him based solely on his encounter with the ghost, and must create a trap where Claudius will reveal his guilt on his own. When the players arrive at the castle, he alters their script to mimic the king’s murder and “catch the conscience of the king” (II.ii.567). During the performance, Claudius shows signs of guilt and worry, making Hamlet’s plan a success and proving his

Read More
317 Words | 2 Pages

Hamlet: Act 1 The first act of Hamlet sets the stage for the play. In this act, we learn of Claudius’ act of poisoning his brother to marry the queen and to gain the powers acquired with being king, Hamlet’s feelings for Queen Gertrude, his mother, and King Claudius, his uncle and we see the likeness of the royal family and the family of Polonius, Laertes and Ophelia. Revealing himself as a ghost, King Hamlet divulges the information of his murder to the younger Hamlet and urges the younger Hamlet to seek revenge on Claudius. In Hamlet, Act 1, scene 2, Hamlet reveals his feelings about Gertrude and Claudius.

Read More
723 Words | 3 Pages

After the king Hamlet died, his ghost still appeared in different places of the play. The ghost wanted to talk to his son Hamlet to tell him all the truth about what happened before he died. The first thing that he said was that he did not died by a snake bite, but killed by his brother Claudius. The ghost told Hamlet to take revenge of Claudius. The second thing that the ghost told Hamlet was that he should do no harm to his mother, even though she married her husband’s murderer.

Read More
739 Words | 3 Pages

Act 1 is a considered as a turning point in the play’s plot. Yet, before defining the content of the extract or examining its form, one should highlight its context. Hamlet’s doubts are confirmed as he musters up his courage and decides to take action. The ghost speaks to him, claiming to be his father’s spirit, come to rouse him to revenge his death, a “foul and most unnatural murder” (1.5.30). Hamlet is appalled at the revelation that his father has been murdered, and the alleged spirit of the former king tells him that the only “villain” to blame is Claudius “who now wears his crown”.

Read More
1675 Words | 7 Pages

The Life After Death Suicide and homicide often have roots in a confused and unbalanced relationship between the life and the death instincts. The destructive impulses may be turned against one 's own self (suicide) or projected against an external target (homicide). Sigmund Freud, an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, proposed that each human has a life instinct and a death instinct. The death drive seeks destruction¬– life 's return to an inorganic state. The play Hamlet by William Shakespeare is one of the tragedies that is centered around death and it can never become out dated because death will forever remain one of the greatest mysteries of the

Read More
1313 Words | 6 Pages

However, Hamlet soon discovers that Claudius has been lying to him, and Claudius’ real motive is to kill Hamlet in order to exterminate all possible threats to his reign. Claudius’ role play affects the entire country of Denmark, and he convinces the people that he is the rightful king, when he is not, and has murdered his brother for the throne. Gertrude, too, takes on a role; throughout the play, she seems oblivious to her wrongdoings. She claims that she loves Claudius, and did not just marry him for political reasons.

Read More
1029 Words | 5 Pages

After the sighting of the ghost, Shakespeare introduces a grieving Hamlet, and the happy couple, Claudius and Gertrude. Claudius gives a rousing speech to the court which creates a supporting group for his rule, yet he still can not get Hamlet to fall in line with the rest of the crowd. Old Hamlet’s murder still preoccupies Hamlet’s mind, so Claudius decides to take a drastic measure to win Hamlet to his side. Claudius states to the entire court and Hamlet that, “[He is] the most immediate to our throne, and with no less nobility of love than that which dearest father bears his son do I impart to [him]” (Hamlet 1.2 113-116). By naming Hamlet as his heir, Claudius sets up the ending of the play perfectly.

Read More

More about Hamlet Act 1 Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document