Hamlet kicked off to a great start this week. Shakespeare is obviously one of the greatest writers from history but even by his standards, I think the pacing we've seen in Hamlet so far is masterfully done.

I haven't read this play in full before, so I'm excited to see how it goes. I know bits and pieces about it, from both college and just literature in general but for the most part I'm reading it with fresh eyes.

Next week we will be reading all of Act 3 and up to the end of scene 5 in Act 4.

As usual, the questions will be in the comments.

Summary:

Act One:

Scene I

The play begins with two soldiers bringing Horatio, a friend of Prince Hamlet’s, to witness the appearance of a ghost. Every night for the past few nights the ghost of the late king has appeared in the same place. At first, Horatio is skeptical, but once the ghost shows up, he quickly overcomes his shock and begins asking it questions. However, the ghost is reluctant to speak. Horatio nearly gets an answer from it but is interrupted by the dawn.

Scene II

In the next scene, we meet a few new people. Firstly, we meet Laertes, the son of Polonius (the lord chamberlain) who seeks permission to return to his studies in Paris. We also meet Hamlet, as well as his mother, Queen Gertrude, and his uncle (who has taken up the mantle of king and married the former king’s widow). Hamlet is chastised by his mother and uncle/step-father for still grieving his father… even though we soon find out that the late king is dead less than two months. Gertrude convinces Hamlet to hold off on returning to Wittenberg for his studies. The scene ends with Horatio finding Hamlet and convincing him to come and see the ghost during the coming night.

Scene III

The third scene features the children of the Lord Chamberlain; Laertes, and Ophelia. Laertes advises Ophelia to be careful of her behaviour around Hamlet: it appears that a flirtation exists between the two of them. As there is no formal engagement (and one is not likely to happen), Ophelia must be careful of her ‘virtue’. Their father, Polonius, arrives, bids goodbye to his son and then echoes Laertes’ advice to Ophelia.

Scenes IV and V

The act ends with Hamlet witnessing the ghost of his father. The ghost offers to speak to him, but Hamlet must leave the soldiers and Horatio behind. In a moment of rashness, Hamlet follows the ghost and learns that his father was murdered by his uncle. The ghost urges Hamlet to take revenge on his uncle, but also warns him not to hurt his mother.

Horatio and the guards catch up with Hamlet just as the ghost departs. Hamlet, fearing that even his loyal friend and soldiers could betray him, makes them swear on his sword to keep this meeting with the ghost a secret. After some supernatural urging, everyone makes the vow.

Act Two:

Scene I

Polonius sends a man, Reynaldo, to spy on his son in Paris. After they finish up discussing just what kind of disreputable rumours Reynaldo can spread (to get real info on Laertes’ habits), Ophelia enters the scene. She is frightened and tells her father that she just received a visit from Hamlet. She describes how Hamlet came into her quarters, in a dishevelled state, held her wrist and stared at her before leaving. Polonius questions Ophelia. He concludes that Hamlet’s feelings for Ophelia must be more serious than he previously assumed and that Hamlet has been driven mad by Ophelia distancing herself from him.

Scene II

King Claudius and Queen Gertrude welcome two of Hamlet’s friends to court: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet has been acting more erratically of late and they are worried. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern promise to spend time with him and try to find out what is wrong. They leave and Polonius enters, claiming to know what has driven Hamlet to act oddly lately. After sorting out another issue, the King and Queen talk with Polonius. Polonius explains about the situation between Ophelia and Hamlet, saying that he didn’t bring it up earlier because he didn’t think a marriage was possible between the two. The King and Queen debate whether this is the cause of the problem but leave quickly when Hamlet appears, muttering to himself. Polonius tries to speak with him, but Hamlet either pretends to or doesn’t recognise him.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are shown in to see Hamlet. Hamlet seems to come back to sanity, recognising and talking to them normally. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern mention that they have brought along with them a group of famous travelling performers. Polonius awkwardly tries to join the conversation. Hamlet has the actors brought in and asks them to recite a poem about the death of King Priam, during the fall of Troy. The actors put a lot of passion into the work, which is only mildly appreciated by their audience. They are eventually sent away because the performance seems to run on too long. However, Hamlet calls back the leader and requests a performance of a larger play the next day: ‘The Murder of Gonzago’. Hamlet also asks to add a few lines of his own to the performance. After everyone is gone, Hamlet explains in an aside that he plans on using the performance to see how his uncle will react. Hamlet suspects that, if his uncle reacts to the murder in the play in a certain way, then he must be guilty of the murder of the late king. This will ultimately free Hamlet to pursue a full revenge against him.

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