Directions: Attend to one or more of the following questions using 2-3 direct quotations/passages from the text. If the question is merely asking you about a plot point, please go further and think about the how and why attached to the question. Further, make psychological and metaphorical connections to the ideas we expressed in class. When you come into class, we will read each other's responses, respond on the blog and discuss as a class. I look forward to your thoughts and insights.
Study Questions for Exploration
The first speaker in the play is Bernardo. What is he doing when the play begins, and why is his first speech at least somewhat inappropriate to the situation?
In brief, why is Denmark in a state of Military alert as the play opens? How does this help justify Claudius' actions at the beginning of the play?
What do we learn of Horatio's character from the guards' attitude towards him?
In Claudius' first speech, what impression is he trying to give to his listeners?
What do Hamlet's first two speeches reveal about his attitude towards his uncle, the new King?
Paraphrase briefly Hamlet's speech which begins, "Seems, Madam ..." and ends with "suits of woe." What metaphor dominates the speech and helps to define a theme of the play?
In Hamlet's first soliloquy, what specific details reveal his attitude towards his mother?
How does Hamlet react to the arrival of Horatio, Marcellus, and Bernardo? Is his behavior truly indicative of his state of mind?
What does Hamlet's reaction to the story of the ghost reveal about his courage and willingness to take action?
What do Hamlet's first two speeches reveal about his attitude towards his uncle, the new King?
Paraphrase briefly Hamlet's speech which begins, "Seems, Madam ..." and ends with "suits of woe." What metaphor dominates the speech and helps to define a theme of the play?
In Hamlet's first soliloquy, what specific details reveal his attitude towards his mother?
How does Hamlet react to the arrival of Horatio, Marcellus, and Bernardo? Is his behavior truly indicative of his state of mind?
What does Hamlet's reaction to the story of the ghost reveal about his courage and willingness to take action?
this is the homework, correct?
ReplyDeleteKate Lyons
ReplyDeleteThe first speaker in the play is Bernardo. What is he doing when the play begins, and why is his first speech at least somewhat inappropriate to the situation?
Bernardo was on guard duty at the beginning of the play, his first speech is inappropriate to the situation because he is scared. He is afraid of whatever is coming near him even though he should be fearless to this situation.
BERNARDO Who's there?
FRANCISCO Nay, answer me: stand, and unfold yourself.
BERNARDO Long live the king!
FRANCISCO Bernardo?
BERNARDO He.
After he is told by Francisco to ‘unfold himself’ he screams ‘Long live the king!’ this is inappropriate because we the reader doesn't know about the visit King Hamlets ghost paid to the guards the previous night. As the reader we seem to think that Bernardo is crazy and extremely on edge.
What do Hamlet's first two speeches reveal about his attitude towards his uncle, the new King?
When we first meet Hamlet we learn that he is dressed in a dark colors mourning the death of his father. He and his mother have a conversation about why Hamlet is so upset.
QUEEN GERTRUDE Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted colour off,
And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark.
Do not for ever with thy vailed lids
Seek for thy noble father in the dust:
Thou know'st 'tis common; all that lives must die,
Passing through nature to eternity.
HAMLET Ay, madam, it is common.
QUEEN GERTRUDE If it be,
Why seems it so particular with thee?
HAMLET Seems, madam! nay it is; I know not 'seems.'
'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother,
Nor customary suits of solemn black,
Nor windy suspiration of forced breath,
No, nor the fruitful river in the eye,
Nor the dejected 'havior of the visage,
Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief,
That can denote me truly: these indeed seem,
For they are actions that a man might play:
But I have that within which passeth show;
These but the trappings and the suits of woe.
This dialogue makes me think that Hamlet does not like his uncle, he stole hamlets mother from him and made his whole kingdom forget the death of his father.
Evan Meltsakos
ReplyDeleteThe first two speeches of Hamlet reveal two things to me about what he is feeling emotionally. When I read his lines it is clear to me that he is grieving and that he is in no state of happiness unlike everyone else. After all it has not been that long since his father, King Hamlet, died therefore its a normal reaction. Also the attitude in his speech shows that he is confused and does not agree with his uncle being king but more importantly being married to his mother now. It seems that Hamlet is lost in a strange and difficult situation.
Paraphrase briefly Hamlet's speech which begins, "Seems, Madam ..." and ends with "suits of woe." What metaphor dominates the speech and helps to define a theme of the play?
ReplyDeleteIt seems, Mother? No, it is. I don't know seems. Nothing of my appearance seems any way that it isn't. I am truly grieving my father's death, much more than my clothes can show.
I couldn't really identify a metaphor in the speech, but I did identify a theme of Hamlet saying that if something seems like something, it probably is.
Question: The first speaker in the play is Bernardo. What is he doing when the play begins, and why is his first speech at least somewhat inappropriate to the situation?
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, one of the first characters to start the play is Bernardo. When he establishes the first scene, he is continuing his duties as a watchmen, as he soon comes into contact with Francisco who is partaking in the same duty.
Francisco
“Nay, answer me. Stand and unfold yourself.”
Barnardo
“Long live the king!”
Francisco
“Barnardo?”
Barnardo
“He.”
Francisco
“You come most carefully upon your hour.”
His first speech is somewhat inappropriate to this situation as he refers to himself as a king when asked to identify himself. He views himself superior to others as this shows that when he states that line towards Francisco. His arrogance is greatly displayed in this line. This line is also inappropriate as he was asked if it is him and he answered in an arrogant way. This first page of the scene displayed a negative view of Bernardo as he portrays himself as he is full of himself.
“Long live the king!” - Bernardo
- Adriana DeSantis
In the book of Hamlet, by William Shakesphere, we learned some specific things from the guards attitude about Horatio's character. Horatio is Hamlet's trusted friend. During the scenes, the guards told Horatio that they saw a ghost and they want him to talk to it. Marcellus, one of the guards implied that Horatio was a doubter and did not believe in what the guards told him about the ghost. For example, when Marcellus says “Horatio says ‘tis but our fantasy, And will not let the leaf take hold of him, Touching this dreaded sight twice seen of us”. Also, Marcellus shows that Horatio is smart when he says “Thou art a scholar; speak to it, Horatio”. These are some things we learn about Horatio’s character.
ReplyDeleteIn Hamlet's first soliloquy, what specific details reveal his attitude towards his mother?
ReplyDeleteSoon after meeting Hamlet and getting a taste of his attitude toward the current situation in his life. Queen Getrude had told Hamlet that he was mourning over the loss of his father for too long and that death is a natural thing, half of which he agreed with. In his first soliloquy we get to experience that anger that Hamlet has kept to himself which tells us how even when suppressing, he refuses to let it go unknown and describes her as a, “so loving to my mother/ That he might not beteem the winds of heaven/ Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth!/ Must I remember? why, she would hang on him,/ As if increase of appetite had grown/ By what it fed on: and yet, within a month--/ Let me not think on't--Frailty, thy name is woman!--/A little month, or ere those shoes were old/ With which she follow'd my poor father's body,/ Like Niobe, all tears:--why she, even she--/O, God! a beast, that wants discourse of reason,/ Would have mourn'd longer--married with my uncle”. We can see how disgusted he is with his mother and how he despises her new marriage not only because it is with his uncle, but because it makes it seem like the love she had for his father was fake.
-Regan Grygiel
DeleteMichael Dutton
ReplyDeleteDramatic Lit
Mr Pellerin
9/12/19
In Hamlet's first soliloquy, what specific details reveal his attitude towards his mother?
I think this clearly shows his spit towards his mother for moving on so fast. He clearly shows it to his mother and he new king aka his dads brother. You could see in the movie his face towards them while he was talking was so awkward. “Would have mourn'd longer--married with my uncle,
My father's brother, but no more like my father
Than I to Hercules: within a month:”
This quote from after everyone left the room really shows his frustration with his mother by saying basically like, just a month and you already marry my uncle one month how could such a good king be honored in just one month. He seems very angry and must be furious after hearing that he killed his father
Hamlet’s first two speeches to his Uncle and newly crowned King Claudius display a lack of love towards the new king as he has seemed to forgotten about Hamlet's great father's death. You definitely begin to learn this when Hamlet says, “ a little more than kin and less than kind” what he is trying to say when he says this is that yes they may be blood related however that doesn’t change Hamlets negative feelings towards him. Another example of the two butting heads is when Cladius gives Hamlet a bit of a dig, “cast off this nightly colour” but he replies bitterly that his “ inner sorrow is so great that his dour appearance is merely a poor”. By wearing all black and saying it reflects his inner sorrow, Hamlet is telling his uncle he is still mourning and depressed yet his own mother and uncle tell him to get over it and Hamlet is enraged as everyone has seemed to forgot about his great father. - Sean Healey
ReplyDeleteThe first speaker in the play is Bernardo. What is he doing when the play begins, and why is his first speech at least somewhat inappropriate to the situation?
ReplyDeleteBernardo is on guard duty in the opening of this play. His first speech was somewhat innapropriate and a bit ironic because he is a watch guard. That being said Bernardo is meant to be tough, brave, and able to keep his ground. Instead he jumped on Marcellus and yelled “who goes there!!”
What do Hamlet's first two speeches reveal about his attitude towards his uncle, the new King?
He is not fond of the situation one bit. In Hamlets first two speeches it was evident that he was grieving his fathers death. He was quite confused and even more upset that nobody was mourning his death anymore and that everyone totally moved on. At this point in the play he just seems lost.
- jacob mini
DeleteThe first speaker in the play is Bernardo. What is he doing when the play begins, and why is his first speech at least somewhat inappropriate to the situation?
ReplyDeleteBernardo is a guard on duty, watching the villager and making sure there are no dangerous intruders/thieves. His first speech is inappropriate to the situation because when asked who he is,
“Nay, answer me. Stand and unfold yourself.”
He responds with
“Long live the king!”
This is inappropriate because he claims to be a king when he is just a watchguard, and it shows that he views himself greater and more important than other people.
The first line of the play is "Who's there." Could there be something metaphorical about this first line?
I think there isn't something metaphorical about this line, but there is almost some sort of foreshadowing going on with this line. It may be a bit of a far fetched idea, but I think it is referring to the coming ghost, because fora while the people have no idea who the ghost is.
- Nolan Brezinski
DeleteIn Hamlet's first soliloquy, what specific details reveal his attitude towards his mother?
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, we learned how Queen Gertrude has married Hamlets uncle within two months of his dads death. During Hamlets first soliloquy we learn how he feels about his mother. Hamlet is in disgust with his mother for multiple reasons. One reason is that his mother would remarry in only "two months...nay, not so much, not two"(p. 11) and on top of that she has completely stopped mourning the old king and has told Hamlet that he is being ridiculous because he is still in mourning. He is also in disgust with his mother because of who she married, his uncle. Hamlet says the marriage is one of "incestuous sheets!"(p.31) and that his uncle is nothing compared to what his dad was; "Hyperion to a satyr" and "My father’s brother, but no more like my father
Than I to Hercules."(p. 30).
In Hamlet's first soliloquy, what specific details reveal his attitude towards his mother?
ReplyDeleteHamlet reveals how incestious his mothers marriage is and how disgusting it is. He is shocked to see how little she mourned over his father's death and how she quickly hopped into bed with her husbands own brother before her tears even dried.
Had left the flushing in her gallèd eyes,
She married. O, most wicked speed, to post
With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!
He is clearly upset with his mother's decisions regarding her new marriage after his father treated her so well. He doesn't approve of his uncle marrying her and thinks is gross and no one including his uncle and mother are not grieving over his fathers death.
Paige B
In Hamlet's first soliloquy, what specific details reveal his attitude towards his mother?
ReplyDeleteQUEEN “If it be,
Why seems it so particular with thee?”
HAMLET
“Seems,” madam? Nay, it is. I know not “seems.”
The queen is asking Hamlet why it seems that he is still grieving so much over his dead father. Hamlet instantly gets enraged after his mother asks him this. He begins to say that it does not at all show that he seems to still be grieving because he is still grieving. He is so angry with the fact that his mom is questioning was he is grieving.
“Within a month,
Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears
Had left the flushing in her gallèd eyes,
She married. O, most wicked speed, to post
With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!”
In this quote Hamlet is explaining how he cannot believe how is mother has acted. After the king died within a month she goes off marrying his brother without any sorrow. Hamlet has such a hatred for Claudius for doing the same thing but he is almost more mad at him mom because she was the one married to the King. Hamlet is extremely disappointed and angry with his mother.
- Jussy Reppucci
Sophia Moheban
ReplyDeleteIn Hamlet's first soliloquy, what specific details reveal his attitude towards his mother?
In Hamlet's first soliloquy, he shows how he wishes he were dead, that his body could just melt away "into a dew" or that God had not forbidden suicide. He shows that has lost all interest in the things of this world. What was once a flourishing garden is now gone to seed with only things "disgusting and decaying" growing there. This tells us that his depression is very serious. It also tells us that he does feel very isolated and alone in his grief. He has lost interest in the things that once gave him pleasure, and he is contemplating suicide.
The line “who’s there? Start us off like most Shakespeare, with a question. Like every first line in a new scene, he sets up the background so we get an understanding of what’s going on. In Act One, Scene 1, the scene set is a cold eerie night outside the castle. There is nothing making a peep outside, yet the guards are fearful about something. “Who’s there” not only is Bernardo asking because he heard something but is saying this because of the setting. The line represents the creepiness of the air and the fear of King Hamlet’s ghost.
ReplyDeleteFrom the guard’s attitude and lines, we learn a lot about Horatio in the first scene. He is not a soldier but yet hangs out with the guard; yet, he is treated with the respect like he is one of them.
“Welcome Horatio; welcome, good Marcellus.”
When they see him, Bernardo and Francisco treat him like a friend. The rest of the guys listen to his ideas and let him walk the grounds with them which wouldn’t happen with just anyone; but Horatio is a well respected and a scholar. SInce he is respected and a scholar, they believe that he will understand and know how to approach the ghost,
“Question it, Horatio.”.
Michael Long
DeleteWhen we’re introduced to Hamlet, we can tell almost instantly that he doesn’t really like his uncle, who has married his mother only about a month after Hamlet’s father’s death. He and many others in the kingdom find their marriage quite strange, though not strange enough to question most of it. Hamlet feels that everyone should’ve mourned his father longer and that he’s been somewhat disrespected since he was a kind and great king to his citizens.
ReplyDeleteHamlet seems to be ready to confront his father’s ghost and ask what he wants, also ready to assist him in any way since Hamlet somewhat suspects that, because his father shows in full armour, that there was some foul play with his death.
(queen)If it be, Why seems it so particular with thee?
ReplyDelete(hamlet) Seems, madam? Nay, it is. I know not seems.
Hamlet is being rude to his mother as he is surprised that his mother is not mourning as much as he is. Hamlet does not understand why she is moving on so fast which is why he also says.
(hamlet) She married. O, most wicked speed, to post
With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!
He's saying that its weird how fast she moved on and not only that but with her brother in law which is somewhat like marrying her own brother which is why he calls her incestuous. He's in overall disgust because of his mother's actions to re-marry so early and with relative.
The first line of the play is "Who's there." Could there be something metaphorical about this first line?
ReplyDeleteIt very well could have a deeper meaning than what you read, because before this quote, it was the guards at night time on watch. We come to find out later in the chapter that they had seen a ghost, so obviously the movement of Hamlet late at night had got the guards scared.
In Claudius' first speech, what impression is he trying to give to his listeners?
He is trying to give his listeners hope for a new light, and to move on from the king who had just been murdered by himself. The way he talks, it's almost as if he's been desperately looking to be the king for his whole life, so to find out he had killed his brother, does not shock me. He tries to get the people to stop the grieve but obviously they're still going to have it. I just don't know how Claudius can be that back stabbing, and not feel guilty at all about it. Especially, after he had married the King's wife, almost considered incest.