Hamlet Act 2, Scene 1

1. Summary: First, Polonius has Reynaldo go off to find news about Laertes. Then Ophelia comes into Polonius’s room, very upset, and tells him of her encounter with Hamlet, which is what has caused her to become upset. Hamlet has acted insane in front of her. Polonius determines that Hamlet has gone crazy because he has kept Ophelia from him and decides to tell Claudius of this idea.

2. Questions: Polonius – If you had known that Hamlet truly loves Ophelia, would you have forced Ophelia to stop seeing him? I don’t think you would have. Polonius – Why do you distrust Laertes so much that you send someone to spy on him? Is Ophelia trying to make her father feel guilty for keeping her from seeing Hamlet when she comes into his room to describe her encounter with Hamlet when he is acting insane?

3. Quotations: Polonius says “But beshrew my jealousy!” when he begins to think that he caused Hamlet to lose his mind by keeping Ophelia and him apart because Hamlet really does love Ophelia. He is saying that he is upset to have suspected Hamlet’s intentions regarding Ophelia to be anything but true because it has brought an unfortunate consequence upon Hamlet. This is nice because he actually acknowledges his fault in separating the two young people even though they both truly love one another, as he believes they do, and because he actually feels bad about bringing about Hamlet’s craziness, as he believes he has done.

Polonius says “This is the very ecstasy of love,/ Whose violent property fordoes itself/ And leads the will to desperate undertakings/ As oft as any passion under heaven/ That does afflict our natures” to Ophelia once she has told him of Hamlet crazy actions. He basically is trying to tell her that love can make people do crazy things. The reason I like this quote is because it sounds nice and flows well.

Hamlet Act 1, Scene 5

1. Summary: Hamlet speaks with the ghost of his father. He tells Hamlet about how his brother, Claudius, killed him while he slept. He tells Hamlet to get revenge on Claudius but to do nothing to Hamlet's mother. Hamlet says that he will get revenge. He makes Marcellus and Horatio promise to tell no one about what happened on that night. He also informs them that he will be acting crazy so that Claudius will not suspect that he knows that he killed his brother, Hamlet's dad.

2. Questions: Hamlet - Why would acting insane keep Claudius from suspecting that you know he killed your dad? Hamlet - How do you plan to get revenge on Claudius? Horatio and Marcellus - Will you be able to keep quiet about the events that took place on the night when Hamlet spoke to the ghost? Queen - Did you actually marry Claudius because you love him?

3. Quotations: The ghost of the late King Hamlet says to Hamlet "Murder most foul, as in the best it is,/But this most foul, strange, and unnatural." It means that murder is a horrible thing no matter what, but when Claudius killed him, it was extra bad and also odd. Its like he's saying "My murder was terrible, not that all murder isn't, but mine was extra terrible." I like this quotation because "[m]urder most foul" sounds nice. Also because the quotation is true that murder is always bad, that a man killing his brother is quite bad and that Claudius's method of killing King Hamlet was wierd.
The ghost says to Hamlet "Taint not thy mind nor let thy soul contrive/ Agaainst thy mother aught. Leave her to heaven/ And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge,/ To prick and sting her." This is nice because it shows that he still loves the queen because he does not want Hamlet to kill her. It is good that the ghost did not tell Hamlet to kill his mom because it would be terrible if Hamlet would have to kill his mother. Of course, Hamlet's dad wants Hamlet's mom to be punished but he trusts that God and guilt will punish her; the part about trusting God to bring about justice is very good.

Hamlet Act 1, Scene 3

1. Summary: The scene starts with Laertes telling Ophelia that she should stop seeing Hamlet because he won't be able to stay with her. He also tells her not to sleep with Hamlet. Then Polonius gives advice to Laertes, and Laertes leaves for school. Polonius forbids Ophelia to talk to Hamlet and she says that she will not.

2. Questions: Will Ophelia actually do what her father tells her to do concerning Hamlet? Would Hamlet actually stop seeing Ophelia just to enter into marriage with a different girl for the betterment of Denmark? Polonius - Do you have something against Hamlet?

3. Quotations: Ophelia says to Laertes "But, good brother/ Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,/ Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,/ whiles like a puffed and reckless libertine/ Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,/ And recks not his own rede." She makes this statement after he gives her advice. She is bascially saying that if he had better follow his own advice if he is going to give it to other people. This is rather cool because she is calling him out and saying that if she can't do the things he is telling her not to do, neither can he.
Polonius says to Laertes "Beware/ Of entrance into a quarrel, but being in,/ Bear't that th'opposèd may beware of thee." This advice is sort of cool because he is telling his son that it is best not to fight but if you have to make sure that you teach the guy who are fighting with that it you aren't one that he wants to get in fights with because you will hurt him. This is rather violent way of handling yourself but it would keep people from messing with you pretty well.

Hamlet Act 1, Scene 1

1. Summary: The scene starts out with Bernardo taking over guard duty from Fransisco. Marcellus comes up with horatio to show him the ghost that he and Bernardo have seen. They see the ghost, who is the ghost of the late King Hamlet, and Horatio tries to speak to it but it will not speak to him. Horatio explains that the soldiers have to be on guard duty and Denmark is preparing for war because the son of the late king of Norway plans to attack Norway. The men plan to take Hamlet, King Hamlet's son, to see and talk to the ghost.

2. Questions: How did King Hamlet die? Why has King Hamlet become a ghost? Why will the ghost not speak to Horatio when he firsts tries to speak with it; is it because Horatio upset it trying to get it to talk to him? Horatio - why were you so rude when talking to the ghost?

3. Quotations:
Marcellus states that "It faded on the crowing of the cock," "it" being the ghost. This quotation is sort of cool because it makes a connection between the normal world and the supernatural wotrld because the rooster is normal and the ghost is supernatural and the rooster causes the ghost to go away. This quotation almost puts a supernatural quality on the rooster, even though it is a normal creature of the normal world, because it has power over the mysterious spirit.
Horatio, when talking to the ghost, says "Speak of it! Stay and speak!" to the ghost. This quotation shows Horatio's bravery. It would be expected that Horatio would be too nervous being around the ghost to speak confidently if at all, but he assertively commands it.