Act I, Scene 2 Summary and Analysis
Act I, Scene 2
The next morning, the new king of Denmark, Claudius, addresses his Council, accompanied by his new wife, Gertrude. Claudius—who is Prince Hamlet’s uncle—announces that even though the grief over his brother’s recent death is still fresh, he decided to marry his dead brother’s wife and make her his queen. He describes this as a time of mixed emotions (“In equal scale weighing delight and dole”) and thanks the Council for their advice.
Now switching topics, Claudius reveals that young Fortinbras has been calling for Denmark to surrender the lands lost by his father. Claudius explains that he will be entrusting Voltemand and Cornelius, his ambassadors to Norway, with a letter for Norway’s current king (Fortinbras’s uncle). In the letter, Claudius will inform the old and bedridden king of Fortinbras’s recent aggression and ask him to rein in his nephew.
After Voltemand and Cornelius leave, Laertes, the son of one of Claudius’s top advisors, asks for permission to return to France, having come to Denmark for Claudius’s coronation. After granting permission to Laertes, Claudius turns to his nephew, Prince Hamlet, and asks why Hamlet is still so obviously mourning his father. Queen Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, urges Hamlet to “cast off” his sorrow, reminding him that everyone eventually dies. Hamlet replies that his grief runs so deep that his mournful appearance is but a poor reflection of his true sadness. Claudius steps in and tells Hamlet that while a son is expected to mourn his father to some extent, to mourn too much is stubborn, unreasonable, and unmanly. Claudius says he hopes Hamlet will shake off his grief and start to think of Claudius as a father, especially since Hamlet is next in line to take the throne. With this in mind, Claudius asks Hamlet not to return to school in Wittenburg, Germany. When Gertrude echoes her husband’s request for Hamlet to stay, he reluctantly agrees, and everyone exits except Hamlet.
Alone, Hamlet laments the fact that God has made suicide a sin, complaining that life feels cursed and pointless. He bemoans his mother’s decision to marry his uncle—a man Hamlet believes cannot compare to his father—so soon after King Hamlet’s death. Hamlet knows he mustn't voice his disapproval, even though keeping quiet is breaking his heart. He is interrupted by the arrival of Horatio, Marcellus, and Barnardo, who have come to tell him about King Hamlet’s ghost. Surprised, Hamlet agrees to try to meet the ghost later that night. After they leave, Hamlet declares that the presence of his father’s ghost makes him suspect “foul play.”
Analysis
King Claudius and his new bride worry over Hamlet’s odd behavior; Gertrude correctly guesses that he is upset over his father’s death and their “o’erhasty marriage” (II.ii.57), a surmise which suggests that the queen feels some twinge of guilt over her recent actions. The royal couple press Hamlet to stay in Denmark at court, and not return to his studies in Wittenberg.
Claudius’s motives are, of course, ulterior: to spy on Hamlet in order to learn the true cause of his madness, again suggesting that Claudius has some cause to fear retribution from his nephew/son. Perhaps incredibly, Hamlet agrees to their request to remain, even before he vows to avenge his father’s death.
Why he would stay in an environment he finds uncomfortable and distasteful is a puzzle, unless we assume filial obedience as his overriding motive. More likely, however, this turn of events is another instance of the inexorable workings of fate, bringing together all the “actors” in some cosmic drama, as later scenes will bear witness.
Expert Q&A
Why does Hamlet say the quote "Thrift, thrift, Horatio! the funeral baked meats / Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables" to Horatio in Act 1, Scene 2, and what is its significance?
1 Educator Answer
Quick answer:
Hamlet says "Thrift, thrift, Horatio! the funeral baked meats / Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables" to sarcastically criticize the quickness of his mother's marriage to his uncle following his father's funeral. He mocks the situation by suggesting the same food was used for both events, revealing his disgust at his mother's impatience and lack of proper mourning.
You need to see the whole context to understand this ironically sarcastic remark by Hamlet.
HAMLET
But what is your affair in Elsinore?
We'll teach you to drink deep ere you depart.
HORATIO
My lord, I came to see your father's funeral.
HAMLET
I pray thee, do not mock me, fellow-student;
I think it was to see my mother's wedding.
HORATIO
Indeed, my lord, it follow'd hard upon.
HAMLET
Thrift, thrift, Horatio! the funeral baked meats
Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.
Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven
Or ever I had seen that day, Horatio!
This quotation is another instance in which Shakespeare uses wit, in this case, sarcastic wit, to make a point. One of Shakespeare's favorite devices is to approach a statement from a negative position, in other words from an opposite or antithetical position. In doing this, Shakespeare says what something is not to get at what it is, sometimes letting you infer what it is.
Not only is Hamlet commenting on the swiftness of his mother's marriage to his uncle but he is also providing a sarcastic reason for the swiftness. He is sarcastically and ironically describing their marriage as occurring so quickly after his father's funeral that the meats served as hot dishes after the burial of Old Hamlet were still fresh enough to be served as cold cuts at Gertrude's and Claudius's wedding.
He is also sarcastically and ironically offering Horatio an explanation for why the wedding was so rushed and he is revealing his great disgust with his mother at her impatience to marry. He offers the explanation--that is no real explanation--that their reason for so unseemly a haste was a wish to be economical. American Heritage Dictionary defines thrift as "wise economy in the management of money and other resources." Hamlet's great sarcasm and disdain is apparent because the King and Queen have no need to be economical in their celebrations of religious rites.
Hamlet immediately afterward lets his true feelings be known to his true friend Horatio when he says that he had rather share Heaven with the worst of his enemies (more sarcasm) than see his mother show so little love, devotion and grief for her dead husband and King, Hamlet's father.
In Hamlet, what is the atmosphere of the court routine in act 1, scene 2?
2 Educator Answers
Act I, scene II opens with King Hamlet's (Hamlet's father's) recent death still casting its shadow over the court. Claudius, the new king, immediately states
Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother’s deathThe memory be green ...
A little more than kin and less than kind.
The atmosphere is unsettled at best. Claudius begins with the "happy" announcement of his marriage to Gertrude, praising her beauty and celebrating his position as king. He speaks lavishly of his love of his wife and his people, including Hamlet. But then he immediately launches into his concern that Fortinbras will challenge Denmark in war. At the same time, Hamlet is moping off to the side, making snide comments to himself and responding with bitter remarks to the loving comments of his uncle and mother. The audience is left to feel that this is a country - and a family - in turmoil.
In act 1, scene 2 of Hamlet, how does Claudius react to Fortinbras' threat?
4 Educator Answers
Readers should look to the very beginning of act 1, scene 2 for textual evidence here. From Claudius's opening speech, audiences are likely to get the impression that Claudius isn't overly worried about the threat of Fortinbras. He's at least worried enough to do something about it—however, at this point, he believes that handling the situation politically with a letter to Fortinbras's uncle (the current king of Norway) should adequately diffuse the entire situation. Notably, Fortinbras's uncle is unaware of Fortinbras's actions. Claudius hopes that the letter will spur the uncle, Norway's king, into taking action against his nephew's plans and recalling all of the troops. The king is frail and aging, but he should still have the political capital to call off the troops.
Thus much the business is: we have here writ To Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras— Who, impotent and bedrid, scarcely hears Of this his nephew’s purpose—to suppress His further gait herein, in that the levies . . .
In the first act of Hamlet, King Claudius learns that Prince Fortinbras of Norway is enraged after learning that King Hamlet killed his father. He is gathering troops and planning to attack Denmark in retaliation for the death of his father.
In Act I Scene 2, Claudius informs Polonius, his son Laertes, Queen Gertrude, and Voltemand and Cornelius that Fortinbras, son of King Fortinbras, who has died, threatens to invade Denmark in order to retaliate for the death of his father. He wants also to reclaim the land taken from Norway:
He hath not failed to pester us with messageImporting the surrender of those landsLost by his father, with all bonds of law... (I.2.23-25)
In order to avert this threat, King Claudius is sending Voltemand and Cornelius to Denmark. There the two men will try to contribute to the well-being of Denmark by convincing the old uncle of Fortinbras to keep his nephew in the country--"to supress" his nephew in his purpose. In other words, Voltemand and Cornelius must prevent conflict between Norway and Denmark.
Claudius, in contrast to King Hamlet, is more a "lover than a fighter." King Hamlet was a warrior king who probably would have gone to war against Norway. Claudius, however, sends two ambassadors to Norway, Voltemand and Corneliius, to negotiate with Norway's king. They meet with success as Old Norway reins in Fortinbras by paying him money not to attack Denmark but, instead, to wage war against Poland.
Claudius directs Cornelius and Voltemand to deliver a message to Old Norway about his nephew Fortinbras' aggressive actions. The old man, sick and bedridden, knows nothing of Fortinbras' plans. Claudius hopes that the Danish messengers will alert Old Norway so that he can now control his nephew and eliminate the threat to Denmark.
Claudius' action here in response to the threat reveals his awareness of current events as well as his expertise--and possible experience--in handling what could result in war if left unattended. He wants to impress the Danish court in this scene that he is a competent monarch worthy of their respect.
What is the conceit in Hamlet's first soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 2?
1 Educator Answer
Concisely, a conceit is an extended metaphor or unusual comparison. During Elizabethan times, conceits were common and normally flowery or representative of complicated logic.
In Act 1, Scene 2 of Hamlet, Hamlet first compares the world to a forgotten and overtaken garden, controlled by the grotesque of the earth. He claims that the world now only grows "things rank and gross in nature" (1.2.139). Not only does this conceit demonstrate Hamlet's suicidal thoughts which would enable him to leave behind so despicable a place as the earth as become to him, but it also hints at the relationship between his mother and uncle--Hamlet believes that what they are doing is "rank" and that it goes against nature.
A second conceit begins later in Line 143 when Hamlet compares his mother to a beast. He discusses her insatiable "appetite" and calls her a satyr.
Both conceits demonstrate that Hamlet views all the play's preceding action as unnatural--in essence, his father's death has turned the world upside down.
Outline the Norwegian situation in Act 1, Scene 2 of Hamlet.
1 Educator Answer
The king, Hamlet's uncle and now stepfather, Claudius, says that
Young Fortinbras,
Holding a weak supposal of our worth
Or thinking by our late dear brother’s death
Our state to be disjoint and out of frame,
Colleaguèd with this dream of his advantage,
He hath not failed to pester us with message
Importing the surrender of those lands
Lost by his father, with all bonds of law,
To our most valiant brother—so much for him. (1.2.17-25)
In other words, he believes that young Fortinbras, the nephew of the current king of Norway, thinks that Claudius doesn't have much power or control over his country, and so young Fortinbras has sent a message demanding that Denmark surrender the lands it won from Fortinbras's father, the former king of Norway. Old Hamlet, the prince's father and Claudius's brother, bested the Norwegians and took those lands before his death (at Claudius's hands). Claudius continues,
[...] we have here writ
To Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras,
Who, impotent and bedrid, scarcely hears
Of this his nephew’s purpose, to suppress
His further gait herein, in that the levies,
The lists, and full proportions are all made
Out of his subject; and we here dispatch
You, good Cornelius, and you, Voltemand,
For bearers of this greeting to old Norway [...]. (1.2.27-35)
Claudius has written to young Fortinbras's uncle, the current king of Norway, who is bed-ridden with illness, to acquaint him with his nephew's actions and demand that he endeavor to control his nephew. Claudius is sending two of his servants, Cornelius and Voltemand, to Norway with this letter and instructions to deal with the king on this subject alone.
What are four reasons for Hamlet's upset in Act 1, Scene 2?
2 Educator Answers
1. His father is dead.
2. His mother has re-married very quickly.
3. He does not like his new step-father. He often contrasts him unfavourably with his father.
4. He has not become king himself.
5. He is depressed and suicidal.
His father's ghost is not relevant: he does not hear about until the endof the scene and when he does he is excited at the thought of seeing it.
The biggest reason, the one that influences most of Hamlet's actions throughout the entire play, is his grief over his father's death. His mood stands in sharp contrast to the tone of everyone else in this scene, and his mother calls him out for "seeming" to be inordinately grief-stricken by his father's death. This is reason number one.
He is also upset because he remains alive. His soliloquy that begins at line 129, starts like this:
O, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt,
Thaw and resolve itself into a dew,
Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd
His canon 'gainst self-slaughter. O God! God!
In these lines Hamlet is wishing for death -- either that it would just happen to him or that God's ordinances would permit his suicide. He believes that the world is a "stale, flat, and unprofitable" place and he wishes to die to escape his useless life. This is reason number two.
We also discover in this soliloquy that he is upset at his mother for marrying Claudius so soon after his father's death. He describes her haste in this way:
But two months dead -- nay, not so much, not two --
. . .and yet, within a month. . .
A little month, or ere those shoes were old
With which she follow'd my poor father's body. . .
O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason
Would have mourn'd longer. . .O most wicked speed!. . .
This is reason three.
And finally, he is upset by the reported appearance of the ghost of his father. At line 255, he says:
My father's spirit -- in arms! All is not well.
This is reason four.
For more on this scene, please consult the links below.
What questions might you ask about Act 1, Scene 2 of Hamlet or its characters?
3 Educator Answers
Act 1, scene 2 opens with King Claudius delivering a speech, and much of it pertains to sorrow over King Hamlet's death, while rationalizing his marriage to his late brother's wife Gertrude. There is a line in which Claudius thanks his courtiers and advisers for recommending that he marry Gertrude:
Nor have we herein barredYour better wisdoms, which have freely goneWith this affair along. For all, our thanks.
It would be interesting to be able to ask Hamlet some questions about this passage: why does he wish to die? Is it because of his father's death, his mother having moved on so quickly, or a combination of things? Are you truly so distraught that you want to die, or are you merely saying this in the heat of the moment?Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt,Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew,Or that the Everlasting had not fixedHis canon 'gainst self-slaughter
- Why, do you think, does King Claudius grant Laertes's request to leave the court but not Hamlet's request to do the same?
- What is the source of Hamlet's disagreement with his mother, Gertrude?
- In what ways does Claudius actually insult Hamlet in lines 87–97? Why might he do this?
- Why might Hamlet compare the world to "an unweeded garden / That grows to seed" (1.2.135–136)? What other garden might he be thinking of? How might that garden compare to the one he now describes? Why does he feel this way?
- Why does Hamlet seem to want to die?
- Why is Hamlet so upset with his mother? What has she done that angers him?
- Do you think Horatio does the right thing by telling Hamlet that he saw the ghost of Hamlet's father? Why or why not?
- The ghost of Hamlet's father showed itself to the men while wearing armor and a helmet. Why does Hamlet think that it did so?
Considering the mysterious appearance of the ghost in the first scene of Act I, a ghost who looks like Hamlet's dead father, one can think of many questions after reading the scene that follows and observing the behavior of the various characters. After speaking with Horatio, who had seen the ghost, Hamlet says that "all is not well," and suspects that some "foul play" has occurred. Hamlet feels deep grief over his father's death, and we can assume that he won't just "get over it," as Claudius and his mother encourage him to do. The scene suggests these questions:
- Has some "foul play" really occurred?
- How did Old Hamlet die?
- Why is his ghost appearing at the castle?
- Are Claudius and Gertrude sincere? Are they really concerned about Hamlet?
- Why does Hamlet trust Horatio's word?
- Does Horatio deserve Hamlet's trust?
- Why does Horatio think the ghost will "walk again" that night?
- Since Hamlet plans to talk to the ghost if it does appear to be his dead father, what will he say?
These questions, of course, will be answered as the play develops.
In Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 2, why does Claudius refer to 'dirge in marriage'?
1 Educator Answer
In Act I, Scene 2, Claudius addresses his Lords and explains the reason he chose to marry his brother's wife, Gertrude, after the king's sudden death. Claudius appears to have the country's best interests in mind by consolidating his marriage and preparing to defend the nation against Young Fortinbras. Claudius is aware that his marriage may be met with mixed feelings throughout his court and mentions that he has the difficult task of balancing sadness with happiness. Claudius says,
With an auspicious and a dropping eye, with mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage, in equal scale weighing delight and dole—taken to wife (Act I, Scene 2, lines 10-14).
Shakespeare uses antithesis to contrast Claudius's opposite emotions because the new king is both happy to be married but "sad" that his brother is dead. Claudius is essentially saying that he feels pleasantly amused during the funeral because of his marriage but laments at his wedding because the king is dead. Although Claudius is not actually upset about his brother's death, he knows it is necessary to give the illusion of grief so people will not become suspicious of him.
What does King Claudius say about his marriage and Fortinbras in Act 1, Scene 2 of Hamlet?
2 Educator Answers
One of the main clues in this speech is Claudius's repeated use of the royal "we." The pompous and mannered nature of the speech is intended to establish his bona fides as king (although both Hamlet and we, the audience, already have reason to suspect this) and to show that he is in command of both his queen and the kingdom.
The queen is now "his" queen; there is no question of the incest that Hamlet becomes so obsessed with. As for Fortinbras, he is dismissed summarily with the explanation that his uncle, the King of Norway, is too feeble to be able to cope with him: "Norway, uncle of young Fortinbras / Who, impotent and bed-rid, scarcely hears / Of this his nephew's purpose." Claudius, on the other hand, is fully able to deal with the upstart. There is likely a warning for Hamlet concealed in all this; Claudius, no fool, already knows his nephew's view of him and is not-so-subtly telling him who is in charge now.
In the speech that Claudius makes in this scene, it is clear that he is trying to impart confidence to his courtiers and kingdom through a robust presentation of himself and his abilities. He refers to his marriage as a cause for joy as, although the Danish court is of course still grieving the former king, the marriage of Claudius to Gertrude is one that should strengthen the monarchy, as she is described as "Th'imperial jointress of this warlike state." As to Fortinbras, he has seen the death of the old King Hamlet as an opportunity to try and take back land that was lost by him. Note what Claudius says about this:
He hath not failed to pester us with message
Importing the surrender of those lands
Lost by his father, with all bonds of law,
To our most valiant brother. So much for him.
Claudius thus says that Fortinbras has tried to force Denmark to give back the land that was won by old King Hamlet, but that he has rejected any such attempts.
In Act 1, Scene 2 of Hamlet, why does Laertes want to see the King?
1 Educator Answer
The scene plays out in one of Claudius' staterooms which are normally reserved to discuss matters of state and for the king to consider sundry requests brought to him by his subjects. Claudius instructs his ambassadors, Voltimand and Cornelius on the delivery of a message to be given to the frail and sickly king of Norway about his nephew, Fortinbras, who is seeking redress for property lost by his father. He threatens to invade Denmark to reclaim it. He then turns to Laertes and asks why he wishes to address him:
And now, Laertes, what's the news with you?
You told us of some suit; what is't, Laertes?
You cannot speak of reason to the Dane,
And loose your voice: what wouldst thou beg, Laertes,
That shall not be my offer, not thy asking?
The head is not more native to the heart,
The hand more instrumental to the mouth,
Than is the throne of Denmark to thy father.
What wouldst thou have, Laertes?
Claudius is cordial and kind to Laertes and wishes to know the purpose of his request. He states that Laertes cannot speak of wanting to make a reasonable request and then say nothing. He wants to know what it is that Laertes wishes to ask for he would freely acquiesce if he knows exactly what Laertes wants. In these words Claudius also expresses his close relationship with Laertes father, Polonius, stating that the head and heart as well as the hand and mouth work in complete unison, just as he and his adviser do. He once again asks Laertes what he wants.
Laertes responds:
My dread lord,
Your leave and favour to return to France;
From whence though willingly I came to Denmark,
To show my duty in your coronation,
Yet now, I must confess, that duty done,
My thoughts and wishes bend again toward France
And bow them to your gracious leave and pardon.
Laertes respectfully beseeches his king to give him leave and extend him a favour by allowing him to return to France, where he had been until just before Claudius' coronation. Laertes declares that he had willingly left France to return to Denmark and attend Claudius' crowning out of respect for his liege. He honestly states that since he has done his duty, he now wishes to return from whence he came. He seeks Claudius' grace in his venture and seeks his pardon for wanting to leave his beloved country.
The king wishes to know whether Laertes has gained his father's permission to do as he wishes. Polonius tells Claudius that he had much difficulty in considering Laertes' request but had relented when his son persistently begged him to go. Polonius then requests that Claudius grant Laertes leave to go. Claudius complies to the request and wishes Laertes the best, stating that he may stay in France for as long as he wishes and that he should use his time well.
It is ironic that Claudius, who is now Hamlet's father, only considers his son after he has spoken to Laertes, which indicates that Hamlet is not a priority to him. In his speech to Hamlet, Claudius is also quite critical, in complete contrast to the pleasant tone he assumed when he spoke to Laertes.
What does Hamlet mean by "But I have within which passeth show. These but the trappings and the suits of woe" in act 1, scene 2?
2 Educator Answers
Quick answer:
In Act 1, Scene 2, Hamlet means that his outward appearance of grief is merely a superficial display compared to the deep, genuine sorrow he feels inside. While others might only see his mourning clothes and somber demeanor, the true extent of his anguish, driven by his father's death and his mother's hasty remarriage, is far greater than what is visible.
The first word in these lines, "but," is a word that means that what follows is in contradiction of, or in contrast to, or in explanation of what has gone before. When used after a negative statement, "but" can also mean that what follows is actually the truth of the matter.
As far as analyzing these lines is concerned, "but" means that these lines have no meaning outside the context in which they appear.
So let's look at the context:
QUEEN: Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted color off . . .
"Quit being so gloomy."
And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark.
"Make friends with Claudius, and look kindly on me, even though you might not like that I married him, and so soon after your father died."
Do not for ever with thy vailed lids
Seek for thy noble father in the dust.
"Buck up."
Thou know'st 'tis common. All that lives must die,
Passing through nature to eternity.
"Everybody dies."
HAMLET: Ay, madam, it is common.
Everything that Hamlet has said so far has been a play on words, and this is no exception. He's saying, "Yes, it is common that people die," and he's also saying, "Yes, it is common that people act sad about it," and, "It is common that you should say that."
QUEEN: If it be,
Why seems it so particular with thee?
"We've had a nice wedding, great reception, good music, dancing, lots of terrific gifts. We're all dressed up and having fun, and you're moping around the place like somebody died. So what's your problem?"
HAMLET: Seems, madam? Nay, it is. I know not seems . . .
This is the kind of line that an actor can really play with . . . "Seeems, madam? Nay, it iiiiis. I know not . . . seeeeeems." Overacting, sure, but the point is that this line—in fact, just the word "seems"—encapsulates one of the major themes of the play: appearance versus reality. Hamlet is all about "reality," and he hates "appearance."
Up to now, Hamlet has said only three lines—all short, clever, cryptic, and sarcastic—and he could have stopped talking, but this is something that Hamlet feels deeply about, and he's going to say so.
. . . '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, modes, shapes of grief,
That can denote me truly. These indeed seem . . .
That word again. Shakespeare really knows how to do this.
For they are actions that a man might play; . . .
"Don't be deceived into thinking that because I'm walking around here in my black clothes, looking sad, and crying my eyes out that I'm just acting all of this."
And here it comes . . .
But I have that within which passeth show,
These but the trappings and the suits of woe. (1.2.70–89)
This is the first rhymed couplet in the play—something that Shakespeare frequently uses to end a scene. The scene could end right now, but Shakespeare uses the couplet here for emphasis. What Hamlet says is something that Shakespeare wants the audience to pay particular attention to, and remember.
Hamlet's not just saying that he's actually sadder than he looks. This is ominous.
Hamlet has a lot of things on his mind right now. His father died under what looks like suspicious circumstances. (He was bitten by a snake while he was taking a nap in the orchard behind the castle? Not bloody likely). His mother married his uncle about two minutes after his father died, which leads Hamlet to believe that the "incestuous" thing between them has been going on for quite a while. His uncle usurped Hamlet's rightful place on the throne—which is something that nobody talks about much, but it has to be in the back of his mind. This is all building up inside him, and like Hamlet says, something is going to come out, sooner or later.
It's going to take about four hours (it's a long play) for whatever is churning around inside Hamlet to come out, but when it does, there are going to be a whole lot of dead people laying around the stage, including Hamlet.
And his mother wants to know what his problem is? She has no idea.
Unlike everyone else in attendance at this important assembly and celebration, Hamlet is dressed in black mourning. Both Claudius and Gertrude are trying to persuade him to stop mourning for his dead father, which would mean giving up his black clothing. Hamlet tells his mother
'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother,
Nor customary suits of solemn black
.............................................
That can denote me truly
...........................................
But I have that within which passeth show.
These but the trappings and the suits of woe.
In other words, his mourning clothes are only customary and obligatory symbols of feelings of grief, but he has real feelings of grief for his dead father which he cannot show or express. One reason he cannot express them is that they are involved with what he considers his mother's adulturous and incestuous union with the new king.
Both Claudius and Gertrude seem unable to understand why Hamlet should be experiencing such strong emotions of grief for such a long time after the event. Claudius suspects that Hamlet has other reasons for being so depressed and withdrawn besides mourning for his father. Claudius will spend the rest of the play trying to figure out what is going on inside his stepson's heart and mind. He is pretty sure that Hamlet is harboring bitter resentment at having the crown snatched away while he was still at Wittenberg, and he can tolerate that resentment as long as his stepson isn't going a step further and plotting against him. That is what he wants to find out. Gertrude only thinks her son is unhappy because of his father's death and what she calls her "o'erhasty marriage." She is not suspicious of her son's political intentions, and at this point he probably has no thoughts of usurping Claudius.. He only wants to go back to school at Wittenberg, but Claudius refuses him permission because he wants to keep him where he can watch him closely and have others watch him closely as well. At this point Hamlet has not met with his father's ghost.
In Act 1, Scene 2 of Hamlet, who says "All is not well; / I doubt some foul play" and why is it significant?
1 Educator Answer
Quick answer:
In Act 1, Scene 2 of Hamlet, Hamlet says "All is not well; / I doubt some foul play" after learning about his father's ghost. This line is significant as it foreshadows the play's exploration of treachery and sets up the audience's anticipation for Hamlet's encounter with the ghost, which confirms his suspicions of foul play.
In Act 1, Scene 2, Horatio, Marcellus and Bernardo tell Hamlet about seeing what appeared to be his father's ghost on the battlements. At the very end of that scene when Hamlet is all alone, he says to himself:
My father's spirit--in arms! All is not well.
I doubt some foul play. Would the night were come!
Till then sit still, my soul. Foul deeds will rise,
Though all the earth o'erwhelm them, to men's eyes.
These lines are mainly intended as foreshadowing. In fact, the whole of Scene 2 might be considered foreshadowing. The audience has seen the ghost and is naturally very curious about its purpose in visiting the castle. But Shakespeare delays the meeting between Hamlet and the ghost by inserting Scene 3, in which Laertes and Ophelia have a conversation and then Polonius appears and gives his son his parting advice, ending with the famous words:
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Then Laertes exits and Polonius has a conversation with his daughter Ophelia, ending with his ordering her not to have any more private conversations with Hamlet for fear of the Prince's ulterior motives.
That scene contains still more foreshadowing. The audience knows that there must be a scene in which Hamlet and Ophelia will have a lovers quarrel. But they are still waiting to see what will happen when Hamlet finally meets the ghost. All of this is brand-new to Shakespeare's audience. They know nothing about Claudius' treachery. Shakespeare is getting the ultimate emotional impact from this ghost--and then in Scene 4 there is still some further delay before the ghost finally appears. Shakespeare satisfies the audience's curiosity fully by devoting the lengthy Scene 5 to the encounter between Hamlet and his father's spirit. Hamlet finds that his premonition about "some foul play" was correct.
What does Claudius say about Hamlet's sorrow in Act 1, Scene 2?
2 Educator Answers
In Act I, Scene I of William Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Bernado, Marcellus and Horatio encounter the ghost of a figure bearing a striking resemblance to the late king of Denmark, father of the titular figure of the story. This opening passage introduces the audience to the melancholy felt by some of the late king's subjects, and allows for reference to the young prince who should have inherited the throne. As Act I, Scene II begins, the audience is introduced to Claudius, the new king, Hamlet's uncle, and also new stepfather. Hamlet, we learn, continues after a protracted period of time to mourn the death of his father and, just as significantly, is exceedingly upset by the too-soon marriage of his widowed mother to Claudius. This is the context behind the newly-crowned king's observation that his nephew/stepson needs to overcome his grief and get on with his life.
Initially, Claudius merely seeks to reason with Hamlet, to suggest the prince accept that all die eventually and that life goes on:
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.
This, however, does not assuage Hamlet, who continues to exude a mixture of sadness and anger that is clearly tiring to some of those around him. Claudius is not unsympathetic with Hamlet's sorrow, understanding that the young man has lost his father, but the new king believes that the prince's period of mourning has dragged on long enough and that Hamlet's conduct is unbecoming a man:
To do obsequious sorrow: but to persever
In obstinate condolement is a course
Of impious stubbornness; 'tis unmanly grief;
It shows a will most incorrect to heaven,
A heart unfortified, a mind impatient,
An understanding simple and unschool'd.
King Claudius is telling Hamlet that the latter's practice of moping around the castle and visibly mourning his father's death has brought into question the prince's masculinity, and that it is past time that he, Hamlet, grow up. Hamlet, as the audience will learn, has yet to encounter the aforementioned ghost from Act I, Scene I, at which time he learns of his uncle's foul deed—a revelation that will set in course the tragic chain of events to come.
Claudius says that Hamlet's grief is verging on becoming "unmanly." Displays of sorrow after an extended period of time, in fact, speak to a defect of character:
It shows a will most incorrect to heaven,
A heart unfortified, a mind impatient,
An understanding simple and unschool'd.
So while it was appropriate for Hamlet to mourn his father's death after it happened, it is now, "within a month," as Hamlet will later observe in his soliloquy, time for him to get on with his life. To do so, of course, requires that Hamlet "think of us (meaning Claudius) as a father." As a prince and the heir to the throne, Hamlet should accept the new reality. At this point, Hamlet does not know that Claudius has murdered his father, but as he reveals in his soliloquy later in the scene, he is not simply sad about his father's death, but also about his mother's hasty marriage to Claudius, who he holds in low esteem.
How does the "'tis an unweeded garden" metaphor in act 1, scene 2 enhance communication in Hamlet?
2 Educator Answers
Quick answer:
The "'tis an unweeded garden" metaphor in act 1, scene 2 of Hamlet enhances communication by expressing Hamlet's deep disillusionment and melancholy. He compares his world to a neglected garden overrun with rotting weeds, evoking sensory images of decay and corruption. This metaphor reflects Hamlet's anguish, anger, and perception of Denmark's moral decay following his father's murder and his mother's hasty remarriage.
Shakespeare is very fond of metaphors taken from nature, and this is another one. In this case, Hamlet is expressing his complete disillusionment with his world and his life, comparing it to a garden, which may once have been beautiful, well-tended, and "profitable," in the sense that it profits the gardener's senses, soul, and kinder view of the natural world, but is now filled with rotting weeds.
Think about the multiple sensory images this evokes. Not only the sadness and ugliness of the sense of sight are conjured, but also the awful stench of damp, disintegrating plants.
Hamlet's life, in his eyes, no longer has anything genuinely pure and lovely to look at or experience. He is communicating to the audience his deep anguish—and also anger—about the state of his relationships and indeed his entire existence.
In his first soliloquy, Hamlet expresses his deep melancholy that pervades all his subsequent speeches:
How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable
Seem to me all the uses of this world!
Fie on't! ah, fie! 'tis an unweeded garden
That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature
Possess it merely.
After encountering the ghost of his father and learning that he has been murdered, and after recognizing the corruption of the state of Denmark in the hasty marriage of Claudius to his mother, that
With mirth in funeral, and with dirge in marriage,
In equal scale weighing delight and dole,
Taken to wife (1.2.13-15)
Hamlet refuses to accept the conditions of the royal court and becomes so depressed that he contemplates suicide, for he perceives the world as "an unweeded garden," a place in which there is a corruption that has overtaken the state of Denmark. This marriage of his mother to his uncle has disturbed Hamlet enough, but having learned from the ghost of his father that it is his uncle who is the very murderer of King Hamlet, Hamlet feels that his world now is like a garden filled with weeds that are "rank and gross in nature." Or, as Marcellus says later in Scene 4, "something is rotten in the state of Denmark."
What does Hamlet mean by "this too, too sullied flesh" in Act 1, Scene 2?
3 Educator Answers
Quick answer:
In Act 1, Scene 2 of Hamlet, "this too, too sullied flesh" reflects Hamlet's wish for his tainted body to melt away, expressing his deep despair and suicidal thoughts. He feels contaminated by his mother’s marriage to Claudius. Some texts use "solid" instead of "sullied," which suggests Hamlet's body is too solid to melt, though "sullied" emphasizes his sense of corruption.
In act one, scene two, Claudius demands that Hamlet stop mourning his father and wearing black clothes to outwardly express his depression. Claudius urges Hamlet to get over his father's death and to accept him as his new father. He goes on to say that Hamlet is acting irrational and requests that he remain in Denmark instead of traveling back to Wittenberg for school. When Hamlet agrees to stay in Denmark, Claudius is pleased and says that he will celebrate by drinking heavily tonight. When everyone exits the scene, Hamlet begins his soliloquy by saying,
"Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew, Or that the Everlasting had not fixed His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God, God!" (Shakespeare, 1.2.129-132).
Hamlet is essentially saying that he wishes that his dirty (sullied) flesh would melt and vaporize into dew before he laments the fact that God has created a law against suicide. The word "sullied" suggests that Hamlet feels tainted by the events following his father's death, particularly his mother's unnatural relationship with Claudius, which is something that he absolutely detests. Hamlet feels rotten on the inside and expresses his suicidal thoughts in the remainder of the soliloquy.
While some texts have the word "sullied" at this place, others have the word "solid." It seems more likely to me that Hamlet would be saying, "O, that this too too solid flesh would melt." It cannot melt because it is too solid. My text is published by Yale University Press and subtitled "The Annotated Shakespeare." The word "solid" is annotated simply with "some texts have 'sullied.'" I like "solid" better because it does not require any explication. It is self-evident. Whereas "sullied" is extremely difficult to interpret, although it would seem to suggest that Hamlet feels tainted by the marriage of his mother to his uncle, or perhaps that all human flesh is tainted by sin.
I note that in the etext provided by eNotes the line is rendered:
O, that this too too sullied flesh would melt
But in the Modern Translation right next to it the line is rendered:
O, that my too, too solid body would melt
If you want a brief answer, the "sullied flesh" Hamlet refers to is his own body: he means it is dirty or tainted in some way.
To expand on that a bit, Hamlet is saying that his body, his physical self, is so rotten in some way that he wishes it would just melt away or evaporate. He's feeling so bad after his father's death that he just wants to die or not be.
Now, the idea of being sullied relates to a more general sense of corruption that runs through the entire play. Remember the line "something in rotten in the state of Denmark"? The entire country is sullied--or tainted--by the murder of Hamlet's father, and by having the uncle--the murderer--now running the country.
If you look at the rest of the monologue in which this phrase appears, you'll see an ongoing reference to things that are rotten: "rank," "gross," stale," etc.
Hamlet's dominant attitude in act 1, scene 2
3 Educator Answers
Summary:
In act 1, scene 2 of Hamlet, Hamlet's dominant attitude is one of profound grief and resentment. He mourns his father's death and is deeply troubled by his mother's quick remarriage to Claudius, which he views as a betrayal and morally corrupt.
In Hamlet, what attitude dominates Hamlet's personality in act 1, scene 2?
As Scene II of the first act of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet begins, the audience has already been greeted by the macabre scene of castle guards and officers discussing the peculiar visions some have experienced, specifically, an apparition bearing an uncanny resemblance to the late King Hamlet, whose son, Prince Hamlet, we will see, is despondent over his father's death. As this scene opens, the new king, Claudius, brother of the recently deceased monarch, laments the melancholy atmosphere that accompanied the deceased's recent death:
"Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother's death
The memory be green, and that it us befitted
To bear our hearts in grief and our whole kingdom
To be contracted in one brow of woe...."
In his comments, Claudius also alludes to another development--one that will play a prominent role in the titular figure's emotional state:
"Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen..."
In that brief reference, Claudius is indicating that familial relationships in this kingdom are complicated and, quite possibly, incestuous (by Elizabethan standards). As the scene progresses, it becomes known that the "sometime sister" is, or was, the previous monarch's wife/queen. It also becomes apparent that the character to whom Claudius refers, Gertrude, is now his wife/queen. Prince Hamlet, of course, is Gertrude's and the late king's son. In short, Gertrude, in mourning over the death of her first husband, King Hamlet, is now wed to her second husband, King Claudius, King Hamlet's brother.
We also know, as stated earlier, that Prince Hamlet, like others throughout the kingdom, is despondent over the death of his father. It will, however, soon be revealed that Hamlet is equally upset over news of his mother's marriage to Claudius--a sentiment that will intensify enormously after Prince Hamlet's encounter with his late father's ghost. In this scene (Act I, Scene II), King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, Prince Hamlet and others among the court of the king are together. Claudius addresses the young prince by noting the latter's demeanor: "How is it that the clouds still hang on you?" With this question, Claudius is acknowledging that his effort at distracting from the despondency over the previous king's death with his marriage to Gertrude has failed. Hamlet is still melancholy. And it is that melancholy demeanor, the depression being experienced by the young prince, that leads to his contemplations of suicide.
Examples of Hamlet's despondency are many in this scene. When he is left alone, Claudius, Gertrude, and myriad strap-hangers having left the room, he gives full measure of his sadness, noting, "How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable / Seem to me all the uses of this world!" His beloved father and king is dead, and his mother has quickly remarried her dead husband's brother, a development that leads Hamlet to lament, "Frailty, thy name is woman!" Hamlet is angry and deeply saddened and is complicating suicide, a sentiment that reaches its emotional zenith with one of the most famous passages in English literature, "To be, or not to be."
In Hamlet, what attitude dominates Hamlet's personality in act 1, scene 2?
This is the scene in which Claudius announces his marriage to Gertrude. Hamlet can best be described as grumpy in this scene. He is bitter about his mother's quick marriage. He feels she has betrayed his father and he doesn't trust Claudius. He is despondent, feeling that he is alone in the world. Hamlet's "asides" - his muttered comments to himself - show how bitter he is. He criticizes Claudius, calling him:
"A little more than kin, and less than kind."
He challenges his mother outright, insisting his feelings are strong and valid:
"Seems, madam! Nay, it is; I know not seems."
When they are gone, he wishes for release from his pain:
"O, that this too too solid flesh would melt!"
What is Hamlet's dominant attitude in scene 2?
In act 1, scene 2, Hamlet is still in mourning for his recently departed father. Everyone else, including his mother Gertrude, seems to have moved on. But not Hamlet. His evident sadness at the loss of his father has cast a dark cloud over the Danish court. To add to the prevailing atmosphere of gloom, Hamlet insists on wearing black.
Claudius, for one, is decidedly unimpressed. He effectively tells Hamlet to man-up and stop moping about. He is positively scathing about what he insensitively describes as Hamlet's "unmanly grief." But Hamlet is unrelenting in his sadness, and in the first of many monologues he laments the fact that suicide is expressly prohibited by Christian teaching:
Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt,Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew,Or that the Everlasting had not fixedHis canon 'gainst self-slaughter!
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