Hamlet Scene Summaries Essay

Submitted By natalieeki
Words: 2238
Pages: 9
Open Document
Hamlet Scene Summaries
Act 1 Scene 1:
On a bitter cold night, three watchmen Bernardo, Marcello and Horatio (friend of Hamlet) encounters a ghost of King Hamlet, whom has appeared on the castle ramparts for the past two nights. Horatio was sceptical at first, however the ghost appears (wearing the armour that the King wore in the war with Norway) and then suddenly vanishes. Horatio then declares that the ghost must bring warning of a military attack to Denmark, recounting the story of the king’s conquest of lands belonging to Norway, saying that Fortinbras now seeks to reconquer the lands. The ghost appears for the second time and leaves at the first hint of dawn, however the ghost doesn’t respond to them. Horatio suggests that they tell Prince Hamlet, believing that the ghost would be willing to speak to his son.
Act 1 Scene 2:
The next morning, Claudius holds court, trying to make his marriage to Gertrude sound normal, saying that is it possible to balance woe and joy. Claudius received a message from Fortinbras demanding Denmark to give up the lands, he then sends Cornelius and Voltemand with a message to Fortinbras’ uncle, the King of Norway. Laertes asks to be allowed to be returned to his studies in France, Claudius agrees. Next, Claudius and Gertrude wonders why Hamlet is still dressed in mourning clothes. Hamlet replies that he is upset, and that his clothes can’t capture his true mourning. Claudius says it’s natural for fathers to die and sons to mourn, but mourning for too long is not normal and unmanly. He wants Hamlet to see him as a father, and also not to return to Wittenberg to study. Gertrude seconds the request and Hamlet promises to obey his mother. All exit but Hamlet, he continues in a soliloquy, wishing that he could die and condemns the marriage. He says Claudius is inferior to his father and in anguish, describes Gertrude as a lustful beast. Horatio, Marcello and Barnardo enter. Horatio tells Hamlets about the ghost and Hamlet decides to watch with the men that night.
Act 1 Scene 3:
Laertes warns Ophelia not to fall for Hamlet as he prepares to leave for France. He claims that Hamlet’s passions will change and a prince must marry to preserve the ‘sanity and health’ of the state. Ophelia promises but tells Laertes to listen to his own advice. Polonius comes and scolds Laertes for taking so long, then gives him advice about how to act. Laertes leave. Polonius asks Ophelia what she was talking to Laertes about. She tells him it’s about Hamlet, explaining that Hamlet has expressed his love for her. Polonius tells her that Hamlet is pretending to love her in order to sleep with her, and forbids her to talk to him.
Act 1 Scene 4:
On the ramparts, Hamlet, Horatio and Marcellus keep watch. Meanwhile, from side the castle there’s a roar of revelry, Hamlet condemns Claudius’ constant merry-making, saying that it makes the nobles look corrupt. The ghost appears and beckons Hamlet to follow. Horatio and Marcellus refuses to let him go, saying that the ghost may be a demon trying to trap him. Hamlet breaks free and follows the ghost. They run after Hamlet.
Act 1 Scene 5:
The ghost claims to be the spirit of Old Hamlet, murdered by Claudius. Although the official story was that he was napping in his garden and was stung by a serpent, in reality Claudius poured poison into his ear, murdering him and sending him to Purgatory because he was not given a chance to confess his sins before he died. The ghost wants Hamlet to seek revenge against Claudius for murder and stealing Gertrude, however he warns him not to harm his mother. The ghost disappears when drawn breaks. Hamlet promises to seek revenge. Horatio and Marcellus rush in, but Hamlet refuses to tell them what happened, but he does say he may pretend to be insane and makes them swear to silence on his sword. The ghost’s voice echoes ‘swear!’ and they swear.
Act 2 Scene 1:
Polonius sends a servant to spy on Laertes to test his son’s virtues. Then Ophelia enters,
Show More

Related Documents: Hamlet Scene Summaries Essay

Hamlet: Hamlet and Polonius Essay

Home : Hamlet : Study Guide : Summary and Analysis of Act 2 Hamlet Summary and Analysis by William Shakespeare Buy PDFBuy Paperback Act 2 Summary Scene 1 Act Two begins with Polonius speaking to one of his servants, Reynaldo, about his son, Laertes, who has by this time returned to Paris. We see Polonius in the act of sending Reynaldo after Laertes to inquire into his son’s conduct. He instructs Reynaldo very precisely in the method of obtaining this information. First, Reynaldo is to…

Words 1348 - Pages 6

Hamlet and Claudius Essay

Lijie Lin 10/25/2014 ENGL 1B Summary for the Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Act 1: Scene 1 There is a changing of the guards: Bernardo replaces Francisco. Soon two more characters arrive, Horatio and Marcellus. They were talking the ghost of king of Denmark, Old Hamlet. The two soldiers charge Horatio to speak to the ghost but he does not. The ghost disappears just as suddenly as it arrived. Old Hamlet has died, presumably weakening the Danes, there is a rumor that Fortinbras plans to invade…

Words 801 - Pages 4

Essay on Hamlet and Ophelia

4/2/2014 Act 1, Day 2, Scenes 3-5 summary The scene opens with Laertes and Ophelia entering into Polonius’ chambers. Laertes says bye to his sister as he is about to depart for France but warns her about falling in love with Hamlet. Laertes says that Hamlet cannot love her as he should because he was born into a higher class and Hamlets position of power won’t allow him to lover her as he should. Ophelia tells Laertes that she will keep his advice as her brother but tells him to not give her advice…

Words 670 - Pages 3

Hamlet Oct272014 Essay

Quotations Character Analysis Connecting to other Texts Scene 1 Horatio- a friend of Hamlet. He is model of friendship and can always be trusted to give sensible advice and a honest opinion. Sometimes he is not so much a character as a choric figure, giving necessary information to the audience. Barnardo- guard King Hamlet- Father of the prince. He is now dead and we only see his ghost. But other characters and especially Prince Hamlet, speak of his courage and virtue Marcellus, Barnardo and Francisco-…

Words 1032 - Pages 5

Wilson Knight's Paper, Not Mine

Hamlet by William Shakespeare - MonkeyNotes by PinkMonkey.com PinkMonkey® Literature Notes on . . . Sample MonkeyNotes Note: this sample contains only excerpts of the booknote sections and does not represent the full contents of the booknote. This sample will give you an idea of the layout and overall content of the full summary. Hamlet Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare MonkeyNotes Edited by Diane Sauder PinkMonkey.com, Inc. Copyright ©1997, All Rights Reserved. Distribution…

Words 3503 - Pages 15

Handout: Hamlet and Personal Gain Essay

Within Hamlet, Shakespeare makes a number of references to Denmark's degraded state due to the dishonesty that lies within. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a suitable example on how corruption rapidly can be spread and result in many horrible actions. Corruption is an essential theme in Hamlet. In the beginning the corruption is rather small and isolated, but later on it is spread and cost the lives of nine people in the story. Shakespeare also interlaces the dominant theme of disease into every scene to illustrate…

Words 512 - Pages 3

Extra Writing Assignment Essay

the setting of Hamlet? The Setting of Hamlet is the late medieval period in Denmark. Despite the story's very specific location and time, the play has a distinct 16th century vibe because it was writing between 1599 and 1601. 2. What is the climax of the play? Explain your choice. The climax of the play occurs at the point in the story when Hamlet and Laertes take place in a duel. Claudius had fixed the outcome of the duel so that Hamlet would die…

Words 948 - Pages 4

Hamlet Essay

SONOIKI “A little more kin, and less than kind.” Hamlet comes in saying these words and it shows how displeased he is to have Claudius as his stepfather. It can be sensed immediately that he feels some sort of resentment towards him. He refers to Claudius as “more than kin” as he is now both his uncle and stepfather and goes on to say less than kind, probably in regards to his personality. The fact that this was an aside shows that Hamlet is a character of melancholy, who is often sad and deep…

Words 1414 - Pages 6

Hamlet Soliloquy

Jungian perspective, one must first understand that unlike Freud, Jung was a firm believer in the supernatural and hence saw consciousness as something that was eternal. This conclusion made plausible the notion of the afterlife. This is why like Hamlet, human beings often think that the actions performed during one's lifetime have consequences that last far beyond this lifetime and these fears about the afterlife serve as an incentive for a person to live a 'good' moral life. Since the uncertainty…

Words 1706 - Pages 7

Point Of View Speech Guide Essays

Just got off the phone with a friend of mine that is an actor/producer/and film editor and he gave me a lot of insight on what to look for and how to describe it if anyone wants to meet up ill go over it with them tonight Here is a good segment from a website my High School English Teacher recommended to me for structure Hope it helps! Also the assignment is on the last page, so you can fill in your information as you go and than form an outline after you put your information in…

Words 4087 - Pages 17