Hamlet - Script Analysis

Act 1, Scene 1

• Barnardo replaces Francisco for his sentinel shift

• horatio and marcellus arrive late

• they all speak about the ghost

• Ghost enters, does not speak, then leaves

• Ghost enters again, Horatio asks it to speak but it is interrupted by the rooster

• Horatio says they should tell hamlet

Act 1, Scene 2

• Claudius brushes aside Late Hamlet’s death and talks about Fortinbras and his marriage

• Laertes wants to return to France

• Gertrude and Claudius tell Hamlet that everyone dies and that he must stay and not return to Wittenburg

• Hamlet, alone, laments and wishes he could kill himself

• Horatio, Marcellus, and Barnardo enter and Horatio tells Hamlet about the ghost

• Hamlet says he will watch for the ghost tonight

Act 1, Scene 3

• Laertes tells Ophelia to pay no mind to Hamlet’s flirtations

• Polonius gives Laertes lots of advice and a final blessing

• Polonius also tells Ophelia that Hamlet is just impassioned and to stop spending so much time with him

• Ophelia agrees to do so and to give back all her letters

Act 1, Scene 4

• Hamlet, Horatio, and Marcellus enter for the midnight watch

• King is awake and drinking

• Ghost enters and beckons Hamlet

  • they hold him back, but he exits

• Horatio and Marcellus resolve to follow him

Act 1, Scene 5

• Ghost tells Hamlet that he’s doomed to walk throughout the night

• Ghost tells Hamlet about Claudius’ murdering and to take revenge

• Hamlet resolves to think only of what the Ghost said

• Hamlet acts a little crazy

• Horatio and Marcellus swear not to tell anyone about what they saw

Act 2, Scene 1

• Polonius tells Reynaldo to diss on Laertes and spy on him

• Ophelia tells Polonius that Hamlet came in all crazy half naked

• Polonius and Ophelia decide to tell the king

Act 2, Scene 2

• Claudius tells R&G to spy on Hamlet

• Polonius says Hamlet’s mad because of Ophelia

• Polonius and Claudius decide to stalk Hamlet and Ophelia

• R&G meet up with Hamlet again, they fold and tell him they were sent to spy on him

• Hamlet sayss he’s apathetic about life

• The players enter

• Hamlet tells the first player to add 16 lines

• Hamlet alone says he will use the play to make his uncle confess to the murder

Act 3, Scene 1

• R&G report to Claudius about what they think of Hamlet

• Claudius and Polonius hide to stalk Hamlet

• Hamlet’s to be or not to be

• Hamlet is mean and gaslightery and dismissive to Ophelia

• Ophelia laments after Hamlet leaves

• Claudius wants to send him to England, but Polonius wants Gertrude to talk to him first

Act 3, Scene 2

• Hamlet’s advice to the players

• Hamlet tells Horatio to watch Claudius during the play

• Hamlet teases Ophelia

• Play happens, Claudius interrupts and stops the play

• R&G, then Polonius say Gertrude sends for Hamlet

• Hamlet alone says he will speak daggers to her, but use none

Act 3, Scene 3

• Claudius tells R&G that Hamlet must go with them to England

• Polonius says he’ll stalk Hamlet and Gertrude

• Claudius tries to pray, Hamlet sees, but decides not to kill him

• Claudius says words without thoughts never go to heaven

Act 3, Scene 4

• Polonius hides while Hamlet and Gertrude talks

• Hamlet is mean to his mother

• Polonius yells and Hamlet kills him through the tapestry

• Ghost enters and tells Hamlet to calm his mother and focus on Claudius, but Gertrude doesn’t see it

• Hamlet tells Gertrude not to sleep with Claudius

• Hamlet mentions letters that R&G will deliver

• Polonius is dragged off

Act 4, Scene 1

• Gertrude tells Claudius that Hamlet killed Polonius, and they must immediately ship him off to England

• Claudius tells Gertrude they’ll consult their wises friends about what to do

Act 4, Scene 2

• Hamlet alone says he’s stowed the body

• Hamlet tells R&G the body is with the king

Act 4, Scene 3

• Rosencrantz tells Claudius that Hamlet won’t spill the location of the body

  • Hamlet says they’ll smell him up the stairs into the lobby

• Claudius tells Hamlet he must go to England for his protection, and Hamlet says okay

• Claudius reveals that he sent letters to the King of England to kill Hamlet

Act 4, Scene 4

• Hamlet watches Fortinbras's army march across Denmark and compares himself to the prince of Norway

• He’s lamenting that he hasn’t done the deed yet

• Resolves to think only of bloody thoughts

Act 4, Scene 5

• Ophelia enters kinda crazily, singing about virginity

• Claudius tells Horatio to follow and watch her

• Laertes breaks down the door, leading a coup and seeking revenge for his father

• Ophelia enters and exits singing again

• Claudius tells Laertes that he is guiltless of the murder

Act 4, Scene 6

• Horatio reads a letter from Hamlet revealing that he was attacked by pirates and now he’s on their ship

• Horatio lets the sailors take him to Hamlet

Act 4, Scene 7

• Claudius tells Laertes that Hamlet killed Polonius

• A messenger reveals Hamlet is back in Denmark

• Claudius and Laertes devise a plan to kill Hamlet with 3 methods

• Gertrude enters and reveals that Ophelia’s drowned

Act 5, Scene 1

• Hamlet and Horatio discuss death with a gravedigger

• The court processes Ophelia’s body

• Hamlet and Laertes fight over Ophelia

• Claudius reminds Laertes of their plans and tells him to be patient

Act 5, Scene 2 pt 1

• Hamlet tells Horatio he sent a letter sending R&G to their deaths in England

• Osric tells Hamlet that Laertes challenged him and the King has bet

• The court enters and Hamlet and Laertes apologize to each other

• Claudius drops a pearl into the Hamlet’s goblet

Act 5, Scene 2, pt 2

• Hamlet hits Laertes twice, the Queen drinks the poisoned cup

• Laertes hits Hamlet, and they switch swords

• Gertrude and Laertes fall

• Gertrude dies

• Laertes confesses and blames the king

• Hamlet stabs Claudius and forces him to drink the poison, and Claudius dies

• Laertes asks Hamlet for forgiveness and dies

• Hamlet tells Horatio to live on and tell his story

• Hamlet says Fortinbras should be the next king

• Fortinbras takes the throne and they exit, carrying the bodies

Obstacles in Hamlet

• self imposed; he doesn’t know if the ghost is truthtelling

• he gets sent off to england

• hamlet against claudius

Climax of hamlet

the death of claudius

the domino leading to Hamlet killing Claudius

Laertes says, “The King! The King’s to blame!”

Stasis at the beginning of Hamlet

Denmark, a long time ago, at the palace of the king. There's a prince named Hamlet. He's unhappy because his father recently died and his mother married again, rather soon. That is the static situation. Nothing is changing. The balance of all the forces involved has produced a complacent new ruler, a melancholy prince, a worried mother. 

The intrusion in Hamlet

the ghost!

Example of forwards in hamlet

• the ghost not speaking until line 685

• anticipation of hamlet confronting Claudius

Forwarding Couplets in hamlet

tell us not what’s passed, but hint at what’s coming

order of deaths in hamlet

1. polonius

2. ophelia

3. gertrude

4. claudius

5. laertes

6. hamlet

7. (offstage, R&G before the duel)

Beginning and End of Act 1

• we see the ghost for the first time

• the ghost tells hamlet to take revenge and hamlet swears his friends to secrecy

Beginning and End of Act 2

• Polonius and Reynaldo and Ophelia says Hamlet was being crazy

• hamlet plans to use the players to make Claudius confess

Beginning and End of Act 3

• Claudius and Polonius stalk Hamlet, to be or not to be

• Polonius is killed and dragged off

Beginning and End of Act 4

• Gertrude tells Claudius about Hamlet killing Polonius and R&G need to help with the corpse

• Ophelia is revealed to have drowned and Laertes exits, crying

Beginning and End of Act 5

• the gravedigger scene

• everyone is dead and fortinbras is king