Hamlet Act 1 Study Guide Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key characters, settings, plot details, and literary devices from Hamlet Act 1 based on the provided study guide transcript.

Elsinore Castle

The setting of the play, located in Denmark.

Bernardo and Francisco

Guards seen at the beginning of the play who are working hard building weapons and standing guard all night.

Young Fortinbras

The prince of Norway who wants to get revenge on Denmark after old dead King Hamlet won a war and took some of Norway's land.

Horatio

Hamlet's friend from Wittenberg U who is asked to go to the castle roof to confirm if the ghost is real, and who later tells Hamlet what he saw.

King Hamlet's Ghost

An apparition that looks like old dead King Hamlet and is dressed in armor like a soldier warrior.

Claudius

King Hamlet's brother who murdered the king with poison in the garden while he slept, stole his life, crown, and queen, and yells at Hamlet for continuing to mourn.

Queen Gertrude

Hamlet's mother who quickly married his uncle Claudius following King Hamlet's death.

Laertes

A young man who returned from France for King Hamlet's funeral and receives permission from King Claudius to return to school.

"This above all, to thine own self be true."

The core piece of advice Laertes receives from his father before departing for France, instructing him to remain true to himself, act carefully, think before speaking, and avoid unnecessary conflict.

Laertes' Warning to Ophelia

An admonition advising Ophelia not to spend time with Hamlet because he is not genuine, is a player, their love will not last, and he only says what she wants to hear to get what he wants.

Ophelia's Response to Laertes

Her statement acknowledging her brother's warning while telling him not to go to France and be a hypocrite by doing the very things he warned her against.

Verbal Irony

A literary technique Shakespeare uses where Hamlet uses double meanings and sarcastic comments to convey his coldness, disrespect, and dislike toward Claudius.

Soliloquy

A speech in which a character speaks their private thoughts aloud, usually while alone on stage, revealing what they are really thinking to the audience.

Hamlet's First Soliloquy

A speech expressing Hamlet's inner turmoil, grief, disgust, and frustration regarding his father's death and mother's quick marriage, as well as his desire to commit suicide if it were permitted by the church.

Wittenberg U

The university where Hamlet and Horatio know each other from.

The Ghost's Murder Instructions

Directives from King Hamlet's ghost telling Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing Claudius, while leaving Gertrude unharmed and to her own conscience.

Hamlet's Witness Oath

The pledge Hamlet forces his friends to swear, demanding that they do not reveal that a ghost appeared and spoke to him.