Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Annotations

Act I

Scene I

Page 652

- “Horatio says…”

- There is a ghost that Marcellus has been seeing. Barnardo thinks it is only in his

head.

- Horatio: scholar, skeptical may come from the fact that he is educated, unlike his

other peers

- “...a piece of him…”

- This is a weird way to describe Horatio

Page 653

- “...most like: it harrows…”

- Harrows: broken up, crushed, pulverized

- “What art thou that…”

- Usurp’st: take the place of another

- “...sensible and true…”

- Avouch: to cite as authority

- “...the sledded Polacks…”

- Polacks: derogatroy references to a person of Polish descent

- “Stay!...”
 - Horatio is now reconsidering everything that he once knew because he can see

this ghostly figure of a past king.

- “...by Fortinbras of Norway…”

- Fortinbras is the king of Norway

- Current king of Denmark is Prince Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius

- Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark is named after his late father, King Hamlet

- The way that Horatio describes King Hamlet is very honorable and dignified. He

holds a lot of admiration for him as a King and as a person

Page 654

- “Stay, illusion!”

- Even after seeing and experiencing a ghost, Horatio still only sees it as an illusion,

something that is not real. He must have a hard time wrapping his head around the

fact that it is not an illusion because he is a person who cares deeply about

education

- “A mote… demonstrated”

- Allusion of some sort?

- Brings up ways that the world went crazy before it came to an end such as

corpses coming to life, Romans speaking gibberish, etc.

- “It spreads his arms”

- Unsure whether this is about the ghost or if it is about Horatio (?)

- “‘Tis gone!”
 - Marcellus holds guilt for threatening the ghost when it came in the form of a king.

Hamlet must have had a large impact on the country and his people for them to

still respect him even in death.

Summary: In this scene, the guards on duty have seen the ghost of the late King Hamlet.

Although skeptical of what the ghost actually is, whether an illusion or not, they still hold him to

a very respectable standard and try to admire and treat him with the respect of a king, even in

death.

Scene II

Page 655

- “That we with wisest sorrow…”

- Claudius thinks it to be the best idea to mourn King Hamlet while also worrying

about the current king’s well being

- Seems self absorbed and purposely shifts the attention back onto him when it is

not

- The way in which he speaks about Hamlet makes it seem as though he does not

actually care and is only saying these things to make himself look better

- Lots of talk about the actual political relationships between Norway and Denmark

in this dialogue from Claudius

Page 656

- “My dread lord…”

- Laertes is trying to go back to France from Denmark.

- “Have you… to go…”

 - Laertes has the permission of his father, but his father has allowed him to leave

begrudgingly so.

- Why do they not want him to leave? Is it a political or a personal reason?

- “Seems, madam! …”

- Emphasis on the word seems to show that not everything that is being said is true

- “How is it that…”

- Wonders just how Hamlet could be mourning after the amount of time that has

passed

- Shows that he is not an understanding person and would rather sweep grief

under the rug than face it

Page 657

- “But you know, your father lost a father… impious stubbornness…”

- Claudius believes that Hamlet should stop mourning and essentially get over his

father’s death because in a way, Hamlet is overdoing it and being stubborn.

- Makes it seem as though Hamlet is being selfish and continues to mourn

because he does not want his uncle taking the throne

- Adds onto the previous claim of Claudius being self absorbed

- Claudius’s language in this instance is very manipulative and short

- “Your dad’s dead, get over it lmao”

- “...’tis unmanly grief;...”

- Big idea: grief.Claudius and Gertrude forcing Hamlet to stop mourning his father

and making him feel about it even though only two months have gone by since his

dad died
Page 658

- “...with such dexterity…”

- Big idea: judgement. Judging his mother for remarrying not only as quickly as she

did, but also for remarrying her late husband’s brother

- THE DRAMA

Page 659

- “My lord, I think I saw him yesternight”

- Horatio is leading Hamlet to his father by telling him about seeing the ghost of

King Hamlet, the man that Prince Hamlet is still mourning

- “A countenance more in sorrow…”

- Going back to the religious aspect of the book, King Hamlet may be in sorrow

rather than anger because of his sudden death and the lack of ability to repent for

the sins that he carries

Page 660

- “If it assume my noble father’s…”

- Hamlet is determined to talk to his father. He wants answers about his death

because he senses some kind of foul play and is determined to get those answers

even if it means talking to his father himself

- Dramatic

Summary: Claudius tells Hamlet to move on from his father’s death despite there only being 2

months passed. Horatio talks to Hamlets about the ghostly figure they have all seen and warns

him that it may be his own father. Hamlet gets ready to confront the ghost and get answers about

his death because he senses foul play.

 Scene III

Page 660

- “Fear it. Ophelia…”

- Big idea: purity, love and lust. Laertes warns Ophelia to not fall in love with

Hamlet and to take his acts of love as acts of flirtations. He understands that

Hamlet’s responsibilities lie with the country and the royal family, but never with

her

Page 661

- “Do not, as some ungracious pastors do…”

- Big idea: Hypocriticism. Ophelia warns Laertes of the same thing that he is

warning Ophelia and urges him to take his own advice.

- “‘Tis told me, he hath…”

- Polonius is very wary when it comes to his children. He does not want other

people taking advantage of them and gives them a lot of warnings and advice so

that they are able to protect themselves

Page 662

- “...green girl…”

- What is the meaning of the use of “green” throughout the story?

- “I do not know…”

- Ophelia is submissive and seems naive. She only looks at the world with rose

colored glasses and believes that everybody she meets has her best interest in

mind
Summary: Polonius gives advice to both his children, warning them to change the way that they

conduct their lives. Laertes warns Ophelia to be cautious when it comes to Hamlet, letting her

know that he only cares for his best interest and that of the royal family.

Scene IV

Page 663

- “They clepe us drunkards…”

- Hamlet is criticizing the drinking tradition that entails a giant, loud party and is

saying that by Claudius practicing this tradition, he is ruining the reputation and

the way that Denmark is perceived by other countries

- May mean that Hamlet values a good reputation and his nobility

- Ties back to what Laertes warns Ophelia of?

Page 664

- “What if it tempt you toward the flood…”

- Horatio worries that Hamlet approaching the ghost means the death of him, but

was he not the one who urged him to meet the ghost in the first place?

- Cowardly?

- “Unhand me, gentlemen”

- Hamlet is very stubborn, even in the face of possible death

Summary: At 12am, Horatio and Marcellus take Hamlet to see the ghost that has been mocking

them for a while. In a state of shock, Hamlet follows the ghost impulsively despite the warnings

coming from Horatio.

Scene V

Page 665
 - “Revenge his foul…”

- Why is he referring to King Hamlet like he is not King Hamlet?

- Big idea: Revenge. Ghost is urging Hamlet to get revenge on Claudius for the

murder of his father

- “...Sleeping in my Orchard…”

- Biblical allusion. Ode to the fact that Claudius is giving into temptation, equating

him to The Devil?

Page 666

- “No reck’ning made, but sent to my account…”

- Big idea: lack of ability to repent. Hamlet’s brother killed him before he was able

to repent for the sins he accumulated because of the war and murders that he

caused

- “O villain…”

- Hamlet is beginning to grow the need and craving for revenge. Shows that he

cares a lot about the integrity and avenging of his family

Page 667

- “Swear by my sword…”

- Hamlet’s need for revenge is beginning to cloud the way that he is speaking and

acting towards those that he cares about

Summary: Hamlet finally makes contact with the ghost and he begins to tell him everything that

Claudius did to kill him. He urges Hamlet to kill Claudius in order to save the future of

Denmark, but to spare Gertrude because she was just caught in his web of lust and lies that he

spun.
Act II

Scene I

Page 669

- “My lord, I did intend it”

- Renaldo seems submissive and very attentive to authority figures

- “My lord, that would dishonor him”

- Why does Polnius feel the need to make his son sound humble and normal?

Page 670

- “He took me by the wrist…”

- Ophelia is feeling the direct effects of the ghost of Hamlet’s father on him, but

also not being able to see the woman that he loves

- Ophelia is honest and open with her father despite probably not understanding

why he separates Hamlet and her the way that he does

Page 671

- “More grief to hide…”

- Polonius is the type of person to take responsibility for his actions and do deal

with them directly rather than sweep them under the rug and pretend that they do

not exist

Summary: Polonius is talking to a man named Reynaldo and instructs him to talk about his son,

Laertes, in a way that makes him sound like a normal, young man. These things include scandals

like engaging in prostituion, gambling, fighting, drinking, etc. Ophelia comes to Polonius in a

panic, explaining that Hamlet has been acting strangely and they both conclude that it is because

Polonius has been keeping Ophelia away from him.

 Scene II

Page 671

- “Something have you heard…”

- Claudius is worried about the way that Hamlet has been acting since his father

died

- Could this be Claudius’s way of trying to clean up the mess that Hamlet

has created by figuring out that his father was actually murdered?

- “As fit a king’s remembrance”

- Gertrude is willing to pay these men in a way fit for a king just to figure out what

is wrong with Hamlet and why he is acting this way

- Shows that Gertrude may be determined, but also caring when it comes to

her children

Page 672

- “...I have found the very cause of Hamlet’s lunacy”

- Polonius is going to tell the King and Queen that Hamlet has gone crazy because

he is in love with his daughter, but the King and Queen believe that the reason lies

in the fact that his father died and mother remarried so quickly.

- “...your noble son is mad…”

- Polonius is 100% sure that Hamlet is crazy

- Polonius is not very understanding of grief or the necessity of love and

deems things that are slightly odd “crazy”

Page 673

- “More matter, with less art”

 - Queen Gertrude is very straight to the point and would rather claims be spoken

without the frills that come with Polonius’s way of speaking

- “As of a man faithful and honourable”

- Claudius sounds condescending in this part of the book. Sounds like he is only

saying that he knows Polonius wants to hear so that he can get information out of

him

Page 674

- “Ay, sir; to be honest, as this world goes…”

- Reference to his uncle

- “Do you know me, my lord?”

- Polonius is approaching Hamlet with carefulness in an attempt to ensure that he

does not know who he is and how he has kept him and his daughter apart

Page 675

- “...she is a strumpet…”

- Strumpet: slut

- “Then is doomsday near…”

- Why does the world becoming honest mean that the end of the world is

approaching?

- Could this have something to do with religion? Everybody is being honest

in that they are repenting for their sins to ensure their spot in Heaven?

Page 676

- “...seems to me a sterile promontory…”

- Promontory: a forked mountain

 - “What should we say, my lord?”

- Guildenstern and Rosencrantz are two of Hamlet’s closest friends. If they were as

close as they make it seem; though, why does Hamlet believe that they were sent

to him, rather than just showing up on their own accord?

Page 677

- “...it appeareth nothing to me but a foul and pestilent…”

- Hamlet has lost all hope that used to be in his eyes. He now sees the world as

bleak and troublesome, rather than beautiful and hopeful the way it was before

King Hamlet died.

- “He that plays the king shall be welcome…”

- He is hoping to treat the King’s actor the way that he wishes he could treat the

real king

Page 678

- “...but my uncle-father and aunt-mother…”

- This way of describing his mother and uncle being married seems very

condescending and passive-aggressive. Shows the actors just how disturbed

Hamlet really is by their conjoining

- “One fair daughter, and no more…”

- Hamlet is still stuck on Ophelia and Polonius knows it

Page 679

- “...’twas caviary to the general…”

- Meaning it was a good thing unappreciated by the ignorant

 - This entails that the speech that was given that Hamlet remembers was only given

one time and was not appreciated enough when it was first spoken. Is he referring

to his past self as the ignorant?

Page 680

- “It shall to the barber’s with your beard”

- Poking fun at the beard brought up the page before

- “The mobled queen?”

- Mobled: being wrapped or muffled in or as if in a hood

- Mobled queen may refer to the suffocation being done by Gertrude. Hard to

accept that she is married to his uncle. Wants to believe it is not her own choice

Page 681

- “...for they are the brief chronicles of the time…”

- Hamlet wants to ensure that his name goes down well in history

- “My lord, I will use them according to their desert”

- Implies that he will give the actors what they deserve, even if it is not well

Page 682

- “I should have fatted all the region kites…”

- Hamlet holds guilt for treating the actors in the way that he did

- Shows that he is a remorseful person

Summary: Gertrude and Claudius come to realize that Hamlet has been behaving strangely and

in an attempt to figure out why, they call on his two old friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Actors arrive in order to entertain Hamlet and and while trying to test Claudius and his true

intentions, he uses the troupe to do so by pushing them to their limits

Act III

Scene I

Page 682

- “And he beseech’d me…”

- Beseech: to implore, beg earnestly

Page 683

- “I shall obey you”

- Queen Gertrude is submissive and obedient to the King

- “To be, or not to be…”

- Hamlet is currently contemplating death and being alive

- Cannot tell if it is more honorable to put up with the things life will throw or is it

better to put an end to them all by putting an end to one’s life

- Not to be.

Page 684

- “No, not I; I never gave you aught”

- Why is Hamlet denying that he ever wrote the letters to Ophelia?

- “Your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty”

- Implying that if Ophelia is as good as she makes him believe then her beauty

should have no reason for her goodness. There is no way that she can be both as

beautiful and as good as she is

Page 685

- “I was the more deceived”

 - Ophelia is giving into whatever game Hamlet is playing and agreeing with the

fact that he never loved her, when she knows differently

- “...thou shalt not escape calumny”

- Calumny: slander

- Hamlet explains that just because she marries him, that does not mean that

she is free front he criticisms that will be placed upon her when she is

royalty

Page 686

- “...I do believe the origin…”

- Polonius is still set on the fact that Hamlet’s grief comes from the love that

Ophelia is not giving him

- “Madness in great ones…”

- Claudius believes that Hamlet is going insane and wants to send him away to be

watched

Summary: Hamlet is contemplating suicide and Claudius and Polonius are hiding in wait while

they listen to him recite “To be or Not to Be.” After Ophelia is done interrogating Hamlet,

Claudius decides that Hamlet is completely crazy if even the one he loves most cannot get

through to him and plans to send him away to be watched.

Scene II

Page 686

- “Speak the speech, I pray you…”

- Hamlet is giving many acting directions

- Entails that the play is very important to him

Page 687

- “...when thou seest that act afoot…”

- Hamlet is using the play as a way to get a reaction from the King to prove that he

murdered King Hamlet

- If nothing comes from Claudius, he chooses to believe that the ghost was

really a devil screwing with his mind

Page 688

- “You are merry, my lord”

- Hamlet is in a good mood knowing that he may be getting answers about his

father’s death

- May show that he values the truth and appreciates it greatly when he

receives it

Page 689

- “Wormwood, wormwood”

- Wormwood: an extremely bitter plant

- Hamlet is saying that the words being said in this part of the play right

now are heart wrenching and bitter, just like wormwood

Page 690

- “No no, they do but jest…”

- Hamlet is gaslighting his uncle-father lol. As he should

- Shows that he feels a sense of pride in uncovering the truth when it is done so

- Ties back to the value of truth and honesty

Page 691

- “Give me some light: away!”

- Claudius is reacting to the play. Does he feel guilt or fear, knowing that someone

has found out what he really did to his brother?

Page 693

- “...though you can fret me, you cannot play upon me”

- Hamlet feels targeted and overwhelmed after the play has taken place. Why is he

freaking out when he has the answers he has been looking for?

Summary: Hamlet uses the actors to put on a play that will reveal the guilt that Claudius has for

killing his brother. During the murder scene, Claudius flees the room and Hamlet goes to inform

Gertrude about what he has done to King Hamlet.

 Scene III

Page 694

- “Therefore prepare you…”

- Claudius is planning to send Hamlet away due to the fear of being exposed for

what he has done

- Why are his two friends just agreeing to go?

Page 695

- “Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens…”

- Claudius is wondering how much repenting would need to take place in order to

cleanse him of his brother’s murder

- “...do this same villain send to heaven”

- Hamlet is contemplating actually killing and avenging his father

Summary: After realizing that Claudius did kill his father, Hamlet goes to find him. He sees him

defenseless, alone and praying. Hamlet contemplates killing Claudius right there but decides

against it at the last minute, thinking that if he killed him now, he may be forgiven and go to

Heaven.

Scene IV

Page 697

- “A bloody deed!”

- The way that Hamlet is speaking to his mother seems like it comes from a place

of hurt and betrayal rather than one of anger and disappointment

- Big idea: Betrayal. Hamlet may feel betrayed by the way his mother moved on

from her husband and his father so quickly

Page 699

- “As will not leave their tinct”

- Tinct: tinged, colored, flavored

Page 700

- “Do you see nothing there?”

- Hamlet feels as though he is going crazy

- Killed Polonius thinking that it was Claudius even after he decided not to kill him

at all

Page 702

- “I do repent…”

- He knows that he has sinned and does not want to be like his father who died

suddenly and had no chance to repent

Summary: After the play, Hamlet goes to Gertrude who accuses him of offending both her and

the King. When she believes that Hamlet was going to kill her, she calls for help and in a panic,

Hamlet kills the man behind the curtain who is Polonius, thinking that it is Claudius.

Act IV

Scene I

Page 702

- “Alas, how shall this bloody deed…”

- Claudius’s tone in this part of the play is very solemn and distraught

- Big idea: manipulation. He is not actually afraid of Hamlet’s actions, but

afraid of him being exposed for the murder of King Hamlet

Summary: Gertrude tells Claudius about how Hamlet was going crazy and killed Polonius.

Claudius decrees that Hamlet needs to be sent to England immediately and sends Rosencrantz

and Guildenstern to get him.

Scene II

Page 703

- “Ay, sir… his authorities”

- Hamlet has had a personality shift. He has been swallowed by anger and revenge

and is now taking that feeling out on his two best friends

Summary: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have found Hamlet and ask him where he has hidden

Polonius’s corpse. Hamlet refuses to tell them and accuses them of being spies for Claudius.

They all go to the king together

Scene III

Page 705

- “My mother: father and mother is man and wife…”

- What is bro talking about?? He is literally going crazy

- “Howe’er my haps, my joys were ne’er begun”

- With Hamlet still alive, Claudius has no chance at happiness

- Because Hamlet threatens Claudius’s future as the king, this entails that he

only values nobility, fame, glory, etc. Nothing else can make him happy

Summary: Claudius and Hamlet meet face to face. When asked about where Polonius’s body is,

Hamlet only mocks the King. Claudius has orders for Hamlet to be sent away immediately with

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, but also secret instructions for him to be murdered when he

arrives in England.
 Scene IV

Page 706

- “Truly to speak…”

- Even the Captain feels that this war is unnecessary and done to fuel a stupid feud

Page 707

- “...My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!”

- Hamlet has had another personality shift. He no longer cares about reason and

peace, he now only cares about revenge and avenging his late father

Summary: Hamlet meets the King of Norway who is getting ready to fight a war that Hamlet

believes is pointless. During the conversation with the Captain, Hamlet realizes just how stupid it

is that men will go to war and die over something as insignificant as an unprofitable plot of land

when he himself cannot even kill his uncle for killing his father. He decides that if his thoughts

are not centered around violence, they are not worth thinking about.

Scene V

Page 707

- “She speaks much of her father…”

- Ophelia is going crazy over the death of her father

Page 708

- “...and we have done but greenly…”

- Bringing up the color green when referring to a person again

Summary: Ophelia has gone crazy over the death of her father and breaks out into song for no

reason lol. Laertes returns to Denmark from France, looking for revenge and after confronting
Claudius, thinking he is the one who killed his father, Claudius tells him to seek revenge on

Hamlet, not him.

Scene VI

Page 712

- “...so I alone became their prisoner”

- Hamlet was taken by people on his way to England

Summary: Horatio receives a message from Hamlet that says the ship he was on that was sailing

to England was attacked by a band of people and he is now making his way back to Denmark

quietly

Scene VII

Page 713

- “It warms the very sickness in my heart…”

- Laertes finds comfort in the fact that he may be able to avenge his father by

killing Hamlet

- May show that Laertes values things like family and justice

Page 714

- “Laertes, was your father dear to you?”

- Why would Claudius ask a man who just lost his father this question?

- Is he trying to provoke some kind of emotion in him that would ensure he

would help him kill Hamlet?

Page 715

- “It may be death”

- Laertes is planning on killing Hamlet through a poisonous sword

 - Parallel to how the King in the play killed the brother

- “Your sister’s drown’d Laertes”

- Ophelia went so crazy after the death of her father and the banishment of Hamlet

that she actually died

- Why do women always die in Shakespeare :(

Summary: Laertes and Claudius are planning to kill Hamlet in an act of revenge by using

poisoned sword tips and poisoned chalices. After Ophelia goes crazy, the queen finds her

drowned and dead.

Act V

Scene I

Page 717

- “How can that be…”

- Are they contemplating the fact that she is getting a burial because she might have

committed suicide?

- Cardinal sin

- “It must be se offendendo…”

- They are blaming her drowning on herself.

- Trying to claim that it was her who took her own life

- “But is this law?”

- Justifying her death through the eyes of the law, trying to make sense of it

- “Will you ha’ the truth on ‘t?”

- They believe that the Christian rules are being bent because she was a rich lady
 - Doesn’t the bending of this rule say more about society than it does

Ophelia?

Page 721

- “What, the fair Ophelia!”

- Hamlet just found out that Ophelia is dead :(

- Talks about her in shock, may believe that he is to blame for her death

Page 722

- “The devil take thy soul!”

- Hamlet and Laertes are fighting in the grave that Ophelia is supposed to rest in

- This feels wrong

Summary: Gravediggers argue about giving Ophelia a Christian burial because she killed herself.

They say that it was only done because she was rich. Hamlet and Laertes fight in Ophelia’s

newly dug grave until someone comes to break them up.

Scene II

Page 723

- “...in my heart there was a kind of fighting…”

- Possible big idea: guilt? Hamlet holds guilt for his father’s death and Polonius’s

and in turn, also Ophelia’s

- “...My head should be struck off”

- Hamlet is explaining the instructions that he found from the king regarding his

murder

Page 724

- “...a great wager on your head…”

 - Osric is warning Hamlet that people may try to kill him

Page 726

- “In happy time”

- Hamlet is speaking like somebody who has lived a life of peace when he knows

that he caused the death of at least 2 people already. I can’t

Page 727

- “Give me your pardon, sir…”

- Hamlet is admitting to his faults to King Claudius who killed his father

- Either very good at manipulation and looking like the bigger person, or he

IS the bigger person and is actually apologizing. Probably the latter.

Page 728

- “Give him the cup”

- He is trying to poison Hamlet by disguising it like he is celebrating him

- “...take my napkin…”

- Gertrude, even after everything Hamlet has done, is still supporting him through a

stressful duel.

- Gertrude may value family and loyalty

Page 729

- “I will, my lord…”

- Gertrude drank the poisoned cup

- Claudius may feel actual remorse for accidentally killing the Queen

- “I am justly killed with mine own treachery”

 - Because Laertes allowed revenge to engulf him, he ended up killing himself in the

process of trying to kill Hamlet

- “Then, venom, to thy work”

- Instead of doing extra things, Hamlet just goes and kills Claudius

- In the beginning of the novel, it was pointed out that Hamlet likes to get to

the point and would rather go past the frills of things

- “Exchange forgiveness…”

- Repenting right before death, no matter the mortal feelings

- Big idea: religion. In the eyes of death, nothing is more important than

repenting to ensure they can get to Heaven

Summary: Literally everybody died. The queen dies of the poisoned cup, Laertes and Hamlet by

the poisoned sword and Claudius by Hamlet’s sword. Fortinbras, the King of Norway orders an

honorable burial take place for Hamlet because he killed his rival, King Claudius.