Hamlet: Act 1 Analysis

At the start of Hamlet, Horatio asks the soldiers to join the night watch because the soldiers, Marcellus and Barnado, claim that they saw the ghost of the deceased King Hamlet. His suspicion of the claim’s accuracy motivates him to explore further. Thus, Horatio asks to join the night watch soldiers to find out the truth behind their ghost sightings. Consequently, Shakespeare builds intrigue for the readers and adds to the mystery of the opening scene. Furthermore, by opening the setting of the scene at night, specifically midnight, paired with the suspense of the foreshadowed appearance of the ghost king, Shakespeare establishes a foreboding mood. Midnight is often a time for mischief and unexplained events. As such, Shakespeare uses the shadows of the night to create a perturbed mood. The suspense of the scene is further exacerbated by the mystery of the king. Readers are not yet informed of why he is deceased and why he is allegedly haunting the castle walls. Later on in the chapter, Shakespeare pronounces the appearance of the ghost king. This appearance, coupled with the distraught attitudes of the soldiers, contributes to the threatening environment and ominous feeling of the drama. The soldiers’ inability to understand the motives of the ghost and its quiet disposition add to the tension of the story.​​ Additionally, by opening the scene at night, Shakespeare creates a fog of isolation around Horatio and the night watch soldiers. Nighttime is often stereotyped as lonely and dangerous. Shakespeare thus builds on this characterization to create an ominous mood and setting of the drama.

Additionally, King Claudius’ reign and the act of Hamlet not becoming king after the passing of his father indicate malice in the motives of King Claudius. His dismissal of Hamlet’s grief in the opening act and his selfish focus on power and control elucidates his values and sets the stage for the start of a tragedy. Claudius’ evident focus on his well-being and his lust for power, followed by Hamlet’s disapproval of his mother and Claudius’ seemingly overnight marriage with Queen Gertrude, represents a clash in both their intentions. While Hamlet is mainly focused on the passing of his father and grieves deeply, Claudius and Gertrude celebrate a fast consummation and seemingly display superficial grief. This contributes to the tragic setting of the novel by foreshadowing a possible disagreement between Claudius and Hamlet, feasibly spurred by the ghost appearance of the deceased King and Hamlet’s consequently invigorated spirit. Claudius’ fake grief adds to the significance of his reign, causing Hamlet to become suspicious of Claudius’ involvement in his father’s passing. Additionally, his fast rise to power serves to affirm the notion that he played a role in the late King Hamlet’s death. King Hamlet’s ghost is unable to move on and haunts the castle walls, as seen by his nightly visit to the soldiers, further alluding to the idea that Claudius participated in his passing. This alludes to the tragedy of the drama and the significance of Claudius’ reign, as his reign symbolizes his role in King Hamlet’s death.

In Act 1, Hamlet’s emotional state is very erratic and distressed. When he is alone, Hamlet laments about his mother’s quick marriage to Claudius, not a mere two months after his father’s death. His great grief and inner turmoil are translated by his words, in which he uses terms such as “wicked” and “rank” to describe Claudius’ reign and rapid marriage to his mother. To Hamlet, Claudius’ rise to power and his marriage with his mother signifies an attempt to replace his father. Hamlet is still in the process of grief. He has not moved on from his father’s death and still feels as if he has a responsibility to protect his father’s honor and legacy. However, to Hamlet, Claudius’ actions in taking the late King Hamlet’s previous position and wife signify him trying to move on from King Hamlet’s death. This evokes a strong response from Hamlet, who admires his father greatly and believes him to be irreplaceable. Additionally, Hamlet’s strong bond with his father causes him to reject Claudius as a possible replacement for him, believing that Claudius does not deserve the spot of king. As such, Claudius’ attempts to replace his father, through his marriage with his mother and reign as king, bothers him the most. Considering Hamlet’s strong relationship with his father, further emphasized by the fact that he is his namesake, Hamlet is extremely justified in his expression of outrage and turmoil during Claudius’ reign. A time period of one month is not nearly enough to move on from grief, especially from the death of a close family member. Consequently, the grief is further exacerbated by Claudius’ actions in replicating King Hamlet’s life, position, and spouse. Hamlet is thus justified in his rejection of Claudius, an attempt to process his grief and protect his father’s legacy.

Furthermore, in Act 1, Laertes and Polonius are adamant to Ophelia that Hamlet’s love is flawed and fraudulent in nature, stating that his desires for her are a mere temporary product of his youth, which will fade through time as he chases after more people. Despite her best attempts to convince them otherwise, the two are set on dissolving Ophelia’s trust in Hamlet. Additionally, both Laertes and Polonius, spurred by the traditional thinking of their time, believe that Opehlia’s acceptance of Hamlet’s love reflects badly on her character and generates a distasteful reputation for their family. Laertes, in an attempt to protect his younger sister, argues that Hamlet’s love for Ophelia is a mere reflection of his young age. Laertes states that once Hamlet matures, his royal status and immense responsibilities as king will make it so that he will no longer have the time and commitment to Ophelia. Furthermore, since Ophelia is a woman, Laertes believes that it’s best her love for Hamlet is not reciprocated to protect her reputation as a pure and untainted individual. For Polonius, his opposition to Ophelia and Hamlet’s relationship is largely characterized by his name and reputation as a respectable councilor to King Claudius. Ophelia’s openness and proximity to Hamlet show badly on Polonius and suggest that Ophelia is easy to get, which makes Polonius seem like an irresponsible father who allows his daughter to be openly courted and spurred by teenage love. To further his claims and save his own reputation, Polonius tells Ophelia that his experience with teenage boys, and having been one himself, allows him to know that men will say whatever they want to get the women they desire, but lack the actions to back their words. 

At the end of Act 1, the ghost of King Hamlet confesses to Hamlet that his death was not an accident caused by a snake bite, but in fact, a preempted murder conducted by King Claudius. Shakespeare elevates the tension for drama purposes in Act 1, Scene 5 by building up to the scene with allusions to King Hamlet’s death. From the onset of the novel, readers are introduced to the ghost of King Hamlet. The mystery behind his death and his seemingly unfinished business in the real world exacerbate the tension of the drama leading up to Act 1, Scene 5. Additionally, Hamlet’s inner turmoil surrounding Claudius and his mother’s marriage, as well as his reign to power, indicates malicious intentions behind Claudius, which foreshadows his action in King Hamlet’s death. By implementing these scenes and interactions, Shakespeare hints at King Hamlet’s murder, thus further emphasizing the drama when his actual murder is revealed. Furthermore, Shakespeare uses dramatic language to play up the drama of the scene. By having Hamlet and the ghost utilize extreme language in their description of what occurred, such as stating “that incestuous, that adulterate beast,” when referring to King Claudius, Shakespeare creates a more dramatic atmosphere that reflects the extremity of the situation. Moreover, by having the two characters display evident distress and turmoil, Shakespeare further elevates the scene’s drama. Hamlet’s dismay and realization at his father’s murder, as well as the ghost’s anger and anguish at his death, both add to the drama of the scene as their emotions are intermixed and clearly conveyed through Shakespeare’s diction and style.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine, Folger Shakespeare Library, 1992.