Act 1 Summary

1
Hamlet

• Act 1 Summary

2
Act 1.1 Character list

• Barnardo---guard
• Francisco---guard
• Marcellus---guard
• Horatio---Hamlets friend
• Ghost

3
Scene 1 Details

• Barnardo and Francisco have seen a ghost twice
• Marcellus brings Horatio to confirm sighting
  Horatio skeptical
• Ghost appears looks like dead King Hamlet
• Talk about Denmarks political problemsFortinbras
  of Norway
• Enter ghost again Horatio tries to speak to it
  ghost exits again
• Morning comes Marcellus and Horatio will tell
  young Hamlet about it

4
Act 1.2 Character list

• King Claudius
• Queen Gertrude
• Cornelius/Voltemand---messengers sent to Norway
• Laertes
• Polonius
• Hamlet
• Marcellus
• Horatio

5
Scene 2 Details

• Formal appearance made by Claud and Gert (kind of
  a business meeting/mourning period/wedding
  celebration)
• King sends Corn. And Volt. to Norway to inform
  King of Norway about his nephew Fortinbras
• King gives permission for Laertes to return to
  France
• We meet Hamlet who is scolded for his unmanly
  grief
• King tells Hamlet NOT to go back to Wittenberg
  (college)

6
Scene 2 continued

• Hamlet left alone for first soliloquy
  contemplates suicide and reveals feelings about
  mothers marriage and fathers death
• Enter Horatio and Marcellus to report about the
  ghost say it looked like dead King
• Hamlet will meet them that same night between 11
  and midnight
• Scene ends with Hamlet alone believing in some
  foul play

7
Act 1.3 Character list

• Ophelia
• Laertes
• Polonius

8
Scene 3 Details

• Laertes says goodbye to Ophelia
• Tells her to guard her heart against Hamlet
• Polonius gives sound advice to his son
• Polonius confronts Ophelia about Hamlet
• She defends her relationship as honorable
• Polonius scolds her and tells her to stop seeing
  Hamlet immediately
• Ophelia shall obey

9
Act 1.4 Character list

• Hamlet
• Marcellus
• Horatio
• Ghost

10
Scene 4 Details

• Hamlet meets Horatio and Marcellus outside castle
• Hamlet tells them about Clauds partying ways
• Enter Ghost wants Hamlet to follow him and
  Hamlet is willing
• Horatio fears for Hamlets safety
• Hamlet will follow the ghost despite objections
• Something is rotten in the state of
  Denmark---Marcellus Horatio and Marcellus will
  follow

11
Act 1.5 Character list

• Hamlet
• Ghost
• Marcellus
• Horatio

12
Scene 5 Details

• Ghost speaks to Hamlet confirms he is Hamlets
  father
• Wants Hamlet to seek revenge against Claudius for
  his foul and unnatural murder
• Claud poisoned his brother in the ear while he
  was sleeping in the orchard
• Warns Hamlet not to harm mother only Claud
• Hamlet will obey the command
• Makes Horatio and Marcellus swear to keep tonight
  a secret they do
• Hamlet will put an antic disposition on