Act 1 Scene 5: The Antic Disposition

King Hamlet's ghost evokes the _________ of the Elizabethan audience. In the same way
that the Bible engenders sympathy for Abel and condemns Cain, Shakespeare favours the
murdered brother.

people believed that monarchs ruled by _____ ______ In all ways, the monarch represented
God on earth. No one would have questioned the existence of that Ghost.

The fact that his mother's lover is also her husband's murderer exacerbates Gertrude's crime
of _____. Hamlet is bereft of choice. He may have an aversion to violence, and he may live
by strict ______ principles, but he must avenge his father's honour - only by killing Claudius.
Doubly impelled by his father's orders and by tradition, Hamlet becomes a ________ of his
obligation.

The Hebraic notion of "an eye for an eye"; seemed barbaric to a __________ audience.
Society more often supported the notion of mercy and _______, concepts Shakespeare
explored in an earlier play, Merchant of Venice where the audience despises the antagonist
precisely because he insists on a blood feud. In Hamlet, Shakespeare asks the audience to
__________ with Hamlet. He is a sympathetic character: whilst revenge drives him, his
Christian morality exhorts him to be charitable.

By marrying Claudius, Gertrude has committed incest and has failed to carry out her ____ to
her slain husband. Claudius cares more for his _______ than making things right with
Hamlet, Gertrude, or the people of Denmark. On the other hand, Gertrude is a woman who
has been led by her ______ to follow the charismatic king to his bed.

Hamlet swears Horatio and Marcellus to ______ and garners further support from his
audience. He earns _______ from his friends and the ______ for his strength of _______

Hamlet tells Horatio that he plans to feign ______ in order to discern the best way and time
for his revenge. Hamlet's meaning here remains ambiguous. An actor playing the role must
decide what that "putting on an antic disposition" signifies. In some portrayals, Hamlet
pretends to be mad; in others, while he may believe he is _______, he is quite mad. In still
others, Hamlet's madness grows as he develops. In others again, Hamlet is a child who can't
grow up and accept the burdens of adulthood, which include his duties to his slain father.
Hamlet's ruse is deeply ambiguous.

Secrecy Divine Right Christian character

Sympathy prisoner Audience Duties

loyalty reputation Tension Pretending

Empathise Incest ‘frailty’ Lust

Contemporary forgiveness Madness

Act 2, Scene 1
It is clear that some time has passed since the end of Act 1, likely a month or more. How does the conversation between
Reynaldo and Polonius establish a time frame?

Polonius pays Reynaldo to spy on Laertes in Paris, and gives him the unappealing task of finding out every bit of Laertes'
business, even if he has to concoct stories of his bad behaviour (the 'bait of falsehood) to get the information. How does this
action show Polonius' hypocrisy, when compared to his advice to Laertes (1.3.80)?

What is Polonius' motivation for this deception?

Is Hamlet's appearance and behaviour toward Ophelia part of his plan to feign madness, or is this an unguarded moment
between two lovers? What parallel can be drawn to Rosalind's assertion that a man truly in love must look the part:
"Then your hose should be ungartered, your bonnet unbanded, your sleeve unbuttoned, your shoe untied and everything
about you demonstrating a careless desolation." (As You Like It, 3.2.331-344)

Comment on the image of Hamlet alone with Ophelia, particularly in lines 88-89. What does his behaviour suggest?

What do think Hamlet hoped would come of his visit to Ophelia? What was her reaction to the visit?

Comment on his ‘strange’ exit.

Act 2 Scene 1 is sometimes viewed as unnecessary. What do you think?