Act 1, Scene 2

Key Events in Act 1, Scene 2

Shakespeare introduces us to the royal court of Denmark as the new King, Claudius, and his new wife, Gertrude, deal with the affairs of government and persuade the grieving Prince Hamlet to remain in Elsinore.

Claudius presented as peacekeeper

Claudius is initially presented as a peacekeeper and statesman, dispatching ambassadors to the King of Norway in an attempt to avoid a military confrontation.
- At this point, Shakespeare does not really hint that Claudius is the most prominent criminal or villain in the play. Instead, he is portrayed as a diplomat, keen to maintain the peace with Norway and, in his personal affairs, as a loving husband and caring stepfather.

Claudius' motive to watch Hamlet

However, audiences may begin to suspect that Claudius has an ulterior motive in wishing to keep Prince Hamlet at court, where he will be more easily watched over.

Hamlet compares his uncle & father

“So excellent a king, that was to this / Hyperion to a satyr”.
- The first hint that Claudius is a villain appears in Hamlet’s opening soliloquy. He uses classical allusions, juxtaposing the Greek God of the sun (Hyperion, representing old Hamlet) with the satyr (half human and half goat, representing Claudius).
- Not only is Claudius portrayed as a monster, but the specific connotations of lechery associated with the satyr portray Claudius as sexually corrupt and depraved as well.

Hamlet's inner turmoil at the marriage

Hamlet reacts to his mother’s hasty remarriage with despair and disgust.
- Hamlet’s opening soliloquy is full of false starts and sudden exclamations. It captures his inner turmoil, particularly when he considers the “wicked speed” with which his mother and uncle were so soon married after old Hamlet’s death.

References to incest and bedsheets

Hamlet: “O most wicked speed! To post / With such dexterity to incestuous sheets”.
- The reference to incest, forbidden in the Bible, shows that Hamlet considers Gertrude’s remarriage as a crime against God and nature.
- The reference to the newly wed couple’s bedsheets reveals Hamlet’s disgust at what he sees as his mother’s sexual corruption.

Hamlet learns of the Ghost

Horatio, Marcellus and Barnardo tell Hamlet about the Ghost. He agrees to keep watch with them that midnight.
- Hamlet undergoes a series of rapid mood changes in this scene. He changes from the sullen son-in-law, who struggles to hide his bitterness, to the animated interrogator of Horatio and the two sentinels who is eager to learn even the smallest detail of the Ghost’s appearance.

Hamlet's suspicions: "foul deeds"

Hamlet: “foul deeds will rise / Though all the earth o’erwhelm them to men’s eyes”.
- Hamlet suggests that crimes of great magnitude cannot remain hidden. The imagery of “foul deeds” being buried in the “earth” suggests that Hamlet strongly suspects “foul play” around his father’s death.

Key Ideas in Act 1, Scene 2 - Corruption

Imagery of corruption recurs throughout Act 1, Scene 2. The term has a double significance.

Corruption meaning immorality

Corruption can refer to immoral or dishonest behaviour from those in power, such as Hamlet’s belief that his mother has acted with “wicked speed” in marrying her dead husband’s brother.
We will soon see the new king, Claudius, behave in a corrupt manner, abusing his power as king for personal gain.

Corruption meaning rotting

Corruption can also refer to the process of rot and decay which affects all living things.
- In a state of deep melancholy (deep, pervasive sadness), Hamlet’s first soliloquy opens with the wish that his “too sullied flesh” will melt and dissolve away. He sees his own flesh and blood as corrupted or tainted (“sullied”) by the incestuous marriage of his mother and uncle.

"Unweeded garden" metaphor

The imagery links to the metaphor of the “unweeded garden / That grows to seed” and becomes overgrown with “things rank and gross”.
For Hamlet, deeply affected by grief, all living things become corrupt.

1Introduction

1.1Introduction & Background to Hamlet

1.1.1Introduction to Hamlet

1.1.2The Literary Tradition of the Hamlet Story

1.1.3Introduction to the Settings in Hamlet

1.1.4Introduction to Social Issues Raised

2Plot Summary

2.1Act 1: Key Events & Ideas

2.1.1Act 1, Scene 1

2.1.2Act 1, Scene 2

2.1.3Act 1, Scene 3

2.1.4Act 1, Scenes 4-5

2.2Act 2: Key Events & Ideas

2.2.1Act 2, Scene 1

2.2.2Act 2, Scene 2

2.3Act 3: Key Events & Ideas

2.3.1Act 3, Scene 1: Key Events

2.3.2Act 3, Scene 1: Key Ideas

2.3.3Act 3, Scene 2

2.3.4Act 3, Scene 3

2.3.5Act 3, Scene 4

2.4Act 4: Key Events & Ideas

2.4.1Act 4, Scene 1

2.4.2Act 4, Scenes 2-3

2.4.3Act 4, Scene 4

2.4.4Act 4, Scene 5: Key Events

2.4.5Act 4, Scene 5: Key Ideas

2.4.6Act 4, Scene 6

2.4.7Act 4, Scene 7

2.5Act 5: Key Events & Ideas

2.5.1Act 5, Scene 1: Key Events

2.5.2Act 5, Scene 2: Key Events

2.5.3Act 5, Scene 2: Key Ideas

3Character Profiles

3.1Hamlet

3.1.1Hamlet's Speech & Mind

3.1.2Hamlet's Heroic Status

3.1.3Hamlet's State of Mind

3.1.4Hamlet's Indecision/Action Taking

3.2Claudius

3.2.1Claudius' Crime

3.2.2Changing Impressions of Claudius

3.3Gertrude

3.3.1Mystery & Hamlet's View of Gertrude

3.3.2Gertrude's Character

3.3.3Gertrude's Relationship with Hamlet

3.4Ophelia

3.4.1Ophelia

3.5Polonius

3.5.1Portrayal of Polonius & Treatment of Ophelia

3.5.2Polonius' Spying & Death

3.6Laertes

3.6.1Laertes' Popularity & Relationship with Ophelia

3.6.2Laertes' Character Traits

4Key Themes

4.1Regicide in Hamlet

4.1.1Regicide in Hamlet

4.2Madness in Hamlet

4.2.1Madness in Hamlet

4.3Guilt & Punishment in Hamlet

4.3.1Guilt in Hamlet

4.3.2Punishment in Hamlet

4.4Settings in Hamlet

4.4.1Physical Settings & Historical Setting of Hamlet

5Writing Techniques

5.1Structure

5.1.1Structure of Hamlet

5.1.2'Play Within a Play' Structure

5.1.3Play-Acting Motif

5.2Form

5.2.1Soliloquy

5.2.2Comedy

5.3Imagery

5.3.1Imagery of Corruption & Decay

5.3.2Imagery: Healing, Performance & Costume

5.4Language

5.4.1Word Usage & Hendiadys

5.4.2Questions & Classical Allusions

6Context

6.1Social & Historical Context

6.1.1Elizabeth I & Succession

6.1.2Cosmic & Social Hierarchy

6.1.3Renaissance & Emergence of Humanism

6.1.4Regicide

6.1.5The Reformation

6.2Literary Context

6.2.1Seneca Tragedy

6.2.2The Revenge Tragedy

6.3Performance & Textual History

6.3.1Performance History of Hamlet

6.3.2Textual History of Hamlet

7Critical Debates

7.118-19th Century Responses to Hamlet

7.1.1Introduction to Critical Debates

7.1.218th Century Commentary on Hamlet

7.1.3Romantic Commentary on Hamlet

7.220th Century Responses to Hamlet

7.2.1Freudian Response to Hamlet

7.2.2Other Early 20th Century Responses to Hamlet

7.3Feminist Readings of Hamlet

7.3.1Introduction to Feminist Criticism

7.3.2Feminist Readings of Hamlet

7.3.3Presentation of Ophelia

7.4Marxist/Political Readings of Hamlet

7.4.1Introduction to Marxist Criticisms

7.4.2Marxist Readings of Hamlet

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