Shakespearean vocab from 

Cousin

The kinship term, cousin - often familiarly abbreviated as coz or cuz - is very much broader in its Shakespearean use in than we find today. In modern English, it is primarily used for the relationship between the children of brothers and sisters (first cousins), with some extension permitted, such as for the children of first cousins (second cousins, or cousins once removed) and their children. But in Shakespeare we find it used for virtually any relative beyond the immediate family, both for blood relatives and relatives through marriage, and often as a term of affection between socially equal people who are not relatives at all, such as monarchs of different countries.

Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 2: “Weighing Delight and Dole”

Question or focus prompts	Your response (in your own words) and any supporting textual evidence and/or properly cited lines (act, scene, and line #’s, e.g., 1.2.40-47)
In the reading of Act 1, Scene 2, did you come across situations or comments that could cause problems for Hamlet?
What is the situation between Denmark and Norway and why does it exist? What signs are there in Denmark of this tension between the two nations?
A second look at King Claudius’s opening speech up until he begins addressing Hamlet directly 1.2.1-133 … The use of the royal “we”; usually only used in addressing political matters (“I” is used in personal matters).  When does Claudius use “we” (or "our" or "us)? When does he use “I” ? What pronoun “we” or “I” does he use in addressing Hamlet directly? (1.2.90-121) Why do you think he uses this particular pronoun rather than the other one?
Antithesis: (1.2.10-13) Look for antithesis, the balancing of two contrasting ideas, words, phrases, or sentences in parallel grammatical form: “with mirth in funeral and dirge in marriage”, etc.  What feelings do these juxtapositions evoke for you? What feelings do you think Claudius wished to evoke by using them? Do they match your feelings?
Choice of words:  Why does Claudius remember old King Hamlet with “wisest sorrow” (line 6) rather than “deep sorrow”?  Why does he say it “befitted” (line 2)   them to bear their “hearts in grief”?
Order of ideas Claudius presents: Although Hamlet’s mourning is of major concern to Claudius, why does he justify his marriage to Gertrude, deal with Norway’s impending invasion, and respond to Laertes’ petition before he addresses Hamlet?
Looking for underlying thoughts of Hamlet and Claudius Examine the exchange between Claudius and Hamlet in 1.2.66-96 (“But now, my cousin Hamlet and my son” to “To do obsequious sorrow” with an emphasis on understanding the subtext of each character in this scene. When Claudius says, “But now, my cousin Hamlet and my son,” what does he really want? What is he thinking? Why might he choose a public place to greet Hamlet? When Hamlet says, “’Seems,’ madam? Nay, it is. I know not ‘seems’” what does he really mean? What is he thinking about his mother? Why does Hamlet use puns (like the pun on “kind” which can mean “affectionate” or “natural and lawful” in line 67, and the pun on “common” which can mean both “universal occurrence” and “vulgar” in line 76) and riddles (like his reply in line 69, “Not so my lord.  I am too much in the sun,” to Claudius’s question “How is it that the clouds still hang on you?” when he speaks to Gertrude and Claudius?
Re-read Hamlet’s soliloquy “O, that this too, too sullied flesh” (1.2.133-164) a couple of times and try to paraphrase it with your partner. What signals in the language give clues to Hamlet’s innermost thoughts – for example, choice of words, construction of phrases, sequence of thoughts? Does he hide behind puns as he does with Claudius? What does the antithesis reveal?

Homework:


Read  1.3 through 1.5 and do log # 3 for 1.3-1.5

Friday: discuss 1.3-1.5 and  log #3 and watch opening scenes of Hamlet
Mr. Wesley will collect Logs 1-3