Hamlet Day 3 Act 1.2 logs # 2 & 3

January 12, 2017

Reading Log # 2 (a departure from the normal format):  In reading scenes 1 and 2 leading up to Hamlet's tortured soliloquy in lines 132-165 of act 2, what situations have you come across which might contribute to Hamlet's stress and despair? 

Write a paragraph which explains some reasons that Hamlet is feeling so horrible. Embed two short to three short quotes in your response (properly cited with the the act. scene. line in parentheses at the end of the sentence containing the quote).  

Exchange paragraphs with someone near you.

A close reading of Claudius's opening speech in Scene 2

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)
1) 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?
2) Antithesis (1.2.9-13): 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?
3) Choice of words:  Why does Claudius remember old King Hamlet with “wisest sorrow” (1.2.6) rather than “deep sorrow”?  Why does he say it “befitted” (1.2.1) them to bear their “hearts in grief”?
4) 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?
5) 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?
6) 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?

HW: Complete boxes 1, 2, 3, 5 & 6 and finish reading scene Act 1, scene 2 (lines 165-280)