Hamlet Scene Break Down Flashcards
(20 cards)
Act 1, Scene 1
Arrival of the ghost, Horatio established as a scholar, function of the scene to create tension and ambiguity about the corruption in Denmark.
Act 1, Scene 2
Claudius and Gertrude celebrate their hasty marriage, Hamlet still mourns the death of his father, Hamlet questions his existence. Function introduces us to Hamlet as a scholar, deceit, relationships and betrayal.
Act 1, Scene 3
Introduction to Polonius’ family, Polonius established as hypocritical, Ophelia is given limited voice and is expected to be subserviant to the men around her. Laertes is established as a protector (in contrast to Hamlet). Polonius and Laertes advise Ophelia to break off things with Hamlet. Function compares a family who care for one another with Hamlet’s.
Act 1, Scene 4
The ghost arrives for a second time but still won’t speak. Marcellus established that Denmark is a ‘rotten’ state. Function is to establish the supernatural as a tool to express unfinished business and to show the secrecy underneath the sycophantic behaviour towards Claudius.
Act 1, Scene 5
Hamlet talks to the ghost and discovers that Claudius poisoned his father. Old Hamlet sets up the revenge plot that he gives Hamlet the task to do.
Act 2, Scene 1
Polonius sends Reynaldo to spy on his son at university and prompts him to spread lies in order to receive people’s true thoughts on his son. Ophelia explains Hamlet was acting weird with her and polonius explains that he must be love sick from Ophelia’s refusal to see him.
Act 2, Scene 2
Gertrude and Claudius bring in Rosencrantz and Guildernstern to investigate Hamlet’s madness. Polonius explains to the king why he thinks Hamlet is mad. They create a plan to give hamlet back his love letters. Polonius and Hamlet interact and he uses play on words to call him a fishmonger. Hamlet meets with R&G and catches them out on their reason for seeing him. The players arrive and hamlet devises a trap by creating a play to catch out Claudius.
Act 3, Scene 1
Hamlet questions his existence as he explains his misery in life. Ophelia gives back the letters and Hamlet explains that he never loved her. He tells her to go to a ‘nunnery’. Claudius talks about sending Hamlet to England.
Act 3, scene 2
The players act out the play. At the moment that the Player King is murdered in his garden by his nephew, Claudius stops the play and rushes out. This solidifies what the ghost told Hamlet.
Act 3, Scene 3
R&G are ordered to take Hamlet to England. Claudius confesses his sins and tries to repent whilst praying. Hamlet has an opportunity to kill him but doesn’t want to because he thinks Claudius’ soul will go to heaven.
Act 3, Scene 4
Polonius hides behind a tapestry in Gertrude’s bed chamber to see if Hamlet is mad. Hamlet encounters Gertrude and then stabs polonius thinking he is Claudius.The ghost returns to remind Hamlet that his job is to avenge his father not punish his mother. Gertrude can’t see the ghost and thinks Hamlet is mad.
Act 4, scene 1
Gertrude reports Claudius’ death and Claudius send R&G to go to England with Claudius.
Act 4, Scene 2
Hamlet refuses to tell R&G where he hid the body.
Act 4, Scene 3
Hamlet is brought to Claudius, who tells him that he has to leave immediately for England. Claudius reveals to the audience that he is sending Hamlet to his death.
Act 4, scene 4
Fortinbras and his army cross Hamlet’s path on their way to Poland. Hamlet finds in Fortinbras’s vigorous activity a model for himself in avenging his father’s murder; Hamlet resolves upon bloody action.
Act 4, Scene 5
Start of Ophelia’s madness. She enter singing about death and betrayal. Laertes returns and is furious at his father’s death. Claudius makes clear he wasn’t involved. Mad Ophelia re-enters and upsets Laertes.
Act 4, Scene 6
Horatio is given a letter that Hamlet board a pirate ship and returned to Denmark.
Act 4, Scene 7
Claudius gets a letter from Hamlet announcing the prince’s return. Claudius enlists Laertes’s willing help in devising another plot against Hamlet’s life. Laertes agrees to kill Hamlet with a poisoned rapier in a fencing match. If he fails, Claudius will give Hamlet a poisoned cup of wine. Gertrude interrupts their plotting to announce that Ophelia has drowned.
Act 5, Scene 1
Hamlet comes across a gravedigger singing and reflects on the skulls of dead corpses. He realises that there is a funeral for Ophelia and Laertes jumps into her grave. Hamlet follows him and argues about who loved her more.
Act 5, Scene 2Hamlet tells Horatio how he discovered the king’s plot against him and how he turned the tables on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Osric enters to ask, on Claudius’s behalf, that Hamlet fence with Laertes. Hamlet agrees
