Hamlet a Tragedy Play

Act 1 Scene 5 Analysis

Act 1, Scene 5 of Hamlet contains of two major parts.

• The encounter of Hamlet with his father’s ghost.

-The “unjust murder” of old Hamlet.

• Hamlet and his oath.

           Hamlet and his father’s ghost.

- The scene starts off with Hamlet following the Ghost.

-The ghost confirms his identity and continues to describe the torments he undergoes in the afterlife before begging Hamlet to avenge his murder (lines 14-31).

-Hamlet starts becoming impatient and anxious, he cannot wait to avenge his father. He said, “Haste me to know’t, that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep to my revenge”. (Simile) (Line 33-35)

-This quotation is a simile because Hamlet uses “as” to compare his wings of revenge with being as swift as thought or feelings of love.

-The quotation also tells us how Hamlet is become very impatient. He wants to learn about the murderer right away and seek revenge.  

-The quotation is also an example of irony.  This is because Hamlet promises to fly on toward revenge with wings yet we know this is not true because of how hesitant he becomes later on in the play.

-The conversation continues and the ghost reveals the truth about his murder. It turns out that every ear in Denmark thinks the King got stung by a snake while sleeping in his garden.

-Although that is not true, the ghost reveals the reality of his murder. He was poisoned by his own brother (King Claudius) while napping.

-This introduces the theme of religion in the play. His murder was foul and unjust. Old hamlet was robbed of his life while his sins were in full bloom. Without Holy Communion, absolution or last rites. Old Hamlet was frustrated at the fact that his life was taken away from him without having the chance to atone for his sins. This helps express the significance of religion in his life and in the overall play.

- The Ghost commands Hamlet to seek revenge against Claudius for murder and for corrupting Gertrude. Yet the Ghost also warns Hamlet not to harm his mother. We don’t know if Gertrude chose to marry Claudius or if she was forced into it. If she chose to marry Claudius should she not suffer the same fate as him? On the contrary if she was forced into the marriage then I believe she shouldn’t be punished.

Discussion Question- Do you think Gertrude chose to marry Claudius on her own will? If so should she also suffer the same fate as Claudius or should she be left up to God’s judgment.  

-As the Ghost is about to leave he tells Hamlet, “But howsomever thou pursues this act, taint not thy mind, not let thy soul contrive against thy mother aught. Leave her to heaven” (Foreshadowing) (Line 89-91)

- We see clearly here that the Ghost doesn’t want Hamlet to harm his mother in any way just to leave her to God’s judgement.

- “Taint not thy mind” (Line 90). The quote is foreshowing the danger of madness.

- The ghost now disappears.

- Hamlet promises to do nothing but seek revenge. He curses Gertrude, "O most pernicious woman!" then Claudius "That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain!" (Appearance vs Reality) (Line 110)

- A "smiling villain" is an example of appearance vs. reality.

Hamlet and his oath

• With the ghost now gone Hamlet is left in great distress.
• Hamlet swears to banish everything from his mind except the ghost's command to remember and avenge him.
• Horatio and Marcellus enter.
• Hamlet refuses to tell them what happened because they'll reveal it. But he does say he may pretend to be insane, and makes them swear to silence on his sword.
• Hamlet makes Marcellus and Horatio swear on his sword not once, but three times. They swear not to say anything about what they have seen or heard.
• “But come: Here as before, never, so help you mercy, How strange or add so’er I bear myself (As I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on)” (Line 186) He also makes them promise not to appear suspicious if he pretends to have gone mad.  
• The quotation relates to the theme of appearance vs reality because he tells Horatio and Marcellus he might pretend to go mad when in reality he isn’t.
• Hamlet hides behind mask of madness. But at times already he seems actually to be mad.

Discussion Question- Do you think at any point Hamlet did actually go mad?

Major themes

1. Revenge

- This theme is evident throughout the scene. The entire scene is about the Ghost telling Hamlet to take revenge for him on Claudius.

1. Appearance vs Reality

• Hamlet promises to do nothing but seek revenge. He curses Gertrude, "O most pernicious woman!" then Claudius "That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain!" (Appearance vs Reality) (Line 110)
• “But come: Here as before, never, so help you mercy, How strange or add so’er I bear myself (As I perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on)” (Line 186)
• The quotation relates to the theme of appearance vs reality because he tells Horatio and Marcellus he might pretend to go mad when in reality he isn’t.

1. Religion

• Old hamlet was robbed of his life while his sins were in full bloom. Without Holy Communion, absolution or last rites. Old Hamlet was frustrated at the fact that his life was taken away from him without having the chance to atone for his sins. This helps express the significance of religion in his life and in the overall play.

Character Devolvement

This scene contributes a lot to not only character development but the over plot development of the play.

-Hamlet is the individual character that has been developed the most in this scene.