Reflections on 'Hamlet' Act I

The first indication of tragedy occurs when the ghost, later revealed to be the murdered farther of Hamlet and the former King, appears for the first time, in front of Horatio, Marcellus and Barnardo (line 40). After the Ghost appears and re-appears several times they conclude that it will not speak to them ('dumb to us' line 172) and that it will only speak to Hamlet, so they decided to tell him of their sightings. This indicates that there is something significant about Hamlet, even before he is introduced to the reader.

The main themes that are introduced in this act are betrayal and vengeance. It is revealed that Claudius, Hamlet's uncle and the former King's brother, murdered Hamlet's farther and took over as the King of Denmark ('A serpent stung me' line 35, scene 5), marrying Hamlet's mother, which he describes as 'incestuous' . However, he tells Hamlet to kill Claudius so the royal bed of Denmark will not be 'a couch for luxury and damned incest' (line 82, act 5) and constantly tells Hamlet to 'Swear' that he will do it (beginning from line 149, act 5).

After reading his first soliloquy, we think that Hamlet is simply upset by the loss of his farther and his mother's decision to re-marry his uncle, Claudius, so quickly. He says that because of this, there is nothing in his life worth living for and he considers suicide ('flesh would melt' line 129). However, despite his anger, he says that he must 'Hold my tongue' (line 159) and keep his feelings quiet. this could because he loves his mother, the Queen, and doesn't want to hurt her, or because he must remain loyal to the crown - he cannot criticize the King or he could face a punishment. We know that he is angry and upset, but we also get the sense that he is a possibly a smart character too - 'I doubt some foul play' (line 257). This indicates that he knows that his father's death didn't just 'happen' and that he knows there is something more to it underneath.