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Hamlet murders two people in this play the first of which is Polonius whom he mistakenly murders when attempting to kill Claudius. The other person that Hamlet murders is Claudius, "Here, thou incestuous, murderous, damned Dane/Drink off this potion"(Shakespeare 5.2.335-336).

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Hamlet fakes insanity many times in the play in order to attempt to hide his plans to kill Claudius. He talks about this early in the play and says many random things to people in order to confuse them, "words, words, words"(Shakespeare 2.2.203).

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Hamlet dies at the very end of the play when Laertes cuts him with the poisoned knife, "No medicine n the world can do thee good/ On thee there is not half an hour of life"(Shakespeare 5.2.324-325). Soon after this Hamlet dies along with Claudius, Gertrude, and Laertes.

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Although Hamlet and Fortinbras never actually directly speak to each other in this the way they speak about each other reveals a lot. In Hamlets dying breaths he declared Fortinbras the new king of Denmark, " But I do prophesy th'electino lights/ On Fortinbras. He has my dying voice"(Shakespeare 5.2.370-371). This shows that Hamlet has a lot of trust in him despite never really interacting with him. When Fortinbras arrives and hears of Hamlets death he says that he believed that Hamlet would have been a good King, showing that their feelings of respect were mutual.

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Yet again in these acts Hamlet and Horatio show how close they truly are. Horatio is the only person that Hamlet constantly feels comfortable confiding in. At this point it is clear that Horatio knows Hamlet the best out of everyone. He willingly shares any information he has with Horatio and tells him about all of his plans, " wilt thou hear how I did proceed?"(Shakespeare 5.2.30). He tells Horatio about everything he does with no fear at all because he knows that Horatio would never betray him. Hamlet and Horatio are undeniably best friends.

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At the beginning of act 4 Hamlet calls out Rosencrantz for blindly following the king's orders, "Besides, to be demanded of a sponge- what replication/should be made of a king"(Shakespeare 4.2.11-12). Although Hamlet and Rosencrantz never really had a great friendship this was still a very significant moment. Hamlet essentially just told him that he does not like him and believes he is too ignorantly faithful to the king. This definitively shows that they are not friends and do not like each other, it also hints that they never will.

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In the last 2 acts of Hamlet the issue that started the whole play is finally resolved. In the end Claudius is finally killed by Hamlet which Hamlet has been contemplating over every prior act. The theme of these acts and really the whole play is revenge. In the last act Hamlet kills Claudius with poison, the same thing that Claudius did to Hamlet's father. Hamlet forces Claudius to drink his own poison, "Here, thou incestuous, murd'rous, damned Dane/Drink off this potion"(Shakespeare 5.2.335-336). In scene 5 Hamlet finally gets the revenge that he has been looking for the whole play.

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I personally believe that Hamlet was really the cause of his own death. He was killed by Laertes in a plot formed by Claudius. This plan to kill Hamlet was formed because of Hamlets actions. Hamlet was not great about hiding his plans from the king, in fact he put on a play that was meant to foreshadow his plans to kill Claudius. He was not exactly discreet about his plans and even tried and failed to kill the king in a very open way that was not a secret, "Is it the King?"(Shakespeare 3.4.30). In his failed attempt to kill the King Hamlet kills Polonius, Leartes father. This makes Leartes want to kill Hamlet for revenge, "I am satisfied in nature/Whose thoughts in this case should stir me most/ To my revenge"(Shakespeare 5.2.236-238). Had Hamlet been more careful with his plans he could have hidden his intent to kill Claudius better. Hamlet also had not reason to kill Polonius and had he not done this Laertes likely would not have assisted in Hamlets death.

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In these Acts, a lot is shown about Hamlet.  He finally finds the power to follow through with his plans to kill Claudius. He gets the revenge that he had been looking for the whole play, "Here, thou incestuous, murderous, damned Dane/Drink off this potion"(Shakespeare 5.2.335-336). Throughout the whole play, one of Hamlet's main traits was his inability to follow through and he finally gets over this at the end of the act. Hamlet also plans out his actions a lot better in this act. He manages to make his way back to Denmark without any trouble. He questions the Captain, " Good sir, whose powers are these?"(Shakespeare 4.4.10), and finds his way home. He even finds a way to remain calm as he dies and says everything that he feels needs to be said before death. He even tells Horatio to tell his story to everyone, "Horatio, I am dead/ Thou livest. Report me and my case airtight/ To the unsatisfied"(Shakespeare 5.2.349-351). I think that in these two acts Hamlet showed more development than he did the entire rest of the play.

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Hamlet

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There were many similarities between the play and the reality of Hamlet's situation. In The Murder of Gonzago, someone is killed for another to gain, "He poisons him i'th' garden for his estate"(Shakespeare 3.2.251). In Hamlet Claudius kills his own brother to take over as king and marry his brother's wife. Both plays show someone betray someone else out of greed. A specific detail that is very similar is the cause of death, in The Murder of Gonzago the king is killed with a specific poison technique, "pours poison in the sleeper's ears, and leaves him"(Shakespeare 2.2). This is the exact way the the ghost claims Claudius killed the King. Based on Claudius's reaction his is definitely accurate.

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In Hamlet's famous To be or not to be soliloquy he contemplates life itself. During this he says a lot about the pain of life, " Thus conscience does make cowards of us all"(Shakespeare 3.1.90). Despite going through a long speech of self refection he never truly came to his own conclusion. He did not change anything about himself or even his mindset after going through such a long and thoughtful soliloquy. This shows that he likes to think about things but not actively live on his conclusions.

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Hamlet has been thinking about killing Claudius since the first act of the play. At first, his hesitation seemed reasonable as the only evidence he killed Hamlet's father was a ghost. As time went on and Hamlet found reasons to believe that Claudius killed him he still did nothing. The point where Hamlet really showed that he does not like to follow through on his actions was after Hamlet confirmed that Claudius was the killer.  Hamlet put together a whole play to ensure that Claudius truly killed his father. When Hamlet finally got the confirmation he was looking for he still did not pounce on the opportunity to kill Claudius. He made excuses talking about why he should wait, "To take him in the purging of his soul/ When he is fit and seasoned for his passage?/ No"(Shakespeare 3.3.89-91). If that were Hamlet's true reason for not killing him at that moment he likely would have said that after asking for forgiveness he would just go to heaven in death. Hamlet's reasoning behind not killing him was simply not strong enough. He has confirmed Claudius as the killer as has a perfect opportunity but does not take it. This all only further proves that Hamlet is better at thinking about things then he is at actually doing them.

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As the play has went on Hamlet and Horatio's relationship has proven to be one of the closest ones in the story. Horatio and Hamlet have been close from the beginning but when Hamlet asked Horatio to help him gauge Claudius's reaction to the play he admitted how much he really trusts him, "Dost thou hear?/ Since my dear soul was mistress of her choice/ and could distinguish her election. Hath sealed thee for herself"(Shakespeare 3.2. 58-61). In this act specifically Hamlet fully explains how much he cares for and trusts Horatio. This further shows their relationship.

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At this point in the play a lot has happened between Claudius and Hamlet. Pretty much the whole play Hamlet has disliked Claudius but Hamlet has now confirmed that Claudius killed his father, "I'll take the ghosts word for a/ thousand pound"(Shakespeare 3.2.276-277). Hamlets play did not make Claudius happy and made Claudius very suspicious of Hamlet. The play made the feelings of concern and hate become two sided. It even gets to a point where Hamlet upsets his mother because he hates Claudius so much. He informs her that Claudius killed his father and she gets very upset, "Oh Hamlet, thou hast cleft my heart in twain"(Shakespeare 3.4. 172). Their relationship has become very negative from both sides.

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Hamlet and Ophelia's relationship has changed a lot over the course of the play. Hamlet started to flirt with Ophelia so others would think was going mad. Because he still wants everyone to think he is crazy he has decided to further play with her emotions. Hamlet denies that he has ever given her anything, "No, not I/ I never gave you aught"(Shakespeare 3.1.104-105). This only confuses Ophelia and makes her like Hamlet even less. Hamlets decision to use Ophelia as a way to make others think he is mad is working but also making Ophelia upset and ruining any relationship they ever had.

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In this act Hamlet still seems to be dealing with the same dilemma he stared on. He is still struggling to decide if he should kill Claudius. Although Hamlet says that he will, throughout the whole play he has said this and then not do it.

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Hamlet is the one who set up the play and has the most to gain from it. The whole point of the play is to use it to determine if Claudius is truly the one who killed his father. The whole play has Hamlet on his toes nervous to see  Claudius's reaction. Hamlet's main reaction to the play is him deciding the the ghost was correct and Claudius did kill his father, "Oh goo Horatio, I'll take the ghost's word for a/ thousand pound"(Shakespeare 3.2.276-277).

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Hamlet often dwells on decisions rather than making them.

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Hamlet has changed a lot as a character over time. In this specific act, he seems to be very unstable. There is a point where he contemplates life itself, "To be, or not to be, that is the question"(Shakespeare 3.1.63). Other then not being sure if life is worth it, Hamlet seems to have many other issues. From his uncle being confirmed as the killer of his father to not being able to actually kill Claudius, " The physic but prolongs thy sickly days"(Shakespeare 3.3.100), he seems to struggle with a lot during this act. Overall as a person, the main thing that we learn is that Hamlet really struggles with following through with his plans. Based on how he acts and seems to feel, Hamlet might be seen as a little crazy. He not only put on a whole play just to see how his stepfather reacts, "Didst you perceive"(Shakespeare 3.2. 257). After going through all of this Hamlet still can not bring himself to kill Claudius when he had the chance. There is a lot about his choices that nobody fully understands.

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All Hamlet truly wnats os to avange his fathers death, he is so serious about it that he threatens anyone in his way, "Still I am called. Unhand me, gentlemen./ By heaven, I'll make a ghost of him that lets me./ I say away"(Shakespeare 1.4.94-95). Throughout the act, Hamlet acts as though he is going crazy. This is all part of his plan to kill Claudius. He even plans to set up a play that reenacts his fathers death to observe how Claudius reacts, "Play something like the murder of my father/ Before mine uncle. I'll observe his looks"(Shakespeare 2.2.584-585). He wants to ensure that Claudius is the one who killed his father before killing him. He knows that the ghost might not have been truthful, "The spirit that I have seen/ May be a devil" (Shakespeare 2.2. 587-588), and he is putting in a great deal of effort to confirm that Cladius is the killer or his father so he can get true revenge.

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During the act Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are agree to spy on Hamlet, "But we both obey/ And here give up ourselves in the full bent/ To lay our service freely at your feer/ To be commanded"(Shakespeare 2.2.31-34). Despite being Hamlets closest friends, "And sure I am, two men there is not living/ To whom he more adheres"(Shakespeare 2.2. 20-21), they still agree to spy on Hamlet. This shows that in their minds their duty is always to be loyal to the crown before friends or family. At the end of the act Hamlet himself tells them that they are two of his closest friends, "My good friends, I'll/ leave you til night. You are welcome to Elsinore"(Shakespeare 2.2. 533-534). They must now decide what they will tell the king and queen, and if they will be honest or say something that will benefit their good friend Hamlet.

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In Act 2 Hamlet constantly shows how committed he is revenge for his father. He begins to act crazy around Polonius to begin his plans of tricking everyone, "Let her not walk i'th'sun. Conception id a belssing/ but as your daughter may concieve -- friend, look to't"(Shakeseare 2.2.196-197). He also plans to put on a play closely resembling his father's death to confirm Claudius killed his father, "Follow him, friends. we'll hear a play tomorrow"(Shakespeare 2.2.523). This further shows his commitment to the plan.

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Rosencrantz is a childhood friend of Hamlets, "That, being of so young days brought up with him/ And since neighboured to his youth and haviour" (Shakespeare 2.2.11-12). In this act he is being sent by the king and queen to spy on Hamlet, "Both your Majesties/ Might, by sovereign power you have of us/ Put your dread pleasures more into command/ Than to entreaty"(Shakespeare 2.2. 27-30). According to the queen, Rosencrantz is one of Hamlet's closest friends, "And sure I am, two men there is not living/ To whom he more adheres"(Shakespeare 2.2. 20-21). Despite being close with Hamlet he still agrees to spy on him fo the queen and king. This shows that his loyalty will go to those with the most power, not those he is closest to.

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Gertrude is Hamlet's mother. Currently, their relationship is a little strained because Hamlet does not approve of her new marriage, "Why, she would hang on him/ As if increase of appetite had growth"(1.2.145-146).  Gertrude is the Queen as well as Hamlet's mother so despite his annoyance he still respects her and listens to her, "I shall in all my best obey you, madam"(Shakespeare 1.2.122). In this act Gertrude is very concerned about his son and sends some of his childhood friends to spy on him, If it will please you/ To show us so much gentry and goodwill/ As to expend your time with us awhile/ For the supply and profit of our hope/ Your visitation shall receive such thanks/ As fits a king's remembrance" (Shakespeare 2.2.21-26). It is clear that Gertrude cares about her son but is she does not want to confront him on her own they are not super close.

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Polonius and Hamlet are not exactly friends. Polonius is Ophelia's father and Hamlet has been flirting with Ophelia, "He hath. my lord, of late made many tenders/Of his affection to me"(Shakespeare 1.3.105-106). Polonius does not approve of this and has told his daughter to stay away from Hamlet, " I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth/ Have you so slander any moment leisure/ As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet"(Shakespeare 1.3.138-140). Polonius now thinks that Hamlet is crazy, "That hath made him mad"(Shakespeare 2.1. 121). Polonus has strong opinions on Hamlet however, Hamlet does not seem to have many strng opinions on Polonius.

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HAMLET

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Durband, Alan. Shakespeare Made Easy: Hamlet. Hutchinson, 1986.

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In Act 1 Hamlet is faced with a very tough decision. He must decide if he wants to kill his uncle to avenge his father's death, or to let his uncle live. The ghost of King Hamlet tells the young Hamlet to murder the new King Claudius, "Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder"(Shakespeare 1.5.29). In this dilemma, Shakespeare is attempting to make the reader think about if revenge is morally correct. Although Claudius allegedly killed king Hamlet nobody has proof or anything to incriminate him meaning there is no legal way to get justice. The only "proof" that Claudius killed King Hamlet is the ghost claiming to be king Hamlet, "I am thy father's spirit"(Shakespeare 1.5.13). Hamlet believes this but it will not hold up in court. Rather then finding a way to incriminate Claudius Hamlet plans to just kill him. Shakespeare set this up to be a very difficult choice for Hamlet and wants the reader to think about the concept of revenge and if it should be accepted. Hamlet also involves his friends in this dilemma. He tells his friends about his plans to kill the king and asks that they do not tell anyone, "How say you then, would heart of man once think/it-/But you'll be secret?"(Shakespeare 1.5.131-133). This also puts them in somewhat of a dilemma because by not telling anyone they are covering up Hamlet's crimes. Shakespeare spread this dilemma to others to show that everyone may have different opinions on this sort of dilemma.

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Act one shows what kind of person Hamlet is and how he feels with everything going on. The first thing we are told about Hamlet is that is father has just died and his mother has just married his uncle, his uncle speaks about this, (Shakespeare 1.1.1). Soon after Claudis talks all about what has just happened he tells Hamlet that he is too emotional, "Thou know'st 'tis common: all that lives must die/ Passing through nature to eternity"(Shakespeare 1.1.73-74). Claudius mentioning this to Hamlet shows that Hamlet willingly shows his emotions to those around him and is very vulnerable at the moment. The last thing that we know about Hamlet from Act 1 is that is loyal to his father and believes in ghosts and spirits. This is shown in Act 1 " Haste me to know't, that I with wings as swift/As meditation or the thoughts of love/May sweep to my revenge"(Shakespeare 1.5.32-33). His trusting the advice of the ghost and asking what the ghost wants of his shows that he genuinely believes that the ghost is his father. His willingly accepting the task of murder by that ghost of his father demonstrates how much he cares about and misses his dad since he is willing to do extreme tasks for the ghost.

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“My father’s brother- but no more like my father/ Than I to Hercules” (1.2.154-155).
Who states these lines? Hamlet

What is he/she talking about in these lines? Hamlet is speaking on his new technical relationship with his uncle. He is saying that although his uncle is now technically his step father, he is not accepted by Hamlet.

What is happening at this point in the play? Hamlet is reflecting to himself about how he feels with the current events in his life. These events include the death of his father and then the very quick marriage to his mother by his uncle after his father dies.

Read the information that applies to your selected connection: click on the Act I: Greek Mythology Information. In your own words, write down some important information about your selected allusion.   Hercules is known to be the god of strength who went through a lot of action in his life.

Why is Shakespeare using this allusion? Why is he making the connection between a character in the play and this element from Greek Mythology? Shakespeere is making this allusion to emphasize how ridiculous it is in Hamlet's mind that his uncle is now his father and the king. The allusion itself relates being Hercules's son to being Claudius's son. It is extremely outrageous and unlikely for hercules to be Hamlet's father which is why this allusion works. Shakespeare manages to find an allusion that helps to clarify just how upset and confused Hamlet is about his mother's new marriage.

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“Like Niobe, all tears- why she, even she -” (1.2.151).
Who states these lines? Hamlet

What is he/she talking about in these lines? Hamlet is talking about his mother grieving the loss of his father and then very quickly moving on to marry his uncle.

What is happening at this point in the play? Hamlet has just spoken to his mother and his step father. Hamlet is reflecting to himself about what has happened since the death of his father. Hamlet is very upset about the relationship between his mother and his uncle.

Read the information that applies to your selected connection: click on the Act I: Greek Mythology Information. In your own words, write down some important information about your selected allusion.   Niobe is a grieving woman in greek mythology who lost her children and never stopped crying about it.

Why is Shakespeare using this allusion? Why is he making the connection between a character in the play and this element from Greek Mythology? Shakespeare is using this allusion to demonstrate how upset Gertrude was when King Hamlet died. This connection helps to show the mystery around her new relationship with Hamlet's uncle. It explains that she seemed to be very upset about the loss of her husband but still seemingly moved on very quickly.

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“So excellent a king, that was to this/ Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother” (1.2.141-142).
Who states these lines? Hamlet
What is he/she talking about in these lines? Hamlet is talking about his uncle/stepfather Claudius. He is trying to express his disgust over his mother's new marriage to his uncle so quickly after his father’s death.
What is happening at this point in the play? Hamlet is talking to himself in attempts to get out his frustration over his new step father. His mother and stepfather have just left the room and speaking to them only upsets Hamlet.
Read the information that applies to your selected connection: click on the Act I: Greek Mythology Information. In your own words, write down some important information about your selected allusion.   In mythology Hyperion is a god and a satyr is a cross between a man and a goat. Satyrs are generally thought of as low class creatures.
Why is Shakespeare using this allusion? Why is he making the connection between a character in the play and this element from Greek Mythology? He is using this allusion to emphasize how little Hamlet thinks of his new stepfather. Hamlet is fully disgusted by the newfound relationship between his mother and stepfather and this allusion is being used to belittle Hamlet's stepfather. Hamlet uses this allusion to show that he blames Claudius for the situation.

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The ghost is portraying Hamlets deceased father. Although nobody is really sure who the ghost is and why he is haunting them the ghost tells Hamlet who he allegedly is, "I am thy father's spirit"(Shakespeare 1.4.13) he claims to be a spirit of the late king. Hamlet seems to believe him and has full trust in the ghost.

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Horatio is Hamlet's friend who tries to help him get through the loss of his father. Horatio tries his best to advise Hamlet to not make any poor choices in this very vulnerable time. Horatio tells Hamlet to not follow the ghost, "Be ruled; you shall not go, my lord"(Shakespeare 1.4.90) in this part of the play Horatio is trying to prevent Hamlet from willingly following a ghost that could be untrustworthy. This is Horatio's attempt of being a good friend and helping hamlet.

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Gertrude is Hamlet's mother. She recently married Hamlet's uncle after the death of Hamlet's father. Hamlet does not seem to be very close to his mother since his father died. Gertrude mentions hamlet is her son, "Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet;/ I pray thee stay with us, go not to Wittenberg"(Shakespeare 1.2.120-121) in this quote she tells her son, Hamlet, what she wants him to do.

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King Claudius is Hamlet's uncle who married Hamlet's mother soon after his father died. This makes him both Hamlet's uncle and stepfather. Hamlet is not super happy about the relationship between his mother and his uncle. King Claudius speaks on his relationships  "Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother's death/The memory be green; and that it us befitted/To bear our hearts in grief, and our whole kingdom/To be contracted in one brow of woe;/Yet so far hath discretion fought with nature/That we wisest sorrow think of him,/Together with remembrance of ourselves./Therefore our sometimes sister, now our Queen,/ Th'imperial jointress of this warlike state"(Shakespeare 1.2.1-9) in this quote Claudius explains how he has ended up as Hamlet's stepfather.