6 Sentence Summary: Claudius, the new king of Denmark, thanks his subjects for their support, updates them about foreign affairs with Norway, and announces his marriage to Queen Gertrude. Laertes, the son of one of Claudius' advisers, gets permission to return to France. Gertrude and Claudius speak with Hamlet (he's finally here!) and they ask him to cease his continuous mourning of his father's death. After everyone leaves, Hamlet laments his mother's marriage and the speed at which it occurred. Horatio and the guards arrive and tell Hamlet of their sightings of the dead king's ghost. Hamlet decides he will watch for the ghost with them that night and try to speak to it.
So, to start, Claudius gives a speech to his loyal subjects. He has recently married his ex-sister-in-law Gertrude, and he is dealing with conflicts between Denmark and Norway. Claudius claims that, though it is sad, the kingdom must move on from Dead King Hamlet's death because death is a part of life. To read my analysis of this speech, click here.
Laertes enters. He is the son of Polonius, one of the king's advisers. Claudius explains that he will grant whatever Laertes desires because his father is so vital to the thrown. L'art wants to return to France. He was in France before he came to Denmark for Claudius' coronation. He requests Claudius' permission to leave. It is granted.
Two lines directly after this conversation are very important:
Claudius: "But now, my cousin Hamlet and my son--"
Hamlet: (aside) "A little more than kin and less than kind."
Hamlet's line is spoken more to the audience and himself than to where Claudius can hear him. Claudius calls Hamlet his son, which Hamlet, quite frankly, despises. His words "a little more than kin" reference his now twice-relation to his uncle. By blood, Claudius is Hamlet's uncle, but he has now married into the roll of step-father. "Less than kind" implies Hamlet's opinion that his relationship to his uncle is less-than-natural. Hamlet finds Gertrude's marriage disgusting and incestuous, so he refuses Claudius as a father.
Claudius asks Hamlet why he continues to grieve the loss of his father so heavily. The next conversation goes a bit like this:
Claudius: How are you still sad???
Hamlet: Oh, I'm not. Nope. "I am too much in the sun." Did you catch my sarcasm there? It's like "son" but not. LOL.
Lady G: Stop wearing black. Try to have a more optimistic outlook. You cannot search for your father forever with sad eyes. You know that all lives end in death.
Hamlet: Yep. (Doesn't mean I'm just going to move on and forget him.)
Lady G: Then why do you seem to be taking it so personally?
Hamlet: Oh, not seem. I'm definitely taking it personally. It's not just the black clothes, emotional outbursts, crying, and other visible signs of grief that show my true feelings. These are merely actions. "But I have that within which passes show, these but the trappings and the suits of woe." AKA, Mom, I'M SAD BECAUSE MY DAD DIED.
Claudius gives another speech (you can read my analysis of it here). He basically tells Hamlet things:
- As a son, you should grieve. Just, now you need to stop, because death is a part of life and you know that. Everyone loses their father eventually. Your grief is stubborn and incorrect in a divine sense.
- Think of me as a father. I will love you just as much (lies).
- Your mom and I beg you not to return to school. I don't want you returning to Wittenberg right now.
Gertrude chimes in a bit, and that convinces Hamlet to agree to their request. He agrees not to return to school at that time. Claudius, super happy and probably oblivious to his nephew's anger and annoyance, leaves with a flourish. Gertrude follows, as do any remaining stragglers from the earlier party.
Hamlet is alone and ready to monologue. [To be continued in Part 2]
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