"Our Chiefest Courtier, Cousin, and Our Son" (Hamlet - Act 1 / Scene 2, Claudius Speech #2)

Claudius' second speech of Act 1 / Scene 2 is crucial. This speech occurs right before Hamlet's first monologue of the play, and it is also amid the first conversation that Hamlet and Claudius have in the span of the show.

"Our Sometime Sister, Now Our Queen" (Hamlet - Act 1 / Scene 2, Claudius Speech #1)

Salutations, my fellow humans! To kick off the next scene of Hamlet, we're going to look at speeches by individual characters.

First off, Claudius' first speech in Act 1 / Scene 2.

Hamlet - Act 1 / Scene 1 SUMMARY

Alright. The first scene of Hamlet is short and pretty easy to understand--if you put your mind to it. However, to save you potential trouble, I'm going to summarize it anyway.

Don't worry. We got this.

Doth thou call me a stranger? (Hamlet - Nicknames)

I know what you're all thinking: Claire, what wonderful, magical, dramatic Shakespeare wonder will you analyze first?

Well, my fellow confused Shakespeare readers, we're going to start with my favorite. It's a tale of the mind, the heart, and the murder. It's the story of a Prince of Denmark, so crazy that he may not actually be crazy. That's right, everyone...

IT'S HAMLET.

A Guide to Speaking like Shakespeare

So, let's talk Shakespeare--or, more specifically, how to talk Shakespeare.