Name: Steven P Sanderson II

Date: 10/13/06
Class: Introduction to Literature
Professor: M. R. Garcia

100 word analysis on Hamlet Acts I and II

To start off this play is definitely a work of art. It not only sets the stage for

modern day stories and plays but teaches morals at the same time, something I believe we

can all agree seems to not even exist today even in the smallest sense of the meaning. To

get right into the thick of things as the play does. Hamlets uncle marries his mother,

becoming to family functions at one time, even disgusting in that time and era. What’s

exceptionally disturbing about the matter is in the manner in which his uncle became his

new father and King. Hamlet becomes so enraged at what is going on with his uncle and

his mother that he has thoughts of killing himself and it becomes a real chore for him not

to do so, based on the principals that he holds dear to himself. He does not want to go

through with the act of killing himself because God views it as a sin. Hamlet feels that

his mother and uncle are not only shaming themselves with this incestuous relationship

but in the process defaming his dead father and himself. This is evident in line 143 when

Hamlet compares his father to Hyperion the Sun God and his uncle to a Satyr, which is an

ugly half man half goat creature, who is lecherous on top of it.

Another way that is evidence of how lowly Hamlets uncle thinks of his father is

that the food from the funeral ceremony he reuses for his wedding ceremony as if nothing

is sacred to him. His uncle is using the fruits of someone else’s loss to try and help bring

in his own better days. Later on in the story Hamlet’s friends tell him that they have seen

a ghost of his father. Hamlet at first does not believe them and wants to see for him self.

When he does see his father’s ghost he asks him if God has seen fit to raise him from the
grave. Hamlets father proceeds to tell him later that his deceitful uncle is the cause of his

death through poisoning him. At hearing this Hamlet becomes enraged and asks his

father if he would like him to avenge his death. He states that his uncle did this not only

marry his mother but to become king, since he was next in line. This definitely shows

that there is a power struggle inside of the family. Hamlets father also seems upset that

his wife would disrespect him and Hamlet by marrying his brother so soon, and for doing

it period. Hamlets mother may not notice what her new husband is doing since he

courted her with extreme deceit. Hamlet states starting in line 105 of scene 5 that he

would wipe away all false and trivial images and sayings of his uncle if he wanted him to

because of the wrongfulness he imposed upon the family and his father.

In Act 2 Polonius has his servant Reynaldo spy on his son Leartes who is in Paris

at the time. He tells Reynaldo to use any means necessary to find out what his son has

been up to in Paris. He even goes so far as to tell Reynaldo to use deceit and false stories

about Leartes to gain insight into his doings. He also tells Reynaldo to use false stories to

teach Leartes a lesson in reputation, which shows me that Polonius believes that ‘image’

is everything. Polonius hears from his daughter Ophelia that Hamlet is there and seems

to be in extreme distress, she illustrates his appearance and Polonius says that he must be

mad for her love. He says this because of the way that Ophelia describes Hamlets

condition, which is of a spurned lover. Hamlet unknowingly to her does this on purpose

so that he may find out what Polonius intentions are, and to what he has been up to.

Polonius has some stage people come into his home and they act out a

play. Hamlet upon watching this comes up with a plan to see if Polonius would get upset
with. Hamlet tells one of the stage kids to learn some new lines about a dozen or so. In

these lines he will re-enact the death of Hamlets father.