Act I, scene II introduces the main character in Shakespeare's Hamlet - Hamlet himself. Following the tradition of scene I, scene II begins fast with a rough notion of Hamlet's current state. As the scene opens into some kind of party for the new king (Hamlet's uncle Claudius), we see a stark contrast presented in the form of fashion choice: everybody is dressed in cheery white, while Hamlet continues to mourn, clothed in black.
The new king Claudius opens the scene with a large speech of justification for his marriage to his dead brother's wife, and his spot on the throne. Claudius presents himself well and seems to void his actions as being seen incestuous. He reminds the castle that he is sad over his brother's death, and they should be too, but insists that they think of the king with the "wisest sorrow" - that is, death is an inherent part of life, and the world cannot stop for death, even if it is the king. The king continues to address the issue of Norway's threat with confidence and authority. It is hard to hate Claudius at this point simply because he voices himself so well, and seems to be fit for the role as king. In another light, Claudius seems to be using the situation with Norway to his advantage to justify his actions; the kingdom needs a king as soon as possible as it is on the brink of war with Fortinbras. The relationship between king Claudius and Hamlet really shows as Claudius continues his speech. He seems to commend Hamlet for mourning his father's death, only to insult him for it. According to the king, Hamlet's actions are "uneducated".
Claudius asks the question "How is it that the clouds still hang on you?" to tell him to stop mourning his father's death. Hamlet retorts "Not so, my lord, I am too much in the sun..". This pun suggests two things; Hamlet clearly does not like being called 'son', and Hamlet is exposed very much to the truth of everything - he is not clouded by Claudius' rhetoric like everybody else.
Hamlet's first soliloquy was discussed extensively in class so I won't reflect too much on it. It was suggested that Hamlet exhibits strong signs of the Freudian Oedipus complex - I think this is absurd. Hamlet is clearly offended by the complete disregard for moral standard - especially his mother, Gertrude. What I like about the character Hamlet is that I can find myself in his shoes, able to sympathize with his situation and actions. I think this is the intended effect of the soliloquy.
The scene closes with Hamlet discovering about the ghost of Old Hamlet harassing the castle guards, which makes the audience anticipate things soon to come.
- Tyler Scott
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